Depth of the Stars

There were two reasons Post Falls High wasn’t the popular choice to win the 5A Inland Empire League in boys basketball this season.

First, there was Lewiston. The Bengals returned much of last year’s squad that won the regional title and advanced to state for the first time since 2009.

Then, there was Coeur d’Alene, with two returning standout players and hungry to end a dry spell of state appearances.

Post Falls? The Trojans returned only four players (including one starter) from last year’s 16-9 squad that lost in a state play-in game.

But as it turned out, Post Falls simply reloaded, and went 6-0 in league while Lewiston, Coeur d’Alene and Lake City all finished 2-4.

“I thought we could win all of our home games, and thought if we would pick up two road wins, we would win the league,” said Mike McLean, in his 10th season as Trojans coach. “I did not anticipate us going unbeaten in the league this year; I really didn’t think anyone in the league would go unbeaten. I also believed that our guys and our team had the most upside for growth and improvement.”

Post Falls ran into a roadblock in the regional championship game in Lewiston, which finally played like the team many felt the Bengals would all season. But the Trojans bounced back through the play-in route, and qualified for state for the eighth time under McLean.

How?

Junior Jake Pfennigs was the lone returning starter, the other returnees being senior Cameron McKeown (the team’s only senior), and juniors David Bourgard and Tanner McCliment-Call.

That left it up to several varsity newcomers to fill key roles.

Sophomore guard Drake Thompson and freshman guard Gennett joined Pfennigs, Bourgard and McCliment-Call in the starting lineup. Juniors Casey Walker, Matt Fleming, Alan Ballew and Nick Morris came off the bench, as did McKeown.

“We preach to the kids in our program (third grade through 12th) that getting a chance to wear the ‘stars’ is a very special opportunity that should never be taken for granted,” McLean said. “Our players all know that the ‘stars’ warmups have the two different colored stars on them, one representing all of the players who have played before, and the other for the players in the future. We coach and prepare every kid in the program the exact same way, regardless of their role on the team.”

Last year, Morris, Walker, Fleming, Ballew and Thompson played on the Trojans junior varsity team. Gennett was in middle school.

Under McLean, Post Falls has had five 5A IEL Players of the year — Shawn Reid, Connor Hill, Marcus Colbert, Dalton Thompson and Max McCullough.

“But all of the teams in our league have had some really talented players,” he said. “One of the biggest differences in our program in my opinion is that we have gotten so much more positive contributions from players 2-5 on each team each year. Many teams have one or two ‘horses’ that do all of their work, but not us. That is why you see different teams rise toward the top of the league only to settle back down after certain players graduate. In fact, I take the most pride that our players 2-10 each year consistently outperform our opponents’ guys and have allowed us to win so many of our 5A IEL league games, and all of our other games. Each time one of our IEL MVPs graduates, we have another player ready to step into that role, but just as importantly if not more importantly, when players 2-10 graduate we have guys willing and able to take on that role.”

While Pfennigs has emerged as Post Falls’ top scorer, other starters — and reserves — have stepped up at times in key games.

And while folks on the outside notice the Trojans’ 3-point shooting and fast-paced style of play, McLean says he’s most proud of the defense played in his program.

“I do not celebrate hustle or hustle plays — it is an expectation,” he said. “I don’t celebrate guys who can dribble and make the correct pass — it is expected. Our mindset is that defense and rebounding travels anywhere we play and it travels against anyone we may be playing. I believe that rebounding and defense are one in the same; you can’t be good at one without the other. This year’s team is averaging 62.1 points in league and giving up 50.2 points. That is by far the biggest difference in the league this year. The only other team in the IEL this year that had a positive ratio was Lewiston at 64.5 per game for and 62.1 against. We take a lot of pride in that.”

Post Falls has brought home five trophies from its previous seven trips to state, all in a row from 2009-15. The Trojans won state titles in 2010 and 2015, was second in 2012, third in ’14 and fourth in ’11. The only season Post Falls didn’t come close to state was in 2007-08, its first year under McLean, when the Trojans finished an 8-14 season with a two-and-out at regionals.

But ever since then, except for last year, state has been an annual rite of passage for the Post Falls boys.

“Watching us play during a game may look like it would be a lot of fun, but our practices are grueling,” said McLean, 159-63 as head coach of his alma mater. “We never play fun little games or have any drill where there is not a consequence for losing. I believe that ‘fun practices’ or ‘fun drills’ are not fun because you will not remember them in 5, 10, 15, 30 years — but you will always remember the great battles during the IEL and the trips to state. Those memories will last forever.”