Jaguar boys seek a level of their own

Genesis Prep doesn’t shy away from taking on the big boys in high school basketball.

The private Christian school in Post Falls is in 1A Division II (for schools with 99 or fewer students in grades 9-12), the smallest classification in Idaho.

But the Jaguars took 3A Timberlake to the wire before losing in the season opener, and were respectible in a 59-45 loss at 5A Coeur d’Alene. Genesis Prep has three more games scheduled against teams from the 3A Intermountain League, starting tonight at Bonners Ferry, and including a rematch with Timberlake.

Last year, the Genesis Prep boys went to the Seattle area for a couple of games around the holidays.

THIS YEAR, athletic director Shella Brearley found a tournament in Phoenix, which was beneficial for two reasons.

One, they weren’t shoveling snow or complaining about freezing temperatures down there.

And two, more importantly, the tournament included schools in Arizona’s top classifications.

“I wanted to play against bigger and better schools,” Jaguars boys basketball coach Marsell Colbert said.

Colbert said when Brearley inquired about the tourney, she was asked by Brian Fair, athletic director at the host school, South Mountain High of Phoenix, if the Jaguars would be able to compete with the much larger Arizona schools.

“She said, ‘we’ll be competitive,’” Colbert said.

Genesis Prep proved to be quite competitive. The Jaguars played four games in three days, going 3-1 and placing third in the 16-team tournament. They played two games against 6A teams, Arizona’s largest classification, and two against 5A teams, Arizona’s second-largest classification.

On the first day, the Jaguars defeated 6A Trevor Browne of Phoenix 42-36 in overtime, then beat 5A South Mountain 50-37. In the semifinals the next day, Genesis Prep fell to 6A Cesar Chavez of nearby Laveen, Ariz., 74-67, before bouncing back the following day to beat 5A Camelback of Phoenix 57-54 in the third-place game.

Colbert recalled a conversation he had with Fair after the Jaguars lost in the semis.

“He said Chavez had 2,600 kids,” Colbert said. “He said ‘you guys battled; you guys gave them a run for their money.’”

Colbert told Fair that Genesis Prep was a K-12 school, with perhaps 200 students total.

“The look on his face ... ” Colbert said.

LAST YEAR, Genesis Prep placed third at state in 1A Division II, in the first season as an Idaho High School Activities Association-sanctioned program.

This year, the Jaguars are off to a 5-3 start, despite the challenging schedule.

Genesis Prep lost five seniors, including four starters, off last year’s 18-5 squad.

The lone returning starter is guard Jonny Hillman, now a sophomore.

Two others the Jags expected back did not return to the school.

The two remaining reserves from last year’s team, junior wings Max Reidt and Jake Shelton, are now starters.

Junior Williams, a junior who played on the junior varsity last season after transferring from Post Falls High, is the starting point guard, and was named to the all-tournament team in Phoenix.

Stephane Manzi, the team’s lone senior, is a 6-9 starting post who can also play on the wing. He also played JV last year.

Junior Jacob Schroeder, up from the JV last year, is a backup guard. Sophomore guard Jacob Schultz also comes off the bench, and Scott Mwinuka is the lone freshman on the roster.

Luke Gonzales, a 6-5 junior, is a former hockey player.

“This is pretty much a new team,” said Colbert, in his third season as coach. “We’re learning them as much as they’re learning us.”

Genesis Prep went undefeated in North Star League play last year, and is 2-0 in league so far this year, with the meat of the NSL schedule coming up.

Another deep run at state is a possibility for the Jaguars, but first things first, Colbert says. The Jags need to get better at finishing off possessions on defense, he said. Improved free-throw shooting, and taking better care of the ball are also goals.

So is playing at as high a level as possible, Colbert said, something the Jaguars learned from playing the bigger schools. That should help, he said, when Genesis Prep finishes out its schedule playing more teams its own size.

“We have to play at our level; we can’t play to the other team’s level,” Colbert said.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.