2022-23 Hillsboro Indians Basketball Preview
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
It is a new time and era for the Hillsboro Indians boys basketball program, as former Fairfield head coach Josh Howland has taken over the same role for the Indians, starting with the 2022-23 season.
Howland — who was Coach of the Year in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference last season — had success in his five seasons as the head coach of Fairfield, as his teams won SHAC titles and were district runners-up in the Southeast District in Division IV. At Hillsboro, Howland takes over for Miles Burton, who led the Indians to a co-Frontier Athletic Conference championship during his tenure with the Indians and is now the head coach at Goshen.
With all the newness for the Hillsboro program, the Indians have four seniors, three juniors and three sophomores on their varsity roster for this upcoming season.
Seniors for the Indians are Bryce Parsons (forward), Deegan Bloomfield (forward), Brogen Priest (guard) and Garet Thompson (guard).
Juniors are Steven Kibler (forward), Dorian Stewart (forward) and Jordan Keets (guard). Sophomores are Nic Burns (guard), Tate Davis (point guard) and Brayden Hunter (guard).
For the 10-man roster, the only returning letterman from last season is Parsons. As a junior, he averaged 7.3 points per game for the Indians.
“We are excited about our entire varsity roster. Bryce brings experience and maturity. The players look to him as our leader, and he has shown he's all in,” Howland said. “Deegan has progressed nicely so far and plays very hard. Brogen and Garet are both contributing by working hard in practice every day and showing improvement.
“Steven has shown he is the most athletic player in our program. Dorian is a strong player that commands attention when he's in the paint. Jordan has helped us tremendously in practice each day, and we look forward to seeing him continue to contribute to our program.
“Nick is a lock-down defender and has made big strides with his jump shot,” Howland continued. “Brayden plays physical and is working hard to help our program. Tate has a very high level of commitment and understands we need him to step into a high level role in our program this year.”
HHS lost seven seniors from last year’s team — which finished 5-5 in the FAC (tied for second place) and 11-12 overall — including Hunter Price (All-Ohio honorable mention, Coaches All-District first team, OPSWA All-District second team), Ethan Parry (Coaches All-District second team, OPSWA All-District third team) and Quintin Captain (Coaches All-District honorable mention).
Last season, Price finished with 15.1 points per game with 8.9 rebounds per game and 3.9 assists per game, as he earned the aforementioned All-Ohio honors.
Howland said the Indians’ offseason was successful and spoke about some of the things the team has done to prepare for the upcoming season.
“We had an opportunity to play in OU team camp over the summer. That camp gave us an opportunity to bond as a team and get a good feel for what we needed. We continued to build on that during shootouts and Monday night league,” he said.
There also have been positives in preparing with his new team, as Howland spoke about those high points as well as what he wants his team to improve on.
“The biggest positive we have seen is the willingness to learn and apply what is learned to the game,” Howland said. “We have a lot to improve on as the season gets rolling. The biggest thing we need is to continue to building our culture. We have made great progress so far and are excited to continue building a foundation for a great program.
“Our only expectation is to improve every day.”
When asked to describe his team, Howland said the following.
“The best way to describe our team is inexperienced, but willing to learn,” he said. “We will work hard every play and hope to be competitive every night.”
Playing in the FAC isn’t easy, and Howland knows it is a whole new league to get used to as he came from the SHAC.
“I don't know that much about the FAC just yet,” Howland said. “I know Washington has some key players back and will be solid. Other than that, we will have to learn as we go,”
The non-conference schedule for the Indians includes: Wilmington, Blanchester, Goshen, Whiteoak (at Hoosier Gym), Waverly, Unioto, Paint Valley, Eastern, Fairfield, Peebles, Western Brown and Lynchburg-Clay.
“For us, every game is going to be a challenge,” Howland said. “We just don't have much experience, so we will be learning each game. We are very excited about this season. We know it will be a challenge every night, but that's what makes it fun.”
The Indians open the 2022-23 season on the road Friday, Nov. 25 at Wilmington.
[[In-content Ad]]
Howland — who was Coach of the Year in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference last season — had success in his five seasons as the head coach of Fairfield, as his teams won SHAC titles and were district runners-up in the Southeast District in Division IV. At Hillsboro, Howland takes over for Miles Burton, who led the Indians to a co-Frontier Athletic Conference championship during his tenure with the Indians and is now the head coach at Goshen.
With all the newness for the Hillsboro program, the Indians have four seniors, three juniors and three sophomores on their varsity roster for this upcoming season.
Seniors for the Indians are Bryce Parsons (forward), Deegan Bloomfield (forward), Brogen Priest (guard) and Garet Thompson (guard).
Juniors are Steven Kibler (forward), Dorian Stewart (forward) and Jordan Keets (guard). Sophomores are Nic Burns (guard), Tate Davis (point guard) and Brayden Hunter (guard).
For the 10-man roster, the only returning letterman from last season is Parsons. As a junior, he averaged 7.3 points per game for the Indians.
“We are excited about our entire varsity roster. Bryce brings experience and maturity. The players look to him as our leader, and he has shown he's all in,” Howland said. “Deegan has progressed nicely so far and plays very hard. Brogen and Garet are both contributing by working hard in practice every day and showing improvement.
“Steven has shown he is the most athletic player in our program. Dorian is a strong player that commands attention when he's in the paint. Jordan has helped us tremendously in practice each day, and we look forward to seeing him continue to contribute to our program.
“Nick is a lock-down defender and has made big strides with his jump shot,” Howland continued. “Brayden plays physical and is working hard to help our program. Tate has a very high level of commitment and understands we need him to step into a high level role in our program this year.”
HHS lost seven seniors from last year’s team — which finished 5-5 in the FAC (tied for second place) and 11-12 overall — including Hunter Price (All-Ohio honorable mention, Coaches All-District first team, OPSWA All-District second team), Ethan Parry (Coaches All-District second team, OPSWA All-District third team) and Quintin Captain (Coaches All-District honorable mention).
Last season, Price finished with 15.1 points per game with 8.9 rebounds per game and 3.9 assists per game, as he earned the aforementioned All-Ohio honors.
Howland said the Indians’ offseason was successful and spoke about some of the things the team has done to prepare for the upcoming season.
“We had an opportunity to play in OU team camp over the summer. That camp gave us an opportunity to bond as a team and get a good feel for what we needed. We continued to build on that during shootouts and Monday night league,” he said.
There also have been positives in preparing with his new team, as Howland spoke about those high points as well as what he wants his team to improve on.
“The biggest positive we have seen is the willingness to learn and apply what is learned to the game,” Howland said. “We have a lot to improve on as the season gets rolling. The biggest thing we need is to continue to building our culture. We have made great progress so far and are excited to continue building a foundation for a great program.
“Our only expectation is to improve every day.”
When asked to describe his team, Howland said the following.
“The best way to describe our team is inexperienced, but willing to learn,” he said. “We will work hard every play and hope to be competitive every night.”
Playing in the FAC isn’t easy, and Howland knows it is a whole new league to get used to as he came from the SHAC.
“I don't know that much about the FAC just yet,” Howland said. “I know Washington has some key players back and will be solid. Other than that, we will have to learn as we go,”
The non-conference schedule for the Indians includes: Wilmington, Blanchester, Goshen, Whiteoak (at Hoosier Gym), Waverly, Unioto, Paint Valley, Eastern, Fairfield, Peebles, Western Brown and Lynchburg-Clay.
“For us, every game is going to be a challenge,” Howland said. “We just don't have much experience, so we will be learning each game. We are very excited about this season. We know it will be a challenge every night, but that's what makes it fun.”
The Indians open the 2022-23 season on the road Friday, Nov. 25 at Wilmington.
[[In-content Ad]]