PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College men’s basketball team ramped up expectations for next season with its run through the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament in Kennewick that ended with an unexpected third-place finish.
No need to alert the Pirates’ North Region foes because they already know.
At least Edmonds does. The Tritons shared the region championship with Bellevue and were the team that ended the Pirates’ championship hopes in the semifinals.
“The Edmonds coach, he told me it was going to be scary, our team with everyone who is coming back,” Peninsula freshman Ryley Callaghan said by phone Thursday morning.
Coach Mitch Freeman, who finishes his second season with the Pirates, welcomes the higher expectations.
“That’s what we want. You want guys that have the success and can learn from it and grow from it,” Freeman said Wednesday night after the team’s bus arrived back on campus.
“They have to be able to duplicate it as we move forward.”
All but two Pirates, Jal Deng and Domach Domach, were freshmen this season.
And after nearly complete roster turnover in the Peninsula program each of the past few years, Freeman expects most of the team to return next season.
“These guys just enjoy being around each other,” Freeman said.
“They look at this learning experience as something they want to be able to do a little bit better.”
Included among next year’s sophomores are leading scorers Ryley Callaghan (17.5 ppg) and Deonte Dixon (16.4).
The starting backcourt also had a flair for the dramatic, hitting game-winning shots to beat Centralia, Skagit Valley and Highline.
“We’re starting to find out how good they could become, and both of them have a tremendous ability to score and to play and create for others,” Freeman said.
Also returning are leading rebounder Malik Mayeux (7.4 rpg), defensive workhorse Jeremiah Hobbs and shot-blocking reserve Jonah Cook, as well as bench players such as Chris Reis, Alex Ironside and Zach Nibler who will be looking for expanded roles.
The Pirates also should have sophomore forward Dimitri Amos, a redshirt who teammates such as Hobbs have raved about this season.
Freeman anticipates Peninsula bringing in three or four new players during the offseason.
He said the recruiting focus will be bringing in a wing who can attack the basket and another shooter to open the floor for Callaghan and Dixon.
The Pirates also must find a way to replace Deng.
“Something that we can’t take for granted is Jal, how good of a defender he was, because he really was. He’s so athletic and long,” Freeman said.
“We’ve got to be able to have a guy, whether it’s in our program now or a guy we recruit, that can guard multiple positions.”
Freeman wants to improve depth with players who fit the Peninsula’s personality and culture.
“One thing we try to emphasize in terms of recruiting players here is that we want to recruit players that we can lose with,” Freeman said.
“Meaning, you go and drop two [games], what kind of person are you now, like the character of who that kid is.”
The Pirates aren’t a complete team, but their performance at the NWAC tournament gave them an idea of how good they can be in the future.
“For sure, there’s not a reason why we shouldn’t win it,” Callaghan said.
“Jeremiah was saying [after the tournament] that there’s no reason we shouldn’t win it all next year.”
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
