Veritas boys basketball looks to defend its state title

Looking for an encore after winning a Kansas Christian Athletic Association state championship last year, Veritas Christian’s boys basketball team is loaded with a solid core of returning players.

The Eagles return two starters, forward Tucker Flory and shooting guard Trey Huslig, along with several players from the state champion varsity rotation: point guard Jackson Rau, guard Quinton Donohoe, guard Kammal Dowdell and center Kyle Weinhold.

“We have seven juniors and one senior in the eight-man rotation which makes this the most experienced team that Veritas has had for many years,” fourth-year coach Carl Huslig said. “We were very competitive during the summer season playing much larger schools so we expect to play for another state championship in February.”

Along with the long list of returners, the Eagles are looking for strong seasons from newcomers Grant Schuck, a transfer from Tonganoxie, and Scott Weinhold.

“The big focus early will be understanding what it means to be a good teammate,” Huslig said. “Basketball is a team sport and team chemistry is very important. In order to achieve our goals, the players will have to be unselfish and trust each other.”

Veritas beat Heritage Christian last week and will return to the court to play Grandview Christian at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Haskell Indian Nations University.

“The coaching staff is extremely excited for the upcoming season,” Huslig said. “We have a schedule that will test us every game and require us to focus on the little things.”

Veritas won’t field a girls basketball team this season. Athletic Director Will Fernandez said there weren’t enough girls to make a team, but he expects the junior high program will contribute more athletes for a varsity squad next season.