Expectations high for Riverhawks’ boys basketball

“I’m really excited about this group of kids,” said Cummings. “I expect that seniors Jaxon Pullen, Tristan Bass and David Rodriguez will be leaders on and off the floor. I really do expect us to compete for the district title, especially with our talent level and who we have coming back, so that’s our goal this year. We don’t expect anything less than that. It’s been a long time since The Dalles has had a team that was a league title contender and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Hawks begin another basketball season less than six months following the conclusion of an 11-game spring slate that concluded June 21. The Hawks didn’t enjoy much success in the spring when they posted a 2-9 record. The Hawks beat the Pendleton High Buckaroos twice for their two victories and they had two games decided by single digits, but it was definitely a struggle during the six-week season. The Hawks also lost one of their top scorers from the squad, Spencer Taylor, who graduated.

“Playing basketball in the spring was kind of weird, so it’s more of a normal season now,” said Cummings, whose assistant coaches are Jordan Rowland and Mike Cates. “I’ve been the coach for some of these kids since fourth grade and it’s been a real blessing to see them grow up. It’s fun watching them and hopefully they’ll jell together and run our offensive sets well and get the defensive schemes ready in time for our first game.

“This is a good group of kids; it should be a fun year and I think they’ll be ready to go when the season starts. It would be a great way to start the season for sure if we can get a win against Parkrose in our season opener.”

The three Hawk seniors along with talented juniors Styles Deleon, Riley Brock and Braden Schwartz provide The Dalles with enough depth to contend for the IMC title. Deleon, Pullen and sophomores Andre Niko and Henry Begay are expected to be the top scorers for The Dalles.

“I really think that we should be able to compete with anybody in the Class 5A level this year and I think we can compete with some 6A schools too,” said Cummings. “I’m confident that we’ll get a win under our belt in the first game, and we should have a good year.”

The Hawks’ trio of other players that will also make key contributions on the court include sophomores Cooper Cummings (Greg’s son) and Nolan Donivan, and junior Andy Maney.

The Dalles plays its home opener Dec. 10 at 7:15 p.m. versus the La Salle Prep High Falcons at Kurtz Gym. The Hawks begin their 10-game IMC schedule with a 6:30 p.m., Jan. 14 home match-up against the Redmond Panthers.