Looking to rebound from a 7-17 season a year ago, the Evanston High School boys’ basketball is loaded from top to bottom with players who have dedicated themselves to getting the Red Devils back to the 4A State Tournament.

“I’ve been pretty happy with the way practices have been going,” said EHS head coach Rob Watsabaugh. “We’ve been going in the morning and the afternoon, and the first three days, we were playing really hard; the energy and the effort level was there. We wanted to pick up at the level we were playing at the end of the year last year, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far in practice.”

This year’s team is a talented bunch, featuring a mix of seniors and juniors who have been playing in Watsabaugh’s system since middle school, and have embraced the off-season workouts.

“We have 12 upperclassmen — four seniors and eight juniors,” Watsabaugh said. “They’ve all been in the program, they know the expectations, how hard they need to play. It’s been good having older leadership, holding each other accountable and competing every day. It’s been awesome to have them take the reins a little bit, and let them do their thing.”

The Red Devils will be led this season by seniors Kai Barker, Drew Barker, Cohen Morrow and Luke Robinette. All but Robinette have extensive varsity experience, though all four have proven their leadership in off-season camps and workouts.

“All four are great examples for the classes below them,” Watsabaugh said. “The work they did during the summer, their commitment to basketball — camps, open gyms — was really great. And the work outside of what we offer — I know that they’re always in the gym, working on their craft, whether it’s shooting, rebounding, passing, ball-handling. I know that I can count on those guys going above and beyond what we ask them to do.”

The four are close off the court, as well, though that doesn’t keep them from holding each other’s feet to the fire when they need to.

“They get along, but they’re not playing brother-in-law basketball — they’re competing, they’re chirping, they’re wanting to fight as hard as they can to make each other better,” Watsabaugh said. “They can be friends off the court, but they’ll hold each other accountable on it.”

As for the juniors, Clayton Cook, Jordan Mendez and Jay Hill saw significant playing time as sophomores and will only see their roles increase this season.

“The junior class is a very good, solid group for us – a lot of talent, inside and out,” Watsabaugh said. “We have some height in that group, with [Clayton] Cook and Ryker Lind, who moved here this year. We have a steady group of guards that have been playing for a couple of years at the varsity level — I don’t think there’s much of a drop off between a lot of our players we have in that upper class. It’s going to be who’s playing well that night, who’s been competing in practice and earned that spot for the week.”

While Watsabaugh stopped short of making any predictions for the season, he did admit that this may be the most talent he’s had to work with since taking over the program in 2020.

“From top to bottom, it’s probably the most talent we’ve had in a while,” Watsabaugh said. “It’s a very versatile group — skilled offensively, they understand the game, and how to play together really well. Defensively, they have that tenacity about them in trying to get stops — be physical, be smart. I think we can utilize a lot of different things, as far as our schemes go offensively and defensively, whatever we see throughout the year. See where we’re at, and build upon it; continue to grow all year.”

As for the younger players, Watsabaugh said he likes what he sees from the sophomores and freshmen.

“We have a good group of sophomores in the program,” Watsabaugh said. “Their eyes have been opened a little bit to the level of competition — how hard our guys play, how quick they play, and they’re adjusting well. But it’s a good group, and they know how to compete.”

“With our freshmen, there’s quite a bit of room for improvement, but I was really pleased with how they played this summer,” Watsabaugh added. “In the 15 or so games they got to play, I saw a lot of growth. Combining the two middle school teams into one, I think we have the pieces there at that freshman level to be competitive and build on, which is exciting for the future.”

Watsabaugh credits the rigorous off-season workout programs the coaches came up with for the success the fall sports programs achieved; he’s hoping that carries over into the winter and spring.

“Our juniors and seniors showed up to our workouts, they showed up to our open gyms and summer camps, and by doing that, it brings along the underclassmen,” Watsabaugh explained. “We had a very well-attended summer, in that respect. You’ll be able to see those results when the guys take the court in their uniforms — they’ve put on some weight, they’ve put on some muscle, they’re stronger. All of the coaches got together and developed a very detailed plan for off-season workouts, and the kids really bought into it. It paid off in all of the fall sports, and that will carry over into the winter sports, as well.”

The Red Devils will open the 2023-24 season on the road at Casper this weekend, with games scheduled against some tough 4A competition.

“The first weekend is always tough — you’re still not quite sure where the team is or what you have,” Watsabaugh said. “But with this group coming back, they know what we’re doing. I expect us to be at a pretty good level for that first weekend — we open up with Natrona, Laramie and South. If we play at a level that I know our kids are capable of, I think we can come away with a couple of wins that first weekend, and set the tone for the rest of the season.”

Conference play won’t begin until after the new year, and once again, the 4A West looks to be loaded.

“Our conference is pretty tough — I think every team is returning a lot of players,” Watsabaugh said. “That said, our kids are optimistic about the season, and the things we want to accomplish as a team. We can build off the success of a lot of our fall sports — football, cross country, golf having success, that really is a good kickoff to our school year, and that builds into our winter seasons.”