First year coach looking to guide Bulldogs back to state

SANDPOINT — As the head basketball coach for 10 years at Coeur d’Alene High School recently, Kent Leiss got an up close look at Sandpoint, always marveling at the level of athletes the Bulldogs put on the floor.

Now he’s coaching said athletes first hand, taking over the Sandpoint program as he begins his 25th year as a high school coach, succeeding Tyler Haynes. To best utilize an athletic group that really doesn’t have a featured player, Leiss plans to press and run the floor, going 10-plus deep into his bench.

“We want to press all the time, run as much as we can, play a lot of kids and wear down whoever we’re playing,” describes Leiss. “We don’t have any superstars, so I’ll change starters. We’ll play with a lot of intensity, that’s the way I am.”

The Bulldogs feature four players who return with varsity experience in seniors Matt Timothy, Dylan Kuzmich and Cooper Spalding, and junior Carlos Collado. The rest of the team will be seeing varsity minutes for the first time.

Leiss says the 6-foot-2 Timothy, his floor general at point guard, has a great feel for the game and sees the court well. Timothy feels the team will hang its hat on defense, an effort-based endeavor that slumps far less often than shooting on most nights.

“We’re a defensive-minded team. If people think they’re going to come out and score a bunch, they’re dead wrong. They’re not going to out-work us,” predicts Timothy. “This is a very new team to varsity. Our coach will lead us on a positive path to becoming good basketball players.”

Helping carry the scoring load will be Kuzmich, a two-guard with the ability to score from beyond the arc and also get to the rim. He’ll also be counted on for leadership on a team that must replace a lot of points from graduation.

“He’s kind of the heart and soul of our team,” says Leiss of Kuzmich. “He works so hard, and he wants to have a good senior season.”

Junior Davan Norris (6-3) and senior Troy Mitton (6-3) will play the wings, with the athletic Norris featuring great range and providing another outside threat. Some of the most open, rhythmic 3-point shots come in transition, where the Bulldogs hope to be dangerous.

Manning the blocks will be be junior Carlos Collado (6-4) and senior Cooper Spalding (6-5), who will be counted on to protect the rim and clear the defensive glass, going up against much taller front lines in a schedule that sees them play up in class often.

Junior Paul Sundquist (6-2) brings a physical identity and positive attitude to the team, the proverbial glue guy that does a little bit of everything.

“His enthusiasm is infectious. He plays hard and practices hard,” says Leiss of the three-sport athlete, who also plays defensive end and catcher. “He’s a great example of a football player out there beating on people. He’ll provide a spark for us.”

Junior Jake Aguirre, a transfer from Clark Fork, will also play some point guard, able to create off the dribble and knock some shots down. Junior Kyle Perry, and seniors Michael Bilyeau, Broc Coppess and Skyler Speakman will also see minutes, as pressing and pushing the pace, a la Rick Pitino teams, requires a deep bench.

Former Bulldog player Mike Roos joins the coaching staff as an assistant coach, and Wayne Fulford, a former Division 1 college player at University of Texas Pan American and pro player in Europe, rounds out the all new staff.

Leiss sees the players buying into the new system, conditioning hard and getting after it in practice. Only two of the first 11 games are at home, so the Bulldogs will cut their teeth on the road against some of the top teams in the region.

“We want to make it to state, and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t. I don’t see why Sandpoint can’t be one of the top teams in 4A sometime soon,” predicts Leiss, lauding Satini Puailoa’s impact on the athletes at SHS. “I see us having fun, playing full court basketball, pushing it. We’ll be fun to watch, I promise that.”

The Bulldogs tip off the season tonight, hosting Priest River at 7 p.m. at Les Rogers Court.