Bulldogs tip off season hungry for state
Team hoists more than 130,000 shots
in off-season
By ERIC PLUMMER
Sports editor
SANDPOINT — Defense has never been a problem for the Bulldogs under head coach Kent Leiss, whose teams have given up an average of just over 40 points a game in the five playoff games he’s coached in three years at the helm.
But offense has been another story, which explains why the team has gone just 2-3 in those five games and failed to reach the playoffs under Leiss.
To remedy the problem, the Bulldog players started hoisting jumper after jumper this summer on a shooting machine that not only feeds passes to the shooter, but counts the shots taken.
And how many shots have been fired up at SHS since March, when last season ended? Try more than 130,000 jimmies, which Leiss hopes will lead to bigger numbers on the scoreboard.
Leading the committed off-season effort was senior point guard Spencer Thompson, who has put up more than 25,000 3-pointers since March. Leiss is hoping his senior floor leader, who recently drained 21 consecutive 3-pointers in practice, leads an improved offense.
“Spencer put in a ton of time,” lauded Leiss. “He’s so physically strong. Just a tough little kid. He’s 5-7, but built like a fullback.”
Last season, lack of depth forced the Bulldogs to play a much slower pace, which resulted in a 7-16 record and close loss in a state play-in game.
With better depth, and much more speed and quickness, the Bulldogs will look to get out and run, which should help a largely inexperienced team compete for a berth at state.
“We’re athletic, we’ll be able to get up and down the floor. Last year we had to play slower. We hope to run this year, that is our goal,” claimed Leiss, whose team has a great early attitude. “These kids like basketball, they’re fun to be around.”
One of the Bulldogs’ biggest strengths will be height, with senior two guard Taran McLaughlin (6-6), junior wing T.J. Davis (6-6), sophomore post Alex Stockton (6-3) and junior power forward Robbie Johnson (6-3) bringing length and power to the floor, as all are coming off successful football seasons.
Johnson missed part of last season, and is probably the Bulldogs’ best rebounder and a capable inside scoring threat, while McLaughlin can both block shots and hit 3s, a unique skillset that Leiss hopes to utilize. Davis will be the point man on a 1-3-1 trap, which with the length and athleticism on the floor, could present some problems for opposing teams.
With Lakeland and Moscow slightly down from years past, Leiss didn’t mince words when asked what his team’s goal was this season.
“We want to get to state. Nobody is head and shoulders above or below in our league,” said Leiss. “Our goal is to make it to state, pretty simple. Hopefully we’re better offensively. We’ve always defended.”
Senior Patrick Rockwell (6-2) is a 3-point threat from the wing, and will be joined by some new varsity players off the bench in sophomores Bruin Jones and Tyler Moore, freshman Ryan Roos (6-2) and senior Max Duton.
An early season schedule with six straight games against 3A Intermountain League teams should provide the Bulldogs with some seasoning before a back-loaded schedule of big 5A and league games.
Like Leiss, Thompson feels the team has the pieces to make a run at a state berth, admitting it will take some offensive improvement, especially from the guards in the crucial league games.
“We’re just bigger than everybody else, and we play good defense,” claimed Thompson, who hopes to lead some fast breaks. “A lot of running and transition offense. We’re so much bigger, our guards have to be better.”
Sandpoint opens the season tonight at home against Timberlake.