Prep hoops I love you, but you are winding down

Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

Three months, dozens of games and hundreds of points later, high school basketball season is over.

But I still need to write one more basketball column. (Cue groans.)

Pardon me as I shamelessly recycle one of my Twitter gimmicks, but here are some things I will and will not miss about covering basketball.

THING I WILL MISS: The seniors

Picturing Clark Fork without Brooke Stevens, Sandpoint without Bruin Jones and Alex Stockton, or Priest River without its trio of Keegan Hegel, Robbie Anselmo and Brandon McCracken is a jarring exercise.

Yet if their efforts, work ethics and perseverance shown on the court is any indication of what’s to come, these seniors have bigger and better things in store.

Although the seniors might not have gotten the best coverage from me during such a memorable year, as I was (and am) still learning the ropes, the class of 2019 was chock full of impressive athletes and important leaders. I regret covering only one season of theirs, but the seniors have a special place in my heart.

THING I WON’T MISS: The clock rules

The IDHSAA needs to implement a shot clock. Period.

Trailing by six points with three minutes to go shouldn’t be a death sentence. Using stall plays, taking a minute off the clock without putting up a shot and using hyper-conservative, utterly stagnant offenses with a lead doesn’t make teams better. It’s a cowardly move that promotes lazy, crunch-time decision-making.

Basketball as a whole is speeding up; the best way to set Idaho athletes up for on-court success in college is to make them acclimated to a fast-paced game with a shot clock.

Although this change would bring hurried turnovers at first, adapting to it will promote smarter habits as the seasons progress.

One more thing: Although the “running clock when a team is down 30 in the fourth quarter” rule seems a sportsmanlike move to prevent blowouts, there’s nothing more discouraging than seeing a team get running-clocked.

THING I WILL MISS: The games, of course

If given the options to either sit at my desk and wait for the phone to ring, or trek through the snow to cover a game, you know I’m choosing the latter.

Covering games on-site has always been a rewarding experience. With that said, here are the top five games I covered this year.

5. Jan. 31 Clark Fork girls 50, Wallace 44

Clark Fork’s six-woman senior class went out with a win. Also: Brooke Stevens’s fanbase is impressive.

4. Feb. 5 : Priest River boys 43, Bonners Ferry 42

Seeing a team get its first win is always thrilling..

3. Dec. 8: Bonners Ferry 64, Sandpoint boys 46

The resolve the Bulldogs showed in trimming a 20-point halftime deficit down to single-digits was inspiring. For the record: Sandpoint would’ve rolled if the rematch wasn’t canceled

2. Jan. 24: North Idaho Christian 52, Priest River boys 50

Double-overtime!

1. Jan. 29: Sandpoint girls 38, Lakeland 34

Whenever a coach says something like “that’s when our girls started to believe in themselves” afterwards, the game has to be special. The halftime defensive adjustments were impeccable, the individual efforts were memorable and every Bulldog contributed to the win. Games like this are the reasons why I’m a sports journalist.

THING I WON’T MISS: Hair metal

I’ve heard so much hair metal at basketball games. Motley Crüe? Check. Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger?” Of course. “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC? Oh, you bet.

Now this isn’t going to be a typical sportswriter music take — I’m not going to suggest, like, playing exclusively Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan — but in my opinion, northern Idaho basketball needs a widespread playlist shakeup.

The hook “I was up late night ballin’ / Countin’ up hundreds by the thousand” makes “Big Fish” by Vince Staples a no-brainer. Playing the opening to “Midnight City” by M83 as both teams get ready for tipoff would absolutely rule, to me. Heck, playing “Mr. Brightside” will appease anyone from my generation.

But if 80s music should be played, try Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” which makes me want to sprint through a brick wall, or “Your Love” by The Outfield, which merely mentioning this cheesy one-hit-wonder makes me the corniest person in Bonner County. But you knew that already.

THING I WILL MISS: Player improvement

Games would be nothing without the players. On that note: Here is my “Way-Too-Early Preseason Players to Watch” list, plus breakout candidates from each team I cover.

GIRLS — Dawson Driggs (Sr, Sandpoint), Maddie Morgan (Sr, Sandpoint), Hattie Larson (Jr, Sandpoint), Ellie Kiebert (Sr, Clark Fork), Karah Fink (Sr, Priest River).

BOYS — Cameron Garcia (Jr, Clark Fork), Kobe Banks (Sr, Sandpoint), Ryan Roos (Sr, Sandpoint), Caden Brennan (Sr, Priest River), Josh Constantin, (Sr, Clark Fork).

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES — Sara Hathaway (Sr, Clark Fork), Carter SanRoman (So, Clark Fork), Madelynn Rusho (Sr, Priest River), Jantzen Lucas (Sr, Priest River), Bella Phillips (Jr, Sandpoint), Ethan Butler (So, Sandpoint).

THING I WON’T MISS: Venue quirks

Note to spectators: Verizon’s cell coverage disappears upon entering Clark Fork’s gymnasium, but thankfully its WiFi network is unlocked.

If you want to briefly dip out of an event at Lakeland, forget it. Events like the Battle for the Paddle don’t allow re-entry — even if you beg and plead.

But the strangest venue quirk of them all belongs to Moscow, which, contrary to all information available online, plays at its middle school. I spent nearly half an hour circling around the high school both in my car and on foot before I wizened up and tried the middle school. Don’t make my mistake.

THING I WILL MISS: Thank you, the fans

As a member of the media, I’m supposed to be an unbiased observer. It’s my job to go to games, crank out colorless copy and stand stoically under the basket, trying to get photos for the next day’s edition.

Yet each of the teams I covered sneaked their ways into my heart, causing me to root for them even as I tried being unbiased. Perhaps this is bad practice. Perhaps this is a flaw of mine. But I won’t apologize for it. In spite of their records,Sandpoint, Clark Fork and Priest River teams gave me so much joy this season.

So I must thank all the athletes, coaches, parents and readers not only for making my first basketball season so enjoyable, but also for helping my adjustment to north Idaho life so much easier. Watching you — yes, you! — play was oftentimes the highlight of my week.

The fact that the Hagadone News Network willingly pays me real, U.S. dollars to go watch high schoolers play basketball and string some words together afterwards blows my mind. For this, I am the luckiest person on the planet.

Next season can’t arrive soon enough.