Jim Ned ATHLETICS

By Jim Ned Student Section Broadcasting

Basketball

As the Basketball Season comes to a close, we can’t help but reflect on the Indians success this year. After losing 5 seniors in 2022, including 3 starters, the Indians began this season with something to prove. They quickly did just that. The Indians have already secured a placed second finish in district, an improvement from last season, where they finished third.

We sat down with Coach Allen. We asked him what his expectations were heading into the season, and how he hoped the team would pivot after losing crucial leadership roles from the graduated seniors of the past season.

“I knew we would be young going into this season and would need to have a lot of guys step up on both ends of the floor. The guys have really grown up this year and have filled their roles very well….I’m proud of the way our guys have played for each other this year. This is the most selfless group I have coached and you can see that on the floor. It doesn’t matter who is scoring that night, the guys just want to win.”

Meanwhile, the Jim Ned basketball fans were louder and more present than ever this season, marking a huge rise in attendance from the previous seasons in recent years.

“This may have been the greatest season of Jim Ned basketball that I’ve ever witnessed as a fan. Every home game was electric and loud, the stands were always packed. It was fun to cheer on the team every game, and I believe we witnessed a few of the best, most competitive basketball games in a while here in Tuscola. ” - Sam Thormeyer

To say that the 2022-2023 Basketball season for the Jim Ned Indians & Lady Indians was note-worthy, is an understatement.

The Jim Ned Indians Boys basketball team, coached by Blake Allen, completed district in third place, clinching a playoff spot moving forward. With a final record of 23-14, the Indians ended their season with a loss to Bowie in the area round of playoffs. The JN Indians will be returning all five starters and many supportive players for the 23-24 season, while graduating from the team is Connor Epperson, Jaden Alexander, & Hunter Beasley. Congrats on a great season, JNI!

The Jim Ned Lady Indians, coached by Hunter Cooley, added many accomplishments to the record books this 22-23 season: Whataburger Tournament Champions, District Champions, & Regional Semifinal Champions. With an overall record of 35-2, the Lady Indian’s play-off run ended with a bang in the UIL Regional Championship game against Holiday, who will be one of two teams competing in the State Championship game on March 4, 2023. The Jim Ned Lady Indians will be returning three starters and many more key players in the 2023-2024 season, while this year graduating seniors Ashlynn Galvin and Kate Bryant, two leaders who will be missed on the hardwood. A big congratulations to an incredible season, to the JNLI!

As track season gets underway, the guys here at JNSSB can’t help but follow a specific athlete, in hopes of seeing something special his senior season. Back in August, Chris Saling went down with a back injury and his hopes of success in track and cross country this year seemed to dwindle. But Chris Saling was back quicker than any of us could have expected. In November, Saling came back and finished the cross country season, and now seems to be back in action and ready for track season. Coming into his senior season, Chris has broken multiple awards here, and been very successful not only on his own but as a team as well.

“My team goal for this season is to win a district championship and get our 4x4 relay to state.”

The 4x4 relay is an important event to Chris, and so are the guys apart of it.

“I feel like we have all bonded so well. We are like a family, we stick together, and we push each other to be the best.”

As they push each other to be the best they can be, and hold each other accountable Chris believes it’s also important to hold himself accountable.

“I have really big exceptions for the season overall. It’s not about the time, or the medals. It’s about how far I can push myself to the limits. How I can be the best version I could be. It’s about the process, the mentality, and the ability to outwork others this year. I rather lose trying the best I could possibly be than win without trying.”

We’re expecting big things from Chris Saling this year, and I think we speak for everyone in Tuscola when we say that we’re so excited to see what he can do his senior year.

Golf

This year’s Jim Ned Golf teams are going in with good spirits and high expectations, as they look to somehow best last season’s performance.

Last season, the Boys golf team made it as far as state and this year they hope to continue that trend. We spoke to Wyatt Nickson prior to the season and asked him his expectations for the team, “We’re all feeling great with high expectations and we’re excited to get to play soon” Us here at JNSSB can’t wait to see how this group of guys stack up against the competition this year.

The Girls team is also looking to shock some people this season. The girls finished third in district last year and they’re looking forward to improving on it this season.

“I think this year will be a little rocky for us at the beginning, but I think we will end up doing great. It’s Me, Mallory [Perkins], Lanie’s [Allen], last year so we’re going to play our best and see what happens.” - Neely Young

Baseball

The Jim Ned baseball team is looking to do good things this season as well. We sat down and interviewed baseball manager Korbin Goldsby on his thoughts and observations about this year’s team:

Us: What are the expectations looking like for this year’s guys?

K: “We have good expectations. We got some young talents like Colby [Clinkscales] and some of the football players like Tanner [Hussman] and Troy [Doran] are helping out and new coaches like Estrada. If we are lucky we might make state.”

Us: How does it impact the team after losing so many important seniors from last year?

K: “Not going to lie, it kind of sucks. But those guys are going to have great careers in college.”

Us: As manager, you have many important roles to make sure the team is able to perform well all season, and within those responsibilities you spend a lot of the time with the team, and you really get a chance to really know these guys. How does the team chemistry feel in the locker room?

K: “If everything goes right, we may do well but if everyone gets along, we can be an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.”