Media day photos by Cody Ottinger and Kara Raeth | CatchMark
Shelby’s 2021-22 boys basketball team attended the VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference media day on Wednesday, Nov. 24, at the Viking Athletic Center (VAC) in Whitehall.
See the photos above from media day and check out the season preview below:
COACH: Rick Zoulek (36th season).
LAST YEAR’S RECORDS: 5-12 overall (5-9 West Michigan Conference, 6th place).
RETURNING STARTERS: Bishop Lee (Junior, 6-1); Joseph Hayes (Senior, 6-1); Mason Garcia (Junior, 5-8).
KEY RETURNEES: Carson Claeys (Junior, 5-9); Isaac Scouten (Senior, 5-9).
NEW PROSPECTS: Wyatt Dickman (Sophomore, 6-2); Trey Waller (Sophomore, 6-1); Zach Horton (Sophomore, 5-9); Griffin Olmstead (Freshman, 6-0).
STRENGTHS: Shelby returns four players from last season with good experience. The Tigers’ excellent team chemistry will be a valuable asset this season.
WEAKNESSES: A lack of paint presence could be a challenge for the Tigers. In addition, five relatively inexperienced players will join the squad, placing the depth chart into question.
OUTLOOK: Shelby welcomes the return of four players with experience and another group of five players with hardly any at all. Season success for the Tigers rests on growth and development.
“I think the key is to get them to understand their strengths as an individual and as a team player,” said Zoulek, the longtime, highly successful coach.
Zoulek measures some of his most successful seasons by how much his teams improved throughout the course of a season. He plans to follow that game plan again this season.
“I can’t have the same offense or defense every year,” he said. “We are going to do some things better and worse each year. I’m trying to put my players in a position to be successful.”
