Unselfish White River basketball eyes first state tournament berth since 2015
Watch the White River High School boys basketball team play together, and one thing immediately becomes clear: The Hornets are an unselfish team.
That’s not necessarily the case with many high school basketball teams. Often, egos and a desire for individual statistics can get in the way of putting together a cohesive team. But watch the Hornets play, and there always seems to be an extra pass on nearly every possession — getting someone open for a great shot instead of a good shot.
“Sometimes, there’s even too much (passing),” said White River coach Zach Johnson.
That’s probably a good problem to have.
“It’s a big thing we emphasize, making that extra pass,” Johnson said. “That’s what makes us good on offense. We’re able to share the ball. We have five guys that can score at all times.”
They’re led by senior Tanner Wallen, a knockdown shooter who averages around 26 points per game.
“It’s huge — that’s what we always preach: We’re a group,” Wallen said. “We’re better than we were last year, when we played for ourselves and were individuals. This year, we’re a team. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
Wallen has been a dangerous scorer for the Hornets this season and could be the focal point of a Hornets’ team looking to make a run in the postseason.
“I think he’s the best shooter in the state,” Johnson said. “I’m surprised when he misses a three. He just stretches the floor and gives us that much room to attack with all these other guys. When he gets hot, he gets hot. It’s a 9-0 run before you know it.”
White River boasts a veteran-laden roster this year; the Hornets suit up nine seniors, four juniors and one sophomore on the varsity squad.
“We share the ball very well,” said senior guard Mason Donovan. “We don’t care who gets the points, we don’t care who gets the glory. We just want to win.”
And win they have. The Hornets are 17-3 on the season, and won the SPSL 2A East title with a perfect 13-0 mark.
“It’s just the bond these guys have,” Johnson said. “They’ve been playing together since they were in second, third grade. It’s just rare to have a group this tight. One through twelve, they just all love playing together. … We just kind of grew this year. We realized that if we want to be great and do what we can do, we just have to find the mismatch and attack.”
White River hasn’t played in the state tournament since 2015. But this year’s group seems to have the pieces in place to put an end to that streak. They’re senior heavy, they have the chemistry that only comes from years of playing together, they’re unselfish, they have length, they can score in a variety of ways and perhaps most importantly, they just like each other.
“We love playing together,” Donovan said. “We have a lot of confidence going into the playoffs.”
Wallen, who is returning from a sprained ankle in time for the postseason, said this year’s group is ready for the playoffs.
“This is the year,” he said. “This is it. It’s what we’ve been working for since we were young. Now that we’re seniors, we’re going to go to state.”
