March 2, 2015
Reprinted with permission.
Rich boys basketball coach Ashley Brown has enjoyed plenty of success in his 15 years at the helm.
For 10 straight seasons he’s convinced his teenage players to work hard enough to earn a spot in the 1A state tourney semifinals. That’s the kind of consistency most programs can only dream about.
There's only one thing Brown would like to change about that impressive accomplishment.
“Our goal every year is to win a state championship,” Brown said. “We’ve gotten close a lot of times.”
Only once in all those trips to the semifinals have the Rebels earned a berth in the state championship game. In 2002, they lost the title game to Waterford, now a 2A school.
“We’ve been successful in what we do,” Brown said. “And getting to the semis is a good thing. But we’d like to get to that last game and see what happens.”
Last year the Rebels lost to Panguitch and ended up taking third place in the tournament. Rich's three leading scorers graduated, but several players with experience returned and have developed into leaders this year.
Mitch Jarman, Wyatt Muirbrook and Jayden Wallentine were contributors on last year’s team, but have emerged as standouts on this year’s squad. Muirbrook is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.36 points per game.
This year the Rebels enter the tournament ranked number one and without a loss in region play. But Brown knows that doesn’t give them any kind of advantage when the tournament begins at the Sevier Valley Center on March 3.
“There are 16 other teams that have the same goal,” Brown said. “I think there are six or eight teams that could win (the title).”
The tournament begins Tuesday in Richfield with play-in games.
Pinnacle will take on Diamond Ranch at noon, Manila will play Mt. Vernon at 1:30 p.m., Monument Valley takes on Telos at 3 p.m., Dugway will play Bryce Valley at 4:30 p.m., Panguitch will face West Ridge at 6 p.m. and Duchesne will play Milford at 7:30 p.m.
Regions 18 and 20 have region tournaments that determine seeding for the playoffs, while the other regions use the seeding determined by the regular season. Region 18’s tournament is helpful in sorting out seeding because the schools play in a north and a south region. Rich will take on the winner of the Pinnacle/Diamond Ranch game.
In Region 20, traditionally one of the deepest and most successful in the playoffs, that means an annual shake up just before the tournament.
This year was no exception as Piute shook things up. The Thunderbirds were in fourth place after region play, but they won the tournament and earned the top seed, which means being in the bracket opposite perennial favorite, Rich.
“This year it worked out for us,” said first-year coach Tyrel Clove. “It’s hard to say you love the tournament when you battle the same region teams all year. But overall it’s an incredible environment.”
Valley finished first in regular region play, while Panguitch finished second. Valley finished third and will take on Region 18’s second-place team, Tintic, while Panguitch will have to to face West Ridge in a play-in game. The winner of that contest will earn the right to play top-seeded St. Joseph’s on Wednesday.
The Region 20 tournament definitely makes the 1A playoffs interesting, and Brown believes it may give those teams a bit of an advantage heading into the state tournament.
“I think it’s a benefit for them,” Brown said. “They’re playing in a tournament that’s similar to the state tournament the weekend before. It’s an atmosphere a lot like the state tournament, and I definitely think it’s a benefit for them.”
While Region 17 teams play just a game a week in the season’s last month, Region 20 teams play two games a week, then have that raucous region tournament.
Coaches who have to deal with playing in the region tournament have mixed opinions on whether or not it’s something to be embraced or hated.
For his team specifically, Clove said it’s been a confidence boost as the T-birds prepare for the playoffs where they will meet either Dugway or Bryce Valley.
“We know we can play with anyone in this tournament,” Clove said.
If it’s Bryce Valley that wins that play-in game, it’s a team Piute knows well as the two split in region play.
Monticello is Region 19’s top seed and the third-ranked Buckaroos will face either Manila or Mt. Vernon, while second-seeded Wayne will take on Wendover. Fourth-ranked Tabiona, Region 17’s second seed, will play either Monument Valley or Telos, while Green River, a No. 2 seed, will take on Duchesne or Milford.
Regardless of the region in which they play, coaches this year see the tournament as one of possibilities for most of the teams making the trip to Richfield.
“And I think it’s as open as it’s ever been,” Clove said. “There are as many as 10 teams that honestly think they have a shot coming in. I think that’s more than normal.”
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