Phillips County Basketball teams getting ready for 2021 season!

Practices have started around the county for Phillips County winter sports teams.

The PCN was able to catch up with a few basketball teams during Thanksgiving break, including the Malta Mustangs basketball team, Malta M-ettes, Dodson Coyotes, and North Country Mavericks.

Malta Mustangs

The Malta Mustangs held their first practice on Thursday, November 18.

"The good part is that we have some experience coming back," Coach David Costin said. "There are a lot that are new to varsity, but not new to the program."

The team welcomes back seniors Connor Tuss and Rex Williamson. Coach Costin also spoke well of his junior class.

"They are going to do well for us," Coach Costin said.

That class includes Kaden Bishop, who is still recovering from a football injury.

Coach Costin said that he has seen improvement from the team after the first week of practice.

"Defensively, for the younger guys, it has been a little bit of a learning experience, but I am happy with our effort level right now," Coach Costin said. "Our juniors and seniors have jumped into things. They have done well."

Coach Costin was asked if any athletes have caught his attention in the opening few practices.

"I guess our three freshmen that have stepped into things fairly quickly," Coach Costin said.

He also said that the upperclassmen have also stepped up and already knew what to expect.

The Mustangs' first action will be against the Havre Blue Ponies on Tuesday, December 7, at 3 p.m. The JV team will be at the Class C Showcase in Glasgow on Friday, December 3.

Malta M-ettes

The Malta M-ettes started their practices on Thursday, November 18. The team is large with a total of 24 girls.

The team consists of one senior, nine juniors, five sophomores, and nine freshmen.

The amount and quality of the team's athletes has Malta Head Coach Nate Hammond optimistic about their 2021 campaign.

"I'm excited about this team," Coach Hammond said. "The first impressions on the first day were that of a focused and confident group. I think they'll have a great year."

Prior to the Thanksgiving Break, Malta had six practices. When asked about the growth that he has seen from the athletes, he mentioned conditioning.

"With only six practices so far, most of the noticeable growth comes in the form of conditioning," Coach Hammond said. "That happens pretty quick with young kids. Along with the growth of learning anything new that we are doing, like drills or team strategies."

Coach Hammond was asked if anyone had surprised him thus far during practice.

"I know the kids a little too well to be too surprised by much this early on, but I've seen lots of good things thus far," Coach Hammond said.

According to Coach Hammond, the team has been holding practices every day except Thanksgiving and Sundays.

"We start a week earlier this year with games, so we needed to be very vigilant to get those required practices in," Coach Hammond said.

The M-ettes first action will be against the Havre Blue Ponies on Tuesday, December 7, at 3 p.m. The JV team will be at the Class C Showcase in Glasgow on Friday, December 3.

Dodson Coyotes

The Dodson Coyotes have welcomed new coach Ro Riggins, who replaces Frank Benson who will be coaching the Wolf Point Wolves.

The Coyotes started practices on Thursday, November 18.

Coach Wiggins shared his first impressions of his group.

"My first impressions of this year's group was that they were raw, but not raw in a sense that they lacked talent, more so structure and discipline," Wiggins said.

He was asked about the growth that he has seen from his team in their first few practices.

"I see growth each and every practice; referring to that structure and discipline," Coach Wiggins said. "They are realizing the importance of the details in the things that we do. Such as upperclassmen giving support to underclassmen, respect for the time allocated to them, and other things."

Coach Wiggins was asked if anyone has impressed so far.

"My entire team has impressed me, but the leadership and the will to compete have shone on a few players," Coach Wiggins said. "Kadin Racine (Senior), Mikey Jaynes (Junior), and Alex Werk (Junior) are my captains and they've done a tremendous job leading by example and with communication."

Coach Wiggins explained that it is important that those leaders lead the younger athletes by example by not slacking or taking plays off.

"The accountability is there and that's the foundation of the culture we're building right now," Coach Wiggins said.

As far as younger athletes, Coach Wiggins mentioned sophomore Sebastian Best and freshmen Junior Stiffarm as two that have stood out.

"(They) are well beyond their years, in regards to focus," Coach Wiggins said. "Sebastian just has all those leadership qualities and doesn't hesitate to do so. Junior started off a little unsure of himself, but he's a ball of talent and fearless. Once he puts all the tools together I expect him to be a threat for years to come."

He said that there is still plenty of room to grow for all of the Coyotes, but that he is loving each day.

The team spent the days around Thanksgiving practicing, focusing on specific things.

"We're spending the Thanksgiving break teaching the details of the culture we're looking to build, getting up tons of shots and plenty of cardio," Coach Wiggins said. "The backend of the week is for mental rest, but we're being consistent going into our first game next week against Hays-Lodgepole on December 3rd."

The game against Hays-Lodgepole is scheduled to be held in Dodson.

North Country Mavericks

The Mavericks boys team will be coached by Barry Malone, who will be replacing former coach Taylor Olson, who moved to Billings.

The Mavericks started their practices on Thursday, November 8, with a total of 10 athletes, including one eighth-grade student.

"We are very young and rough around the edges," Coach Malone said.

This season, the Mavericks have two seniors. The rest of the team consists of sophomores and freshmen.

"The younger kids know that they have some mighty big shoes to fill," Coach Malone said. "They got a lot of experience from last year during a tough JV season. They have been working extremely hard so far."

Coach Malone was asked if anyone had stepped up and stood out in his young team.

"They all have stepped up tremendously because for the most part they know what I expect," Coach Malone said. "I expect all kids to be able to defend and be in the best shape so that I should not have to pull them out of a game because of fatigue."

The Mavs have had six practices that Coach Malone called solid, so he opted to give his team Thanksgiving off.

"I like to give Thanksgiving day off," Coach Malone said. "I believe kids need some family time because before you know it they are going to be spending a lot of time in the gym."