Hungry like the Wolves

TEXICO — It was painful to watch.

After suffering a 78-73 state semifinal loss to Santa Rosa last March, Texico's boys basketball players sat as spectators watching Santa Rosa battle Pecos for the title.

One thing kept going through their minds. It should have been us out there.

"Getting to watch two teams we played quite a bit, to see them playing and not us playing, that makes you work a little harder," Texico senior post player Nathan Phipps said. "That's motivating me to be better."

"It came down to the way we played the game," Wolverines junior point guard Dalton Thatcher said. "We kind of took it for granted, maybe didn't do enough to get (to the final)."

"There's enough of the core (returning) that should have the bitter taste in their mouths of not advancing, not getting a shot at Pecos," said Ty Thatcher, an assistant coach last season who has moved up to head coach this year, replacing Scott Karger.

Texico did have some disadvantages in last season's semifinal game. Then-juniors Ben Crist and Paden McDermid were injured. Nathan Phipps and then-senior Braden Fraze fouled out. Luke Phipps, then just a freshman, played with a 103-degree fever and flu-like symptoms.

Still, the Wolverines jumped out to a 16-0 lead against a Santa Rosa team they had beaten 69-63 in the District 5-3A championship game less than two weeks earlier. The Wolves, despite their woes, were getting it done, they just couldn't do it for four quarters.

Now, they are one ravenous pack of Wolverines. Their prey is the blue trophy awarded to state champions.

"I do feel like these kids are hungry," Ty Thatcher said. "They're all hard-working kids. They understand the team concept."

It's easy to buy into a team concept when you're familiar with your teammates.

"It helps a lot," Dalton Thatcher said. "You watch college players. At the start of the season, they don't know who's going to do what."

"The core of these kids have been playing together since second grade," Ty Thatcher said. "If they didn't play together, they played against each other. ... You have to give credit where credit is due - the parents have been very instrumental in their development."

"Since second grade we've all had the same goal," Nathan Phipps said, "and that's to win the blue trophy."

Most of the current team has been coached by Ty Thatcher since junior high. He has moved up the ranks with them as they've jumped from level to level.

"They understand my coaching philosophy. I understand them as young men," Ty Thatcher said. "So hopefully we can mesh that together and do something special."

Because of Coach Thatcher's history with the players, their transition from Karger has been seamless.

"Yes, very smooth transition," Nathan Phipps said. "We're very familiar with how (Coach Thatcher) likes to run things. We're very comfortable with his playing style, his philosophy, his long speeches, the whole nine yards."

For Dalton Thatcher, Ty plays the dual role of coach and father.

"Ever since I was little, he's always been there coaching me," Dalton Thatcher said. "And helping me be a better player."

Ty Thatcher will attempt to guide the current team to a state title without former key players Fraze, Mason Golden and Lance Myers, who have graduated. Much of last year's core remains intact, though, and some other players are ready to step in and be integral rotation cogs. Heading into last night's game at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, the 2017-18 Wolverines were off to a promising start, having opened Tuesday with a 71-60 road win over Farwell.

Nathan Phipps is expected to be huge — literally and figuratively — in the post, as a returning prolific scorer who is 6'5" and 241 pounds. He's been a varsity member since his freshman season, a starter since he was a sophomore. "He has a lot of potential to be really good," Ty Thatcher said.

Dalton Thatcher (5'11") will be the point guard, a more traditional one than the Wolverines have had in recent years, according to Coach Thatcher. "(Dalton) does a lot of things for us, distributes the ball well " the elder Thatcher said. "He will be more of a scorer than last year; he was a distributor last year. He has good vision, which is what you want."

Crist (6'3") — a senior guard and one of the Wolverines' top scorers last year — is out 3-4 weeks after meniscus surgery. "We should have him back around mid-season," Ty Thatcher said. "I think it is somewhat of a blessing in disguise to be able to plug some other kids into that role. ... Ultimately, it's a sad state of affairs for a senior to miss half of his senior year, but I think the vision of the kid and the understanding we've tried to teach him, (he knows) it's a little bittersweet."

The 'sweet' part is getting those other kids quality experience, which should greatly improve Texico's depth.

"I think that is the goal," Ty Thatcher said, "and the kids understand we have to be a lot deeper to handle foul trouble, and (they need) to do their job when they're called on."

McDermid, a 6'1" post player, was slowed by an ankle injury last season, but is healthy and should play a big role this winter. "He made it through football season, thank the Lord," Ty Thatcher said. "And he's going to be instrumental in our success."

6'3" junior guard Skyler Davis had a good summer of basketball and is moving into a much bigger varsity role this season. "He's going to be a key for us," Ty Thatcher said. "We're excited about seeing him progress."

Coach Thatcher calls 5'8" senior Cayd Bilbrey an "undersized guard, good defensive player. Once he settles in and gets comfortable, he can be an asset for us."

Luke Phipps, the player battling the flu during last year's state semifinal, is now a 6'2" sophomore two-guard who will move up from a sixth-man role to be an even bigger factor this season. "He is very fundamental," Ty Thatcher said. "Very good use of hesitation and ability to shoot at different ranges."

A hip tendon injury is expected to keep 6'1" senior post Brock Thompson out at least six weeks "with no activity at all," according to Coach Thatcher. Thompson is also a catcher on Thatcher's varsity baseball team, which won a state championship last May. "So we need him back," Thatcher said with a chuckle.

Those are Texico's major components, but not the only ones. The depth Thatcher referred to is there, and then some. "We're suiting 13 guys on the roster; in the past we've had 9 or 10," Thatcher said. "Just trying to create a different atmosphere in practice by running a few more guys on the floor."

Texico has done some necessary reloading. The returning players are primed for a big season, determined to avoid that sour taste of state-playoff defeat next March.

"The pieces are there," Ty Thatcher said. "It's my job to get them to fit together."