Veteran-laden Clyde group could make noise

Clyde boys basketball coach Ryan Fretz has been here before. The Fliers' football team has a tendency to make deep postseason runs that run into the start of basketball season. This year, Fretz thinks that there are likely eight varsity basketball players who were part of the Clyde football team that made it to the regional semifinal, meaning they hadn't hit the court by mid-November. "I've tried handling it a number of different ways (in the past)," Fretz said. Once the football season ended, Fretz planned on making those eight guys take a week off before rejoining the basketball team. He hadn't told them prior to their season-ending loss, and he didn't expect them to be thrilled, but he's playing the long game. "Basketball season is a four-month season, and I'd rather us take our time getting into it and rest up a little bit so we can be there at the end," Fretz said. Once Clyde finally gets going, later than originally scheduled with games being moved back to accommodate the delayed arrivals, the Fliers will feature a hugely veteran group. "We have depth," Fretz said. "We have experience. And we're looking forward to a great year with this group." Fretz's projected varsity core features nine seniors and one junior. Leading scorer Jaden Cook, the football team's quarterback and punter, is back for his senior year after pouring in 14.8 points per game as a junior. Heading into his senior year, Cook was told by Fretz to take one aspect of his game and make it elite. Fretz expects an improved pull-up game by Cook but believes Cook's biggest contributions will still come in the paint. "Jaden's always been good at attacking the rim, and he's been a solid defender for us," Fretz said. "... His ability to finish around the rim has been his biggest strength, and I know that's what he's really been working on and getting better at." Clyde's second-leading scorer, Brady Wilson, is back, as well after averaging 9.4 points per game in 2020-21, a total tied with the graduated Shane Hohman. Wilson also put up a team-best 5.2 rebounds per game. The most crucial piece returning to Clyde basketball from the football team might be one who didn't even play last year, though. Kaiden Olson, who started at point guard as a sophomore and averaged 8.5 points and 3.0 assists per game, missed his junior year with a knee injury. Olson's return changes everything. It helps make up for the graduation of Caden Berger, last season's assists leader. "With Kaiden coming back, it takes some of that pressure off the other guys and lets them play their game," Fretz said. Fretz expects Olson to make a major difference with his passing, which should result in more than the 3.0 assists per game from two seasons ago. Olson's also a deadeye 3-point shooter, hitting at a 40.8-percent clip from beyond the arc as a sophomore. "He's exceptionally good at seeing the floor," Fretz said. "If he gets in the zone, he can see the floor. He can make reads… Kaiden's just naturally gifted at it." Behind those leading seniors, Clyde should have plenty of depth. The lone junior, Abe Morrison, averaged 6.1 points per game last season. Andrew Kauble shot 48 percent from 3 in a limited sample size (15-31). The 6-foot-6 Grant McMaster put up 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game as a key piece of the frontcourt. Kyle Flewelling and Jarrin Bulger also occasionally fit in Clyde's rotation a year ago and could again upon returning from the gridiron. "That's one of our biggest strengths going into the year, depth and experience," Fretz said. In a way, Clyde boys basketball has much the same narrative the football team did before the season. A senior-heavy roster shaping up for one more run together — it's exactly what players like Cook and Wilson spoke about in the football preseason. It makes sense, of course. When these multi-sport athletes finally took the court for the first time, they had already made one deep postseason journey with their peers they'd played with since they were young. And when the basketball season tips off, they'll try to make another. "When I look at this group, these guys have been playing together since they were in fourth grade," Fretz said. "They're a tight-knit group of players." Roster No.&emsp;&emsp;Name&emsp;&emsp;Pos.&emsp;&emsp;Ht.&emsp;&emsp;Yr. 1&emsp;&emsp;Jaden Cook&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;6-2&emsp;&emsp;12 4&emsp;&emsp;Andrew Kauble&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;6-0&emsp;&emsp;12 10&emsp;&emsp;Brady Wilson&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;6-1&emsp;&emsp;12 11&emsp;&emsp;Kaiden Olson&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;6-0&emsp;&emsp;12 13&emsp;&emsp;Dillon Liskai&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;6-2&emsp;&emsp;12 14&emsp;&emsp;Kyle Flewelling&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;6-0&emsp;&emsp;12 22&emsp;&emsp;Abe Morrison&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;6-2&emsp;&emsp;11 23&emsp;&emsp;Griffin Noftz&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;6-0&emsp;&emsp;12 30&emsp;&emsp;Jarrin Bulger&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;6-1&emsp;&emsp;12 33&emsp;&emsp;Grant McMaster&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;6-6&emsp;&emsp;12