HHS boys begin Walynn Burgess era

At one time or another, every program has a fresh start and with new head coach Walynn Burgess, the Havre High boys basketball team is getting one this season.

Following last season, former head coach Curt Leeds stepped down after leading Havre to the state tournament multiple times and the Eastern A Divisional championship back in 2016.

To replace Leeds, the Ponies tapped Burgess, the former head coach at North Star, who was fresh off leading the Class C school to its first divisional appearance in a decade.

"I am excited about the way things are going," Burgess said. "We have some work to do to instill the kind of culture that I want and to play the way that I want to play, but we are getting there. It takes time when you have a new coach, but they are really buying in and they have really gotten after it."

After winning just a handful of games in each of the past two seasons, the Ponies are certainly hungry for a turnaround and in order to get one, Havre will have to rely on a mix of youth and experience. Gone are key contributors like Trey Murphy, Ivar Aageson and Jacob Irvin, however, others with starting experiences such as Tommy Brown, Tysen Sangrey and Austin Delarosa are back in the fold.

Those seniors will help anchor the starting lineup for Burgess along with sophomore Kellen Dietrick, who will play in the frontcourt. Brown, another returning starter and the leading returning scorer, will be out on the wing and handling the ball will be Mason Rismon, another player with varsity minutes, albeit limited, under his belt. Other guys who will find their way in the rotation are Jake Huston, Josh Warp and Max Olson.

"We are still trying to figure out how everyone is going to fit in and gel together," Burgess said. "But I think we have a good mix of kids, we just have to find a way to get them all in the best position to be successful."

While finding a way to score more points will be an important part of any improvement this season for the Ponies, Burgess said his focus, first and foremost, will always be on the defensive end of the floor.

"Defense is going to be our focus, that is going to be the foundation of this program," Burgess said. "That is always where it starts with me. If you want to win games and win championships you have to play defense, so that's what we want this program to be about. We want to be tough and just have that mentality that we are going to get after it and play defense no matter what. You gotta be tough to live up on the Hi-Line. It's a different mentality up here and we want to bring that work ethic to the floor."

Burgess will be challenged in a Central A conference that boasts one of the better teams in the state in Lewistown, which was a state semifinalist a season ago. Belgrade also made it to state last season but will have to replace Dawson Fowler, one of the top scorers in Class A.

"I think we all know that everyone is chasing Lewistown in the Central A," Burgess said. "They were a semi-final team last season and they got some of their studs back, so they are going to be the team to beat. Belgrade is always going to have athletes, so it will be a challenge but we are looking forward to it."

Havre will also get to test itself against some other teams within the Eastern A such as Billings Central and Glendive. In other non-conference games, the Ponies will go head-to-head with Malta, Fairfield and Rocky Boy of Class B, as well as Great Falls High and CMR of Class AA. The Ponies will also play another Class A team in Browning.

"I like the schedule," Burgess said. "We start off with four of the first six on the road and I like that. It will help us bond as a team and help us come together."

Because Havre won just a few games last season, Burgess said his first goal is just improving, yet he said his ultimate goal is to start winning games at the divisional tournament.

"We know that we aren't going to be competing for a state championship or anything," Burgess said. "We just want to improve and get better every day and then at the end of the year, we want to win in the divisional tournament. That's our first goal. Get a win there."

The Eastern A Divisional will be Feb. 20-23 in Billings, while the Class A state tournament will be March 7-9 in Great Falls at the Four Seasons Arena. The Ponies will tip-off their 2018-19 season this weekend with back-to-back games against Billings Central and Glendive. The Ponies will travel to Billings Central Friday, before returning home to take on Glendive Saturday night inside the HHS gymnasium.