Colville Boys Basketball Eyes Top Seeds and Fast-Paced Attack

Head coach Josh Morgan, now in his third year leading the boys program, said the team’s mindset is clear.

“We are looking to carry forward the momentum that we built the last two seasons and during our summer season,” Morgan said. “We have a group of guys that compete for each other and play extremely hard. During summer ball we really pushed the ball hard and played hard on the defensive side of the ball. I think we have a team that can really compete this season and look to compete for the one or two seed and get into the crossover games.”

Colville’s numbers are up significantly this winter, much more akin to the turnout of a small school football program, and is something Morgan said he believes will fuel competition across all levels of the program.

“We have a large turnout of players this season with 40 players trying out (we typically carry 28-30 players) so will have a tryout process the first few days this week,” he said.

That group includes a strong upperclass core and one of the largest freshman classes in recent memory.

“We currently have five seniors, 10 juniors, eight sophomores, and 17 freshmen trying out for the teams,” Morgan said.

Colville will rely on an experienced senior class, including returning standouts Brock Benson, Jet Bateman, and Quentin Huggins, along with junior guard Parker Darnold, Morgan said, adding that this year’s team should be one of the fastest he has coached.

“I think we will be a fast team this year looking to push the ball, we are pretty deep off the bench with a large group that can compete,” he said. “We will really be looking to get out and run on teams which starts with our defensive pressure.”

The NEA’s small but tough four-team lineup offers no easy games. Morgan said he expects another tightly contested league season.

“With a league of four teams, we have seen all four teams be very competitive the last couple of seasons, I look for that to be the case again this year,” Morgan said. “I think Medical Lake looks to be very competitive this year, but I think it will be a very competitive season overall and really boil down to who is playing their best basketball by the time we get into league play.”

Morgan said the group feels prepared, motivated, and excited for the winter ahead.

“We look forward to the season and hope to get great turnout from fans into the stands,” he said. “The boys are ready to really compete this year and it should be a fun year to route them on.”

Morgan previously coached two seasons as an assistant on the girls team before taking over the boys program, and he believes this team’s work ethic and experience gives them a strong foundation heading into 2025–26.