SALLISAW BLACK DIAMONDS

BOYS

Coach: Chadd Gehrke

22-23 Record: 10-13

Young but feisty might be a good way to describe the Sallisaw Black Diamonds as they prepare to begin the 2023 basketball season. Only one senior will dot the roster for the Black Diamonds in Max Stump (6-3, Sr.). There are, though, several juniors that merit fan’s attention this season starting with Brodie Cameron (6-1), a VYPE Top 100 nominee. “Brodie has incredible athleticism which helps him stand out. He’s an excellent shooter and can take over a game pretty quickly with his scoring, so as a junior he’s got a pretty bright future,” said head coach Chadd Gehrke. Other juniors that will help lead the way for Sallisaw this year include three guys with the same first name: Cooper Carter (6-0), Cooper Cox (6-2) who saw enough playing time to average about 3.5 point per game, and Cooper Jackson (6-0).

“I’m expecting big things out of “Coop” (Jackson) this season on the court and in a leadership role as well,” said Gehrke. “He struggled a bit last year but he’s using that as a motivation for this season.” Brown will be looking to some even younger players to battle for playing time and provide depth for the Black Diamonds. That list includes Kenyan Hill (5-10, Fr.), and sophomores Tae Muskrat-Flynn (6-2) and Wes Rodriguez (5-10). “Wes uses his body and quickness well,” said Gehrke. “He’s figuring out how to score inside on drives along with developing a good outside shot. He’s starting to buy into basketball and become invested in it. Once that completely happens, he will be a really good player.” Sallisaw is a team that has several players returning that saw at least some playing time last year. “We will be young, but the expectations remain the same. All of these kids saw playing time last year and I saw some good things this summer from a couple of our younger ones,” said Gehrke.