After graduating nearly a whole team’s worth of seniors in the 2008-2009 season during the Mustangs’ memorable fifth-place state run, the Redmond High boys’ basketball team is ready to crash the big dance again.

Although they struggled to a 6-14 record in what was essentially a rebuilding year in 2009-10, head coach Jeff Larson knows his crew this year has the tools, and more importantly, the work ethic, to make a deep postseason run in what may be the toughest basketball league in the state, 4A Kingco.

“All 10 guys, they’ve developed a work ethic, and that’s the reason they’ve improved.” said Larson, adding that there is a definite expectation among his players. “They’ve seen Redmond basketball be successful, they now want their slice of that. They understand it takes all of them for it to happen, they’re willing to put their needs aside if it means the team will be better.”

LEADERSHIP CLUB

The 2010-11 Mustangs will be led by a trio of varsity returners with big-game experience in senior Andrew Squiers, along with juniors Jason Harrington and Conner Floan.

Squiers, a senior guard who has taken the reins as the team’s vocal leader according to Larson, will be anchoring the backcourt.

“Andrew has really matured into being a senior,” said Larson, who is entering his seventh year as head coach. “He was always an athletic player and was able to do his thing, and now he’s assumed the role of a leader.”

The other two key returners, Harrington and Floan, have had an extensive summer filled with basketball, playing on an accredited Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team together with other local standouts including Bear Creek School all-leaguers Ryan Strandin and Lucas Peterson, and enter this season in prime shape.

“Jason has just flat out … made it a priority in his life to get better,” Larson said. “He has improved every aspect of his game. Along with Conner, they developed their shots and developed a better understanding of what we’re trying to do.”

The Mustangs also have in their arsenal a pair of hot-shooting junior guards, Leslie Ellis and Peter Hendron, as well as Alex Brechner and Joe Mercer, a pair of seniors who will see plenty of time on the floor.

“Alex Brechner and Joe Mercer, those guys are so reliable,” Larson said. “They understand their role on the team, they understand what they can and can’t do on the floor. They play within themselves and help create our flow.”

HIGHS AND LOWS

The Mustangs’ basketball program has seen the pinnacle of success when they went 19-10 and finished fifth at the state tournament in the 2008-09 season. They’ve also seen the depths of struggle when they went 6-14 last winter, but this season’s players appear to have put the past behind them.

“We’re not really thinking about last year,” Squiers said. “We’re trying to bounce back and we’re focusing on this year. We got a whole lot of new guys, and with some guys returning, so we’re looking forward to a good season.”

Harrington, whose brother Chris was part of the Mustangs’ magical run two seasons ago, said that defense and working the ball inside will be keys this year.

“We really need to get stops on defense and get it down low to our developed posts,” he noted. “Hopefully we can make things happen.”

Unlike other sports like football, where the outcome of a game is often predetermined between certain teams, just about every team has a fighting chance every night in 4A Kingco basketball.

The 2008-09 Mustangs, for example, plodding along at 9-6 at the time, took No. 4-ranked and undefeated Garfield to double overtime in a tough 67-66 loss.

In that game, Redmond was a fraction of a second away from one of the biggest upsets in school history until standout Tony Wroten drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Larson, and his team, just want the opportunity to win every night, in the hopes that all their hard work will pay off on the scoreboard.

“We need to be consistent,” Larson said. “It sounds like a cliche, but we have to defend, make free throws and rebound every night. If we’re able to play harder than the other teams, I think we’ll always have a chance … and that’s all you can ask for.”