Mitchell Christian boys focusing on toughness under new coach
Dec. 11—MITCHELL — At the beginning of the season, each member of the Mitchell Christian basketball team was handed a book to read.
"Toughness" by Jay Bilas was the assignment, and as the 2023-24 slate progresses, the team will read the various chapters, and look to translate Bilas' lessons into their own on-court approach.
"We're trying to build our culture, trying to rebuild it. It's been a long time since we've had successful basketball at Mitchell Christian," said first-year head coach Chris Nemec, who replaced seven-year coach Jesse Tolsma. "So we just have to focus on not just doing the fundamentals well, but getting the mindset correct."
The attributes Nemec hopes his team will learn from the book? Playing competitively, and developing a mental toughness which will help the team when it faces physically superior opponents.
"The core message (of the book) is it's not always physical," Nemec said. "There are a lot of guys that might be very physically strong, but you put them in a situation where they're challenged mentally to push through something, they quit immediately. Whereas somebody who is not as strong, they might have much more mental toughness, and be able to push through something."
The Golden Eagles, who finished 9-13 a season ago, embark on the new year with just three upperclassmen: seniors Aiden Lieber and Joseph Tegethoff, and junior Syver Enga.
Lieber, who routinely filled the stat sheet last season, including a 40-point effort last season against Sioux Falls Lutheran, is expected to lead the offense once again.
Beyond a fourth player who received minutes last season, freshman Silas Holdeman, the rest of the group is inexperienced. There are a total of 12 players on the team, including two eighth graders, and one seventh grader.
"There are a lot of new faces," Nemec said. "We brought up a couple of eighth graders, we brought up a seventh grader to help us out, fill out our numbers. So we're very young, and don't have a lot of experience."
Thus, developing toughness will be paramount.
Nemec, a Midland, South Dakota native, and father of four who has helped out with Mitchell Christian athletics off-and-on throughout the years and has previously coached the Golden Eagles' girls basketball and volleyball squads. Nemec hopes his team will develop this year, and set the building blocks for what he wants the team to become.
"We're just trying to build a program," Nemec said. "That's what we're focused on top to bottom, just trying to get more kids excited and involved in the basketball program. And then we hope in the coming years to increase our numbers."
With the current group, expect to see a team that plays fast offensively, looking to move in transition and score easy buckets. The early returns are promising. Mitchell Christian lost to Freeman Academy/Marion 56-52 in the season opener, the same team it lost to 61-37 a season ago.
"We got a great group of kids," Nemec said. "They're all bought in, and they all want to get better. So it's a great group, we got small numbers, but they're a solid group."
Mitchell Christian hosts Dell Rapids St. Mary at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.
