Lincoln Boys Basketball Preview

LincolnCAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. – Lincoln Head Boys Basketball Coach Rodney Klein enters his fifth season with the Golden Eagles returning a solid core of players.

“We really feel like we have some kids in place who can really do some things for us,” Klein said. “We’re solid with what we have.”

“We’ve got three kids back that really played significant minutes for us last year,” he continued.

Juniors Hunter Ferris, Garrett Pumphrey and Chase Southerland are expected to lead the Golden Eagles.

“Hunter has developed some range and he can shoot the ball from anywhere,” Klein said. “Garrett Pumphrey led the state in blocked shots (4.9) last year in 2A and he’s gotten a lot stronger, while Chase is really a smooth shooter and runs the show for us.”

Ferris was an All-Tri-Eastern Conference performer last year averaging 6.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Pumphrey was honorable mention after putting up 6.9 points and 5.8 rebounds a contest.

Ben Bertsch, Justin Black and Peyton Renforth are the seniors for the Golden Eagles.

The other juniors on the squad are Nick Cupp, Austin Lanich, Garron Laymon, Seth Martin and Caleb Smith.

The sophomores are James Pugh and Austin Wampler, while Luke Issacs is a freshman.

The Golden Eagles start the season with a visit to Wel-Del on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Lincoln opens its TEC schedule on the road against Hagerstown on Friday, Dec. 4.

“The conference is loaded this year,” Klein said. “Everyone in the conference has a legitimate shot at winning it this year.”

“It’s going to take some great effort on our part,” he added. “I really think that on a given night anybody could beat anybody.”