Eastview High School boys basketball 2022-23 season preview
APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (BVM) – Eastview High School boys basketball was one of the best teams in the state of Minnesota last season. The Lightning went 23-8, making it all the way to the MSHSL Class AAAA state semifinals. Eastview lost to Park Center in the semifinals but the season as a whole was a complete success and an improvement from its loss in the sectional semifinals in 2020.
The team was led by five seniors that included the team’s top scorers: Jamal Ambrose, Kenji Scales and Kayser Hassan. In the state quarterfinal game, Ambrose and Hassan combined for 37 points in the Lightning’s win over Eden Prairie.
Losing seniors to graduation is always tough, especially when they’re the team’s leading scorers. However, Eastview has no plans of taking a step back. The team has 11 juniors and one sophomore returning. The return of so much experience has the Lightning as one of the top teams in the state ahead of the season and with a good chance to make it back to state.
Even though Eastview lost 6-foot-10 Ambrose, the team still has a good amount of height. The Lightning are returning five players who are 6-foot-4 or taller. Along with that height comes 6-foot-6 senior Chet Kloss.
Kloss was South Suburban All-Conference last year and was selected by his teammates to be a team captain this year. Last season, he was everywhere on defense, showing his ability to guard on the perimeter as well as protect the paint. This season, he will also get to showcase his scoring ability to replace the scoring Eastview loss.
The other captain selected by the team was Elias Batala. Batala will be one of the floor generals out on the court as a starting guard. Along with Batala and Kloss, the Lightning’s senior class includes Dylan Omweno, who was the team’s fourth leading scorer.
Eastview knows what it takes to get to state and the team knows what it feels like to come up just short. The Lightning have experience, they have leadership and they have a lot of players hungry for the chance to step up. They will be a team to pay attention to throughout the entire season.
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