Marysville junior guard Dennis Syders (4) shoots a three pointer in the Indians 71-55 win over Sutter on January 4, 2023.

MARYSVILLE

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - The Marysville Indians boys’ basketball program looks different from last season’s dominant and successful squad, but they still have the core values to continue their winning culture.

Marysville head coach Stan Easter expressed to the Dispatch that his roster gained a lot of length, compared to the smaller guard lineup look in last season’s section title run.

“Our strengths this year are going to be more rebounding and have size,” Easter said. One of the biggest keys for the Indians success this season is their returners.

Easter added that his four returners from last season will have pivotal roles on the team as it includes junior point guard Dennis Syders, seniors Bradford Pietz, Anthony Walker and Josiah Arrington.

Syders was utilized as a defensive specialist last season but Easter plans to use him more as an all-around guard.

New faces will flood the Indians roster as sophomore Jaylen Brown, who Easter told the Dispatch will contribute to the team nicely as he got a lot of experience over the summer playing up with the varsity squad.

Easter also mentioned junior Jordan Brooks worked his butt off in the off-season and is going to “surprise” opponents.

The Marysville schedule consists of a good non-conference schedule that includes a stop at the Chico tournament in the middle of December and they will host Lincoln on December 11.

Easter told the Dispatch that as they are being the hunted team in the Pioneer Valley League with winning the last three consecutive league titles, everyone is going to give the Indians their best shot.

“Twelve Bridges is going to be the preseason favorite bringing all five starters back,” Easter said. He added that he is impressed with what they have established in such a short amount of time as a program with their first senior class this season.

Easter added Sutter will be tough as well as they deserve a lot of credibility for being a tough squad.

“They had us on our heels in the game there, we needed a late bucket by Ellyson (2023 guard),” said Easter.

The Indians open up the season officially on Friday, November 17 as they host Sacramento Country Day.

Sutter senior point guard Naseem Bhatti (23) shoots a three pointer in the Huskies 71-55 loss at Marysville on January 4, 2023.

SUTTER

SUTTER, CA (MPG) - The Sutter Huskies bring a lot of depth back into the 2023-24 season and are going to make a splash in the Pioneer Valley League this season.

Sutter brings a lot of experience back and Huskies head coach Nabeel

Bhatti wants to continue establishing a culture into the program as they made the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

“The kids are learning that there is a standard in the program with what it’s about and the way it’s going to go forward,” Bhatti said.

That culture includes the heavy returns of seniors Naseem Bhatti, Jagger Beck and Jordan Lee, who also made all-PVL teams last season.

The trio combined for 36.7 points per game, and over 20 rebounds last season.

On top of building the culture, newcomers to the varsity level include juniors Sammy Sharma, Trenton Harter and Nathan Palmer.

“These are guys who are going to be able to help us during the season to get us where we need to be,” Bhatti said.

Sutter’s first official game is scheduled for Friday, November 17 on the road to Nevada Union, but they could potentially be missing a chunk of their team to the football program playing in the playoffs.

The football team hosted Liberty Ranch in the quarterfinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs and if they were victorious, they would host another home playoff game next Friday on the 17th.

The Huskies are going to be participants in the Pierce, Colusa and Lindhurst tournaments throughout the preseason before they begin PVL play.

Bhatti expressed that the PVL is going to be a dogfight with all of the teams bringing back experienced rosters.

Yuba City senior Dhiraj Atwal (1) puts a ball up on the glass in the Honkers 48-46 win over River Valley on January 23, 2023.

YUBA CITY

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The Yuba City Honkers boys’ basketball program is looking to grow and convey toughness into the 2023-24 season as they missed out on the playoffs last season.

Yuba City head coach Terry Evans told the Dispatch the Honkers will not have a lot of size so he wants to be physical to make up against the bigger teams they will play this season.

He added that he also wants the seniors to step up in the leadership department as they bring back experience. One of the players he mentioned was senior Dhiraj (DJ) Atwal.

“As a senior and a returning player, we’re looking for leadership on the floor,” Evans said. Atwal averaged 7.5 points per game and 2.8 rebounds last season.

When you ask for toughness, no one fits that mold better than senior Anthony Medina for the Honkers. Medina stepped into a ton of charges last season and was in the top 10 of the Sac-Joaquin Section of charges taken.

Evans added that Medina has worked on his perimeter shooting and he will contribute nicely on the offensive side of the ball.

Yuba City will compete in their final season of the brutal Capital Valley Conference where they finished fifth last season. The Honkers are looking to get back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Yuba City will host the Mel Good tournament beginning on December 7. The schedule includes Delo Oro, Pioneer and Casa Roble in the preseason.

The Honkers travel to Auburn and play at Placer on Wednesday, November 15 to open the season.

River Valley junior Jai Chohan shoots against Yuba City last season in a 48-46 loss to the Honkers on January 23, 2023.

RIVER VALLEY

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The River Valley Falcons boys’ basketball team is young, but they are hungry and ready to compete in a fun environment.

River Valley is looking to get back into the double-digit win column for the first time since the 2019 season and head coach Brian Lowe wants his team to be physical.

“We want teams to know they came into a dogfight,” Lowe said. “We want them to know when they left the gym, it wasn’t fun playing River Valley.”

Returning starters for the Falcons include juniors Gurtaran Sanghu and Jai Chohan. Lowe also added that he is looking for big contributions from his two seniors in Munneth Gill and Tayvione Brown.

The schedule for River Valley includes preseason matchups with West Park (Nov. 21), Lincoln (Nov. 28), and Chico (Dec. 12) prior to beginning Capital Valley Conference play.

Lowe said he scheduled a tougher preseason schedule in hopes to be more prepared for CVC with heavy juggernauts as Woodcreek and Inderkum.

New faces on the Falcons include juniors Jackson McPeak, Tarun Nijjar and Yuvraj (Yuvi) Dosanjh.

The biggest advantage that the Falcons have that Lowe expressed was how tight knit they are as a group.

“They’re like brothers with each other and they play extremely hard,” Lowe said. “This group will do anything for one another.”

River Valley will host Nevada Union in a foundation game on Wednesday, November 15 and open their season officially a couple nights later on the 17th with a home game against Pioneer.