The Killdeer Cowboys welcome a new head basketball coach to the team this year, Greg Pruitt. He will replace Andy Murphy. The Cowboys went 8-14 last season, with two top scorers returning to the program. Their focus is to be a Top 8 team in Region 7 and they are steadily improving day by day.
Pruitt has been a coach in the Dickinson area for many years and has 25 years of coaching experience. He has spent the last four years as head coach at Glenn Hebron at Hebron, and before that, his 11 years at Hart River where he led the Cougars. Also at Trinity Greg was Grinsteiner’s assistant where he coached for 11 years.
“I got a call from coach Nick Walker asking if I wanted to go to Kildare. A mentor, and we’ve coached each other over the years,” Pruitt said. “I thought that just being in the same program together would help me achieve my coaching dreams.”
The Cowboys have no new players on the team this year and no all-state or all-region selections, but they do have a strong lineup of kids who could be all-regions this season.
Killdeer’s starting five are 6’5 freshman forward Jackson Reese, sophomore center/forward Owen Schleppenbach, 6’4 senior Red Sky Star (also known as Hank) and sophomore guard It will consist of Cooper Bang and guard/forward Djecoli Darren.
Starr is a three-year starter for the Cowboys and the team’s leading scorer. Last year he averaged 11.4 points per game and he had 6.2 rebounds, 20 steals, 26 assists and 36 blocks per game. Schleppenbach was right behind him with 11.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. Nine of his twelve boys on the roster he is over six feet tall.
Dickinson Press field photo
The Cowboys graduated three seniors: Colby Assay, Owen Duttenhoefner, and Keith Duckert. Both Asay and Dukart were starters. 2Sports His athlete Calvin Dovitz will also not return to the program this season due to a football knee injury.
Killdeer’s goal this season is to qualify for a regional tournament they haven’t done in eight years.
“Getting them into the Final 8 is a huge achievement for us,” Pruitt said. “We come in every day and work hard to improve. We aim to improve by 1% every day. So far in the preseason the kids have delivered and the energy levels have been great. .”
Pruitt says one of the team’s biggest battles is adjusting to new coaches and coaching styles. The boys have focused on guarding on the full court, putting pressure on the opponent’s offense, and pushing the ball in transition.
“One of the things we do well in practice is go after the defensive side of things,” Pruitt said. The offense will come as the season progresses.”
Dickinson Press field photo