Marsh Valley Eagles led by 9 seniors with a special bond

ARIMO — The Marsh Valley varsity boys’ basketball roster is made up of three sophomores and nine seniors.

For a 12-player roster to feature such a heavy balance of seniors is unique in itself. But this senior class is particularly special. These nine Eagles have been playing basketball together for 13 years — since kindergarten.

De facto team captains, Jaxson “Jax” Smith and Tate Whitworth, said it is not lost on this group how special it has been to spend so many years playing together.

“I look back at old pictures, and I’m like, ‘That’s just sweet,’ how we’ve all grown up,” Smith said.

“It feels like we’re all brothers,” Whitworth added.

Lance Smith — Jaxson’s father — has been with this “super close-knit” group since it formed, coaching them in CampFire basketball more than a decade ago. He coached them in middle school, when they lost just one game in a two-year span. And he is the high school assistant coach, joining head coach Chris Ball.

The Eagles are currently second in the 4A South East Idaho Conference, with a 9-4 record, behind the 10-3 American Falls Beavers. But conference play starts next week, with Marsh Valley looking to earn a state berth for a third consecutive year.

“They’ve been successful at every level,” Lance said. “And the thing about these kids is, they are the hardest working group of kids there is.”

Thirteen years of playing together has allowed the senior Eagles to develop a bit of a shorthand on the court. Because they have practiced and competed with each other for so long, they can communicate without words and know how to help put each other in the best position to succeed.

“A lot of chemistry. We know each other really well,” said Jax, the team leader in points (19.1 per game), shooting percentage (46%) and steals (2.5 per game).

“It’s definitely an advantage, that’s for sure,” continued Whitworth, who averages 8.9 points and 2.4 steals per game while leading the team in assists (3.1 per game).

But, as anyone who has played any team sport at a high level would say, it hasn’t all been roses for a group of nine kids battling for five starting spots. Knowing each other so well allows them to go harder at each other in practice, which in turn leads to some moments of animosity.

Their overall lack of size means Marsh Valley has to play a physical and scrappy brand of basketball — always has — leading to what Jax called “a lot of beef” over the years. But cooler heads have always prevailed, according to Whitworth, and the Eagles have been “back to buddies again” on the other side.

“I love ’em. I love our team,” Jax said.

Those friendships, which have withstood a great deal of trials and tribulations, have been special to watch grow, Lance said. Now, with his home being the common meeting ground for the team, it is far from uncommon for Lance to come home and find nine boys in his kitchen, pantry-raiding, or in the overflowing hot tub.

“At the end of the day, they know that they need each other and that they are a team,” he said.

After 13 years and countless games, the Marsh Valley seniors are down to their final 10 or so. After this season is over, it is unlikely this group will ever play a competitive game of basketball together, and they have thought about that.

The final time they leave the court, Jax said, will be bitter. But the goal is to leave the court with some hardware to make it a little sweeter.

“We won, like, everything in middle school, so it would be nice to end it with a trophy, with everybody, just like the old times,” he added.

The Eagles have come up one win short of a state trophy the last two seasons, falling to McCall-Donnelly in the third-place game last year and Snake River in the third-place game the year before.

“We can go out with a bang — have some fun with it,” Jax said. “We just want to come home with something.”

That will be a tall task for a team with just one player listed taller than 6-foot — 6-foot-2 Cooper Curzon.

As Whitworth explained, Marsh Valley negates its lack of height by using its speed — playing “super-fast” and “with a lot of heart.” They defend, force turnovers and look to score in transition. In half-court, they rely on shooting and getting into the lane using quickness.

“Eagle basketball is just ‘run-n-gun,'” Jax said.

Two of their four losses this season have come against the 12-2 Teton Timberwolves, a team they could see in the tournament.

The problem they present, according to Whitworth, is size without lacking athleticism.

But first, Marsh Valley will need to survive its conference, which features the Bear Lake Bears, a team with height as several positions, and the Snake River Panthers, who boast three players 6-foot-5 or taller including 6-foot-10 Bridjer Howard.

So what will the Eagles have to do to continue playing bigger than they are? The answer is simpler than one might think, according to Lance.

“Offensively, we’re there — we can play offense with anybody. It’s confidence, and we are tough, but we’ve got to be tougher,” he said. “We’ve got to trust one another … and play together as a team — which is one of their strengths.”

Playing together has not been a problem for this team, and not just on the court. Several of the senior Eagles stand out on other athletic fields as well.

Boston Sorensen and Chandler Bennett have starred on the football field for their school, while Jax finished second in the state in goals this soccer season (26, 1.4 per game). Whitworth was named a First-Team All-State performer last year as the shortstop on the baseball team.

Lance has told this group from early on that several of them have the athletic ability and work ethic to play college sports, and they have proven him right thus far, with a few more weeks to leave their lasting mark on Marsh Valley basketball.