Region play wasn’t too kind to the Jordan basketball team a year ago. Thankfully for the Beetdiggers, they won’t have to face those teams this season. 

Jordan is now a member of Class 4A’s Region 10, having moved from Region 8 in Class 5A. The Beetdiggers lost all 12 of their region games last season in what was a challenging league filled with talented teams. Region 10 should offer some relief. 

Overall, Jordan was 2-21 a year ago and didn’t participate in the state tournament. Head coach Tallon Robertson enters his first season at the helm of the program looking to change Jordan’s fortunes. 

He has some tools at his disposal to be successful. 

The Beetdiggers return four starters and other contributors to bolster the team’s chances of significantly improving on its win total from the previous season. Leading the way are seniors Ayden Doyle, a forward, and Matt Magness, a guard. Doyle averaged 8.4 points a game last season, good enough for second on the team. Magness contributed 5.8 points an outing, which was third for the Beetdiggers in 2022–23. They also averaged 4.5 and 3.2 rebounds, respectively. Senior guard Trent Benson is another key returner to the team. He scored 3.4 points a game and hauled down 2.6 rebounds a contest a season ago. Two other senior guards, Udochi Iheanacho and Brandt Steed are back to add depth to the backcourt. Iheanacho scored 4.5 points a clip last season, while Steed contributed 4.8 points per game. Yet another senior, Jacob Thomsen could see more game action and be a critical part of the Beetdiggers' offense. Senior forward Walt Gooden is new to the squad and could offer some help on both ends of the court. 

Jordan’s competition should not be as stiff as it was a year ago when it had to deal with the likes of Lehi, Alta and Timpview. The Beetdiggers will contend with new region foes Cottonwood, Hillcrest, Murray, Park City, Stansbury and Tooele. 

The season began with a home game against Highland on Nov. 17. The non-league schedule is relatively short, as region play starts early, Dec. 19 at home against Cottonwood. λ