Young team is soaring at Alta

Two years after winning the state 5A boys basketball championship, the Alta Hawks are poised to make another deep run into the playoffs. The difference is, however, they are using a much younger team to do it.

“We are starting two sophomores and bringing a third in early and often,” said Alta assistant coach Curtis Hill. “We are dressing six sophomores for our varsity games, which is something I haven’t seen Alta do since I have been coaching.”

But being young doesn’t mean less competitive. The Hawks are off to a 10-2 start, which includes three wins over tough Arizona teams during a holiday tournament in that state. Alta even beat Bingham, 38-35, on Jan. 8 to give head coach Jim Barker his first win over the Miners in his five-year career.

“It wasn’t a surprise to us that we would be competitive with a young team,” Hill said. “These kids are full of talent. And the seniors are embracing the younger players and helping them adjust to where we needed them to be.”

The two starting sophomores, Trevor Hill and Landon Albrecht, take the floor with seniors Dub Price, Jarett Anderson and Zach Zdunich. The other two seniors on the team are Tanner Jones and Mark Cavaness.

Price, a 6’6” center, controls the middle while giving the Hawks a nice outside touch.

“He is more confident and aggressive this year,” Hill said. “He can go outside to hit a few shots, which pulls the other team’s centers out and give us the chance to drive inside.”

Zdunich is the quarterback of the team, controlling the tempo of the offense from the point guard position. Anderson is the leading scorer at 14 points per game. “He is solid and consistent for us,” Hill said.

Jones, a 6’4” backup center from Sandy, provides relief while contributing 6.7 points per game.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Hawks is in Cavaness, a 5’8” reserve guard from Sandy. Cavaness is a break from the traditional mold Alta uses in which players rise through the ranks of the sophomore and junior varsity teams. He made the varsity team for the first time as a senior without ever suiting up for the Hawks in his previous two years. Although he doesn’t see much action, his contributions to the team are invaluable, according to Hill.

“He is so valuable to us in practice,” Hill said. “He is a great weapon to have to prepare our team and his [positive] attitude is perfect for the rest of the players.”

Although off to a great start, Alta has a tough road in a new region. The Hawks picked up their first Region 4 victory Friday, Jan. 13, over Copper Hills, 48-41. But Alta needs to get past West Jordan (11-1), Jordan (9-3) and Brighton (8-4) Alta played Jordan Jan. 24 and West Jordan Jan. 27.