Is Jaylen Bear Robe really ONLY a sophomore?
One of my favorite things about the opening of basketball season is that Rich Crow Eagle's St. Francis Warriors ALWAYS open up with Little Wound. I think it's an interesting matchup because Little Wound is ALWAYS good and somehow St. Francis finds a way to be competitive.
Alright so like football where I have an appreciation for the work the linemen do, in basketball, I love people that have good footwork in the post. Have been a big fan of St. Francis sophomore Jaylen Bear Robe all the way back to about the 4th grade. Back then, he was a head taller than everyone around him and for a big guy, he always just seemed to have some really good footwork and the fundamentals to go with that footwork.
Now standing 6-foot-3, Bear Robe played varsity as an 8th grader and started a lot of games as a freshman. He's battled big guys throughout the state and now with a host of players lost to graduation, look for Bear Robe to be an integral part of the Warriors this season.
Got to visit with St. Francis coach Rich Crow Eagle a bit on Monday. The Warriors lost a lot to graduation from a year ago and Crow Eagle's assessment of what they had coming back was the Warriors aren't young, just a tad inexperienced.
22 - Chase Boltz - 5'9- G - 12
33 - Josh Iron Shell - 5'9 - G - 12
44 - Aaron White Bird - 6'1 - F 12
10 - Donald Aquallo - 5'10" - G 12
13 - Mahpiya Horse Looking - 6'0 - G - 12
20 - Jadis Metcalf - 5'11 - G - 12
30 - Reggie Left Hand Bull - 5'11" - G - 12
Well, the Warriors aren't young, they have seven seniors on the roster. Crow Eagle called Maypiya Horse Looking one of the best slashers in South Dakota. Jadis Metcalf is as tough as they come and one of the featured returners from a year ago. While the rest of the seniors don't have a lot of varsity experience, they have played a heck of a lot of JV games together. Crow Eagle thinks once the guys get some varsity minutes they will acclimate to the next level pretty quickly.
If you look closely at the fine print there, all of those senior players are guards. Who is going to do the dirty work down low? Well, Bear Robe for one, No. 55 will be in there mixing it up with the likes of Mustang junior Tex Janis and Pine Ridge junior Corey Crown.
A couple of big guys trying to work their way into the rotation will be
Jeff Curry 6'4 F 11
Jordan Kills In Water 6'4 F 11
Canku Martinez 6'3 F10
A couple of freshman that drew praise from Crow Eagle are Calyen Claremont and Traven Traversie...We shall see....
22 - Caylen Claremont - 6'0 - G - 9
Traven Traversie - 5'10 - F - 9
Lady Warriors open their season tonight at home vs. Pine Ridge.
Road Warriors at Little Wound....Buckle up it's BALL SEASON!
