The paperwork may read, first-year Meadow Bridge boys head basketball, but Brandon Wickline is far from new in Wildcat Country.
Wickline has been the head basketball coach at the middle school and assistant boys basketball coach under former head coach Mark Gladwell.
He has been the head football coach at the middle school for 10 years and he also coached two state champions in track.
“I have been around this stuff since I was about six years old,” Wickline said. “While kids went to other things, my dad brought me to football and basketball games. That was my childhood, but I enjoy it. The kids are definitely enjoyable.”
Wickline stepped in this season after Gladwell took an administrative position and had to resign as the boys coach.
Having spent so many years at the middle school, Wickline has the advantage of being very familiar with his players.
“Rian Cooper and Caiden Connor I have coached in some aspect since they were in sixth grade,” Wickline said.
The first challenge this year for Wickline will be replacing two starters and a sixth man off of last year’s team.
“We lost some consistency in scoring the ball with those guys, but we do have guys coming back that can score,” Wickline said. “I don’t think we will have a guy that can drop 35, but we will have about seven players that can score 10 points per game.”
Wickline feels like he has the personnel to go nine deep this season and says it is the deepest Meadow Bridge team since he has been at the high school.
“We will look to Rian and Caiden big time. I look for Rian to have a breakout year,” Wickline said. “We will also have Connor Mullins back at guard. Jaden Gladwell will be in the starting mix this year. He played a lot last year as a freshman. I also have Seaton Mullins back who played a lot last year.”
Senior Coalson Ford is 6-foot-4 and will be one of several players that gives the Wildcats good depth in the post. He will be joined by Collin Woods, along with sophomores Blake Bennett and Brycen Sawyers.
Guard Dakota Hayes really improved over the summer according to Wickline who also got a pleasant surprise during tryouts this year.
Dustin Adkins, who had another standout season at quarterback for Meadow Bridge, decided to play basketball for the first time in both middle school and high school. It did not take long for Adkins to impress his teammates and his coach.
“He has never played organized basketball,” Wickline said. “His first day of practice, we were going through a drill and Rian comes over to me and is like, coach. I said, I know buddy.”
A deep roster is already paying dividends for Wickline.
“There is a lot of competition going on and our practices are competitive. Guys know if they are not performing, someone else will take their spot. That is what we are looking for,” Wickline said.
The words Wickline gave to his team during practice was, they have to know the plays and they have to play hard or they are not going to play.
“That has always been my motto in any sport. That is the way I played for Ed McCall. He demanded it out of you and that is the way I played. If you didn’t do that, you didn’t play. I have carried that over.”
Meadow Bridge will be a little undersized this season, but Wickline hopes to counter that with overall team speed.
“We will have a lot of speed out there on the floor and we plan to play a very aggressive style of basketball,” Wickline said. “I have some guys that can get from one side of the floor to the other in a hurry. We will press more and get the ball up and down the floor.”
Wickline feels it may look a little ugly early, but his focus is on being ready for the postseason.
“I told them in basketball you get 22 practice (games). I am not trying to teach them basketball plays, I want to teach them how to play basketball,” Wickline said. “Until they learn how to play together it going to look bad. But, once it looks good, it going to be good.”
“I think this team can be successful. The attitudes are great. They compete against each other, but they also cheer for each other. Sometimes you don’t get that a lot. I think we will be a tough out for a lot of people.”
