Shane Seibel doesn’t believe in rebuilding; he believes in reloading.
The Bobcats went 16-9 last year and advanced to the final eight of the Class 2A state tournament, but they lost a coach and four players to graduation.
Head coach Justa Whitt is gone, and Michelle Simmons now plays for Fort Lewis College.
That hasn’t tempered Seibel’s optimism.
“I’ve instilled, already, ultimately our goal is a state championship; that’s what we’re all playing for,” the new head coach said. “We’re hoping the stars align, everything comes together, we can be state champions.”
Seibel worked as an assistant coach on Ignacio’s boys team for 13 years under head coach Chris Valdez, where he learned that attitude and effort build the strongest foundation for a team.
“Those are the things each individual player can control,” he said.
Ignacio also can take advantage of team quickness and a group of seniors that know the game.
IHS returns six players from last season’s state-qualifying team, including Sky Cotton and Cloe Seibel, who averaged 8.1 and 6 points per game, respectively.
“That experience of playing on varsity of the last three, four years is really what they’re going to bring,” coach Seibel said.
The transition from Whitt to Shane Seibel hasn’t been too stressful for the Bobcats.
“It’s been really easy,” said Cloe Seibel, daughter of Melanie and the head coach. “He’s been coaching us since we were little.”
The team has been taking its coach’s messages to heart.
The Bobcats struggled with running certain offensive sets Friday in a preseason scrimmage at Durango High School against Bayfield High School and DHS, but he wouldn’t let them yell at each other or get down on each other.
“We’re getting to work with them getting used to it,” said Cotton, daughter of Fred and Jennifer Cotton. “We’re trying to rebuild our team – or reload as coach Seibel would say.”
The Bobcats wouldn’t set their goals quite as high as their coach.
They want to return to state and improve on last year’s finish, wherever that puts them.
“It’s not impossible as long as we stay together and work as a team,” Cotton said. “Anything can happen.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
