Staff photo by Jake Olson: Front row, left to right Rex James, Keegan Berhow, Cedar Bohlsen, Lane Kruse, Brody Grathwohl, Curtis Bressler, Alex Benck Back row Elliot Flohrs, Reagan Emmert, Griffin Studer, Ethan Jaskulke, Blake Steuber, Eli Jensen, Jackson Luhnman, Jackson Clow

TRUMAN – First-year head coach Bryan Nowicki aims for a culture change in the Granada Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther boys basketball program. After spending seasons with GHEC/T/ML’s girls varsity basketball team, Nowicki wants to instill a defense-first mindset in the Jaguars going forward.

“I just wanted to start new with fundamentals, discipline and defense,” Nowicki said. “We preach defense because not every day you are going to make baskets, but every day you can play defense. That’s kind of what my mentality I’m trying to get to.”

An immediate boost for Nowicki will be the return of many key individuals from last season’s roster, starting with leading scorer Elijah Jensen. Jensen’s 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game were enough to earn honors on the 2025 All-Sentinel Boys Basketball Team.

Forwards Brody Grathwohl and Ethan Jaskulke bring experience from last season’s roster down low, forming a solid foundation to build on for Nowicki and his staff.

While the Jaguars plan to send out forward Griffin Studer and guard Reagan Emmert to complete the starting rotation, Nowicki aims to shift this lineup depending on matchups with their opponents, saying he’s comfortable playing as many as 10 individuals on a given night.

Lane Kruse, Rex James, Alex Benck and Blake Steuber are just some of the names fans can expect to see get reserve minutes. However, Nowicki has made it clear that any spot is up for grabs depending on energy and effort shown on the court.

“I am really happy with the depth,” Nowicki said. “I also have some sophomores on the B squad, we got 10 and 10 on the B and C teams, and those kids are athletic and can push some of the varsity kids. I told them, ‘There is a spot everywhere for somebody to move up.’ I want to reward the kids who are working hard.”

This plays well into what Nowicki wants to bring to the defensive side of the ball. Whether in man-to-man or zone philosophies, the Jaguars will look to apply aggressive on-ball pressure to generate steals and easy transition opportunities.

“I hope our starters can be in limbo, pushing matchup stuff,” Nowicki said. “I got nine or 10 guys I am really comfortable with at the varsity level, so we want to pick them up full court and put a lot of pressure on our teams defensively. We have guys that can fill in.”

On offense, Nowicki and his staff plan to utilize the many post players on the roster, varying between 4-1 and 1-4 formations. This is to set up easy cutting opportunities, find shooters on the outside or simply take a high-percentage shot around the rim.

“I want to go back to the old school post presence,” Nowicki said. “Too much of basketball has gone to a five-out [offense] and let athletes be athletes. We have a couple of young big men who I hope can make our conference work a little bit on the post. It’s a new mentality for us.”