Soccer standouts Swerin, French trade in cleats for sneakers

SANDPOINT - Senior leadership, and plenty of it, will be the guiding force behind the Sandpoint boys basketball team this year, as five of last season's key contributors return to mount a run at the state tournament.

"Maturity, leadership, experience, you can see the basketball savvy," says head coach Tyler Haynes, who returns to take over the reigns of the program after stepping down for two years. "We'll be an adaptable team and want to play up-tempo, pushing the ball in transition."

Leading the way will be 6-3 senior post Spencer Swerin, a 1st team All-IEL selection last year as a junior. His versatility sets him apart, as he can play almost any position on the floor. He's  just as apt to hit a 3-pointer as he is to drop step in the paint for hard-earned buckets on the blocks, making him a difficult matchup for any defender.

"He can bring the ball up the court and also play the 5," describes Haynes of Swerin. "We expect him to be a very strong, hard guy to defend."

Fellow senior soccer standout Tanner French will join Swerin to give the Bulldogs a one-two scoring punch. Haynes says his athletic point guard is primed for a big year running the offense. Seniors Bryce Olin, Talis Siegel and Tony Locascio each contributed on varsity last year, and will play key roles again this year.

Haynes is also excited about 6-3 guard Stefan Buratto, a transfer from Central Valley who figures to crack the Bulldogs starting five as a junior this season. Along with senior Jonas Cafferty and juniors Mike Hubbard and Brandon Lawrence, each of whom had solid seasons on the gridiron this fall, the Bulldogs boast a deep bench and will expect quality minutes from 10 different players.

They'll need all of the depth they can muster in the competitive Inland Empire League, where any team can beat the other on any given night. Both Moscow and Lakeland return solid squads, making the lone 4A berth to state a wide open three-horse race.

"We hope to put forth our best product by the end of the year," said Haynes, who took Sandpoint to state after a long hiatus in his previous stint at the helm. "It's a 12 week season and we hope to get better every week. You get to state by focusing on the next hurdle.

"The bad news is the league is better than last year. The good news is that so are we."