Koby McEwen and Wasatch Academy are now making a habit of battling national powers like Findlay Prep in showcase tournaments now that they are an independent.
Photo by Jann Hendry
MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah – Buying plane tickets and booking hotel rooms is as much a part of
Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant) basketball this season as scoring points or collecting rebounds.
The Tigers have already traveled to a pair of tournaments in Las Vegas. They have upcoming tournaments still ahead in Chicago and Florida. Along the way, Wasatch Academy has faced several teams that rank among the best in the nation.
"We're in some of the biggest tournaments in the country," Tigers coach Geno Morgan said. "There will probably be even more next year. For us, that's kind of like our state championship every time we go into a tournament."
Putting together a rugged national schedule has been done completely by design. It grew out of the Tigers searching for a bigger challenge.
Wasatch Academy is officially a Class 2A school based on enrollment numbers. But the talent gap between the Tigers and other teams within the same classification became so wide over the past couple of seasons that January and February turned into virtual scrimmages.
In each of the last two seasons it captured the Class 2A Championship, Wasatch Academy dominated every other Class 2A team it faced. The Tigers won a combined 33 games versus those teams during the past two seasons and their average margin of victory was 32.6 points per game over that stretch.
For that reason, Wasatach Academy petitioned the Utah High School Activities Association to let the school leave Class 2A in boys basketball and become an independent in the sport this season. It means the Tigers do not compete for a region or state title now, but retain full standing as a UHSAA member.
Josip Vrankic, Wasatch Academy
Photo by Dave Argyle
The tradeoff is that they do get to face much stiffer competition in January and February than was possible in past seasons.
"I didn't think it was fair to us," Morgan said. "I didn't think it was fair to the other 2A teams. We wanted to go maybe 4A or 5A, but we and the state decided to try the independent route. We like it."
Wasatch Academy is in a position to thrive as an independent because of the unique nature of the school. It is a boarding school located in rural Sanpete County in Central Utah. Students at the school literally come from all over the world. The 350 students are drawn from 25 states and 40 countries.
On the boys basketball roster alone, players come from four different countries. It creates a true melting pot of not just culture and race, but ideas of how to play basketball.
"Each country plays basketball differently," said junior guard
Koby McEwen, a Toronto native. "They come here with different talents and they can do things differently. It just adds a new dynamic to our team. That just makes us even better when we put it all together. It's a good thing to have teammates from all over the world."
Having an international talent pool has certainly meant good things for the Tigers. Wasatch Academy has enjoyed plenty of success as an independent.
Cody Johns, Wasatch Academy
Photo by Dave Argyle
The Tigers won the Legacy Tip Off Classic in Las Vegas for a second-consecutive season in early December. They posted a 3-1 record at the Tarkanian Classic – also in Las Vegas – a week later. Wasatch Academy is 11-5 overall and 10-3 against teams outside of Utah.
Getting a chance to prove themselves against top teams from other states is like a dream come true for the players on the Tiger roster.
"This is what we always wanted," said senior guard
Cody John, who hails from a Toronto suburb. "We're just working hard and pushing through it."
Playing as an independent has boosted recruiting attention for Wasatch Academy players across the board.
McEwen has drawn scholarship offers from Mississippi and Baylor. Oregon, Davidson, American, Utah and Utah State are all showing interest as well. John has one scholarship offer from Utah Valley and is also being recruited by Utah, Utah State, Weber State, Montana, UTEP and Iona.
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports