Coronado basketball aims ‘a little bit further’ with DesJardins, Boman

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Coronado compiled arguably the best season in school history last year, going 10-0 in league play to win the Southwest division for the first time in four years.

But, in many ways, the 2015-2016 campaign is the one the Cougars have built towards. They’ll try to notch their first-ever state tournament berth behind star senior forwards Jake DesJardins and Travis Boman.

“Jake and Travis have been in our program at Coronado since they started at Bob Miller (Middle School),” coach Jeff Kaufman said. “They’ve funneled through our camps and programs, and they’ve been leaders since they were young...They both play hard. They both play physical, and they’ve both done very well.”

DesJardins, 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, and Boman, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, were two of the Cougars’ top three scorers last season and often caught opponents off guard with their versatility. They’re just as likely to bludgeon teams in half-court sets as they are to fly down the court and convert easy transition opportunities.

DesJardins thinks the element of surprise remains in play this year with outsiders inaccurately stereotyping Coronado as a team with a deliberate offensive mentality.

“Teams aren’t going to expect us to run and get points off of fast breaks,” DesJardins said. “I think that will help us a lot.”

DesJardins is one of the top pure scorers in town, but it’s Boman who will often be tasked with initiating the break. Given his rebounding prowess, Boman will need to vacuum up loose balls and get them out to DesJardins and teammates.

Also a standout tight end for Coronado’s football team, Boman won’t ever get pushed around in the paint.

“I like to keep a nice physical edge to my game but I’ve got to keep it down so I don’t get into foul trouble,” Boman said. “That’s the one thing I have to do this season.”

He’ll have help from 6-foot-6, 215-pound junior forward Kennedy Koehler, whom Kaufman says is going to have a breakout season, as well as a host of new guards breaking into the rotation.

Many were a part of the team last year that was on a nine-game winning streak before losing to Valley in the second round of the Sunrise region tournament. The early exit may have left some doubt on where that Coronado team ranked compared to past editions.

The Cougars don’t plan to allow for any this year.

“We’re going to get a little bit further with this group,” Kaufman said.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.