MANKATO — Mankato East senior forward Ariet Omot’s steady development into a complete basketball player should bode well for the Cougars as they prepare for Thursday’s season opener at Owatonna.
Omot’s versatile inside game produced a team-leading 10.4 points per game average a year ago as East posted a 3-21 record under second-year coach Ana Boever. Omot, whose brother BJ Omot plays for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, also grabbed off 6.1 rebounds per contest and was also the Cougars’ defensive ace.
“Ariet stepped up really big for us last year,” Boever said. “It was the first year she really got significant minutes for us and we really never took her off the court. In my opinion, she was our star player and was very versatile in playing defense against the other teams best player whether it be a guard, forward or post. She was really good at getting to the rim and getting rebounds which is going to be huge for us this year.
“She has really become a leader and is really helping the younger girls on the team and develop what we’ve got going on right now. We have two seniors to go along with a few juniors, a handful of sophomores and all the way down to some seventh graders. … Our future at East is looking pretty bright.”
Senior wing Hayden Henning (5,1 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 1.9 apg) joins Omot as the other returning veteran. Sophomores Sam Wlliams and Sadie Torres-Fraiser logged some minutes off the bench for the Cougars.
“We were a new team last year so we had to build new relationships,” Omot said. “I worked on being a leader because I knew that would be part of my role on this year’s team. I’ve gotten better by playing AAU basketball and being involved in a lot of camps. I’ve been trying to get more comfortable in being a more multi dimensional player.
“It’s exciting to see all these different types of kids in one environment and the way we’re trying to connect together. We’ve only had a few practices but you can see we’re starting to come together as a team. There’s a lot of energy on this team and that will help us. My goal is to be a better leader and keep communicating with everyone on the court. We’re a young team but we’re ready to take the next step. … This is my last year so I want to make it a good one.”
Junior Mykiah Johnson along with sophomores Colbie Hansen and Carly McLaughlin are expected to be in the Cougars’ rotation while seventh-grade guard Tadlee Thiesse will split time between varsity and junior varsity. Five more players — juniors Samira Hashi, Aromo Omot, Rebecca Shabrack and Mali Blasl along with sophomore Leen Tattan complete the varsity roster.
“We learned last year to fight through adversity because things aren’t always going to go your way,” Boever said. “This is a completely different team and they’re excited to be here and are ready to get better. I like our energy and they’re so easy to coach. It might be a challenging season but these girls are ready for it. … They are very adaptable.”