 "Photo: The Olympian")
 "Photo: Aaron Gould/The Olympian")
They finished 21-8 and in seventh place at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges tournament last season.
The Olympic College men’s basketball team will be trying to take another run at the championship this year despite losing 11 of the 12 players on last season’s team.
On Nov. 21, the young OC Rangers men’s basketball team played their first game of the season against South Puget Sound. The outcome of the game, however, was not the way the Rangers had hoped to start the season, losing 79-105.
“We didn’t have any intensity on D,” said freshman guard Cartiea French-Toney. “We couldn’t finish and we need to do better on rebounding.”
Rangers head coach Billy Landram said he knows the team did not play to their full potential and that it is early in the season and the team will progress.
“We were getting open shots,” said Landram. “But we need to share the ball and be more patient, we didn’t have any intensity, our defense was bad, and we have to be tougher and more physical.”
The five starters on the basketball team this year include French-Toney from Cleveland High; Andre Moore from Klahowya; Isaiah Thompson from Central Kitsap; Erik Henly, from North Thurston and Mike Timmons from Chief Sealth. With the exception of Timmons, who is a transfer from North Idaho Junior College, all of the starters are freshmen.
The Rangers only have one returning player in Dietrich Rios, who is from North Kitsap.
“We need to get better everyday,” said Landram. “We have got the talent we just need to play the right way and it will all fall in line.”
The Rangers will face off against Green River on Wednesday, and then play their first home game against Portland on Dec. 9.
The Rangers will then play South Puget Sound on Dec. 12 and then will take part in the Spokane Crossover tournament starting on Dec. 18.
“It’s hard to tell how we will do this year,” said Landram. “We’ve just got to teach the kids what it takes to play at this level.”
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