Panthers to lean on seniors Vachon, Newman
■ The Siloam Springs boys basketball team opens the season against Berryville on Nov. 8.
Coming off a 20-win season in 2021-22, the Siloam Springs boys basketball team has had a strong offseason.
“It’s been great,” said coach Tim Stewart. “The kids have been working hard. They’re all in. There’s a lot more moving pieces this year with our top guys being in cross country and the typical football transition. It’s added to the organizational piece, but at the end of the day we love our kids doing other things and basketball is a long season. We’re quick to tell our kids we don’t have to be playing our best game the first of November.”
The Panthers — in all grade levels — will participate in Panther Pride Day at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Panther Activity Center. Then on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Siloam Springs boys open their season at home against Berryville.
Siloam Springs has a large class of seven seniors, led by All-State senior guard Nate Vachon and All-Conference senior forward Dalton Newman.
“Obviously, Nate and Dalton have played considerable minutes,” Stewart said. “We’re looking for those two guys to be our leaders.”
Vachon (6-5) is the leading returning scorer for the Panthers at 10.2 points per game and is a deadly shooter from the outside. Vachon also has improved other areas of his game.
“At the foundation(Vachon) is probably the best shooter to come through, one of the best pure shooters we’ve ever had,” Stewart said. “He’s really come long way with ball handling, getting rebounds, playing defense and being a force on the wing. … It’s not just good enough to score. The expectation is he’s one of our ‘dudes.’ The thing we love about it is the work he’s put in. He’s an ultra-competitive guy.”
Newman (6-3) averaged 8.3 points per game and is one of the team’s all-around players.
“He’s ready,” Stewart said. “He has the talent and the strength and the know how to be one of the best players in our league. He needs to fight to be our leading rebounder and help us in the scoring column as well. Dalton has to do a lot of everything for us. … Being able to help in multiple ways is huge for Dalton.”
Regarding both Vachon and Newman, Stewart said both will have to be ready to be the focal points of other team’s defenses.
“I think they’ll love being in that role,” he said. “They’re ready to take that challenge on.”
Junior Nathan Hawbaker shifts to the Panthers’ primary point guard role after playing a role off the bench as a sophomore.
“He had a good summer,” Stewart said. “He’s another that’s coming out cross country. He’ll be in great shape and be able to handle the demands of getting the ball to the right place. It sounds easy but it’s not.”
Hawbaker can also score in bunches and knock down shots from the outside.
“He can score, he’s a great team player,” Stewart said. “He’s not going to be the loudest, but he’ll be a blue-collar, legitimate competitor every night. He’ll be a sponge and soak up all the coaching and learning and give us what he has every night.”
Senior Cam Blackfox is back after a hiatus and will be the Panthers’ backup point guard and in the mix at shooting guard.
Senior Levi Fox (6-0) is another coming from cross country and is expected to help the Panthers on defense.
“Levi is one that as a fourth grader you didn’t question his competitive nature and willingness to stick his nose in,” Stewart said. “He’s really matured and is understanding of the game. Physically, he’s able to play at 112 miles per hour. He’s one of our top charge takers. He can play any position on defense. His size and stature doesn’t show his toughness and grit. He’ll be our toughest player most nights.”
Senior Jaxson Spence (60) is another top defender and rebounder for the Panthers.
“He’s the best screener that we’ve coached in a while,” Stewart said. “He’s just tremendous with angles and leverage.”
Senior Wilson Cunningham (6-2) is yet another cross country runner who has matured and is “stronger than he’s ever been.”
Cunningham will be an undersized post player but will fight for rebounds.
“Everybody loves him,” Stewart said. “He’s a great glue guy for the team.”
Senior Marcus Molina (5-8) does a great job of pushing players in practice and being a hard worker,” Stewart said.
Juniors Caden Hansen and Mason Simmons are looking to get in the mix, he said.
The Panthers expect to get a couple of players from the Siloam Springs football team when the season ends.