Prairie Home Panthers basketball is coming into the 2023 season to prove they will be the team to beat in both the Cooper County Activities Association (CCAA)conference and in Class 1, District 10. A season ago, under head coach Trever Huth, the Panthers went 12-15 and were eliminated from the playoffs by arch rival Jamestown 63-59 in the first round of districts.
Now the Panthers are back and are eager for another shot at the conference and district crowns. Huth said the pieces are in place for Prairie Home to take home both titles and he has seven letter-winners returning to the team for 2023. His goal going into the season is to have his team play better basketball than their opponents on both ends of the floor. Huth plans to do this by having Prairie Home be the quicker team to the ball and the faster team on defense.
"Our outlook for the season is first coming out and trying to play the game of basketball the right way. We are going to hustle up and down the floor. Whether we are on offense or defense we are going to hustle after every ball and play hard," Huth said. "We will look to better ourselves from last season in many aspects of the game. We are looking to get a conference title first and make a push into districts."
Huth said this year's CCAA conference is wide open and anyone can be champions. Prairie Home is considered a favorite, along with a young and skillful Jamestown team and a solid defensive team in Calvary Lutheran. While working on their game in practice, the Panthers have come with the motto "Work Hard and Hustle" as their quote to live by for the season. Huth said that with the experience and skill Prairie Home has this year, they could very well be the team to beat.
"We are in a year where we will win a lot of games we feel like. We have had some student athletes get a lot of varsity minutes over the last two to three years. We are looking to use this to better our season as a whole and lead the way. We are going to be a defensive minded team first this season. If we can play tough defense with our length this season we will be tough to score on," Huth said. "Work hard and hustle would be our top motto with this team. All these kids know how to work hard and know what comes out of working hard. All of our student athletes are in this for the long run of the season and they know all their blood and sweat will pay them off in the long run."
The Panthers tip-off the 2022-23 season at home on Friday against Slater.