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By Paul Delaney
Contributor 

New coach and culture for CHS boys' hoops

Travis Peevey has been busy since April hire

 

Last updated 12/22/2022 at 9:29am



As if the spotlight on new Cheney boys’ basketball head coach Travis Peevey is not bright enough as he works to rebound from a 4-15 record in the 2021-22 season, there’s this.

Peevey married into the Hatch family with its generations of ties to Cheney High School athletics.

His wife is Jenna whose parents are Jimmy and Celia Hatch and grandparents Betty and the late Jim Hatch. The Jim Hatch gymnasium where Peevey’s team plays is home court is named for the long time Blackhawks’ coach and athletic director.

But there’s plenty of other things for the first-time high school varsity coach on which to concentrate and deflect any added pressure.

Hired this past April, Peevey was last year’s CHS freshman coach and on a figurative treadmill racing at sprinter speed

“I kind of had to really scramble to prepare a summer program and get everything in motion and put together a staff,” Peevey said. “So, it’s been full grind mode since spring.”


He was successful in assembling the pieces that saw the program – varsity, JV and freshmen — play 60 games, lift weights regularly and involve nearly 30 players. “I am really trying to bring in a new culture here,” Peevey explained.

The Missoula, Mont. native who went to Hellgate High School and played collegiately at Montana Tech in Butte, said his work with the freshmen team last season has been very beneficial.

“That group of kids already knows what my expectations were coming in as the head coach,” Peevey said. Plus, he’ll likely have four years with them with which to build.


The other part of the puzzle is to get the older guys up to speed and really learn what the expectations are.

It was apparently easy, Peevey said. “They (players) bought in right away.” The parents also joined in and the support from the community is quite noticeable.

“And all the staff out here have been amazing helping me along with the vision that I have for this program,” Peevey said. He and second-year girls coach Ken Ryan share the same goals.

The 2022-23 Blackhawks feature five seniors, three juniors and five sophomores. “We’re well balanced and I think everyone is going to see a different Cheney team this year.”

Football team quarterback Jakob Vallance is one of the senior leaders Peevey pointed to. “He’s vocal and a natural leader and everybody looks up to him,” Peevey said, adding Vallance brings smarts, humility and hard work every day.

Alex Hinrichs is a senior point guard and a guy, Peevey said, who “Is willing to do anything he’s asked to for the success of the team.” Hinrichs doesn’t need to score. “He’s just willing to do anything to get us to the right place,” Peevey said.

And then there’s junior Evan Stinson. He was an All-GSL first-team selection as a sophomore who is already getting serious looks from colleges.

“We’ve had quite a few coaches in this fall into open gym from PAC 12, Big Sky and the WCC,” who are interested in him Peevey said.

Top to bottom, Peevey said he’s seeing the buy-in of what is going on with the program. The players hang together as much as possible, even outside practice and games and challenge each other every practice.

“You look in the hallway and they’re just always together,” he said. “These guys are hungry to win.”

Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at pauldelaney53@comcast.net.

 

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