Columbus Wildcat Boys Basketball

02/28/2024

Big thank you to Coach Tanner Travis for the past two seasons as the JV coach for Columbus. Coach Travis has resigned from the position, but has imprinted his passion and leadership to the program for years to come. Coach Travis took on a bigger role this year as the primary JV coach and he did an excellent job leading the boys. Coach Travis fulfilled his role as an assistant to his best ability and helped Coach Chaney adjust to being a first year varsity coach.
Thank you Coach Travis for the dedication you’ve shown to improving the program!

02/26/2024

Congratulations to Coach Keltner on receiving the SEISC North coach of the year! Well deserved!

And last but not least congratulations to Kasey Keltner for being named Coach of the Year for the Northern Division of the South Eastern Iowa Superconference!

Since his return to coaching, this program has increased the amount of wins each season. However to Coach Keltner it’s about more than just wins and losses. He has established a culture of winning habits that set the tone for the rest of the program. By providing the opportunity for the team to take ownership of this program, he has empowered our student-athletes to grow in confidence both on and off the court. He not only wants to improve these girls as basketball players, but as people out in the world.

A well-deserved honor for a lot of hard work, time and effort! Congrats, coach!

02/26/2024

Congratulations to Tim Hills-Carrier on being selected to First Team All-Conference!

Tim was the lone returning varsity starter and had the immediate task of catching his teammates up to speed. The first half of the season took time for the team to play together consistently, but there were moments of really good basketball and it was only a matter of time. Once Christmas practices began, the vibes in the gym changed and it started with the tone Tim set.

Tim had a monster game vs Wapello in our first win of the season, finishing with 34 points (9 for 9 FT), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 1 assist. The second half of the season, Tim showed the change in his game, averaging 19.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.7 SPG. Tim finished the season with 18.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2 SPG, and 1.2 BPG. Tim finished fourth in the conference in PPG and fourth in RPG. Tim finishes his career with 657 points scored.

Tim had the senior season in direct result of the time he put in the gym in the last off-season. Congrats on a great career, Tim!

02/26/2024

Congratulations to Ellis Hills-Carrier on being selected to Honorable Mention All-Conference!

Ellis came in as a freshman starter in game 1 and proved to the conference that he was the top performing freshman. Ellis has a wide range of skills and is one of the longest guards in the conference. Ellis is one of the team's best rebounders and played a big role in our defensive strategies.

Ellis had a huge game vs Highland in the win at home, recording his first career double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists, and 1 block. For the season, Ellis averaged 7.2 PPG, 4 RPG, and 1.8 APG. Comapring Ellis' stats to the freshman in the conference, he was the leader in almost every category.

Ellis suffered a season ending knee injury in the first quarter of our final regular season game. This will require surgery but Ellis is determined to work hard through rehab to be 100% by next season. We wish him the best through the surgery and recovery.

Great freshman season, Ellis!

02/26/2024

Congratulations to Ryan Coil on being selected to Honorable Mention All-Conference!

Ryan was one of our most consistent players all season. If he had an off-night shooting, you knew he would make up for it on the defensive end. Ryan had a tall task of guarding some of the best guards in the conference and he never backed down from a challenge. Ryan puts his body on the line, diving on the ground for any loose ball, fighting through bumps and bruises all season. Ryan will be part of a strong senior class next season and he developed as a leader throughout the year.

Ryan's breakout offensive performance vs Lone Tree at home was a season highlight for him. Ryan finished with a career high 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals, helping contribute to a huge win at home. Ryan finishes the year with 3.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and second on the team with a 58.8 FT%.

This senior class are locked in to make a splash in the conference next season and Ryan will be a key piece in our success.

Great overall season, Ryan!

02/24/2024

Tomorrow's basketball banquet will be held at the high school cafeteria at 5 PM.

02/16/2024

Best of luck to Russell Coil in the state finals tomorrow night! Russell is the brother of varsity player Ryan Coil and the team will be glued to the tv tomorrow cheering for you! Congrats to Coach Milder on another state finalist!

02/14/2024

Congrats to the Columbus girls team on their win!

02/14/2024

Thank you Kortney Orr/Bewetiful Moments Photography for taking fantastic action shots of the JV and varsity boys this season!

02/13/2024

Tim Hills-Carrier ended his high school career leaving it all on the court. After Christmas break, Tim has been on a mission to lead. He averaged over a double-double the second half, with many big games to go along with it. Tim had one of the hardest tasks of any senior in the area, having to find a way to lead a team of inexperienced varsity players and a new coach. It took time, but this second half had some awesome moments and Tim looked like a completely different player from the start of the season.
Tim is one of the best all-around talents to come through Columbus and although the record may not show, Tim told the team after the last game that this was the most fun he's had playing on a team. It isn't easy to replace a guy like Tim, but he laid the ground work for the rest of the guys to follow, and with a deep senior class, leadership will be the heart and soul of this team next year.
Great season and great career, Tim!

02/13/2024

Drew Totemeier with a HUGE second half in the district game vs New London. Drew is the biggest surprise on the varsity team this second half of the season and he let his inside game do the talking. Drew didn't go out for basketball his freshman year and took about a month to get in the groove of things, but he never stopped improving. A lot of the credit to Drew's improvement goes to his leadership on the JV team and learning the flow of high school basketball.
With some off-season work, Drew could make a huge splash in the conference next year. Drew has some of the best touch in the paint for a post player on our team, but his relentlessness on the rebounds is what will separate himself from others. Drew had a huge varsity debut and ends the season with one of his best performances.
Great season, Drew!

02/13/2024

Thank you to Round Guy Radio for covering our team on your podcast and broadcasting two of our games! The team will be returning an almost full roster and hope to make the podcast again in 9 months!