If you are looking for a synonym for enthusiastic, you might try Dylan.

As in Dylan Perry, fourth-year boys basketball coach at Siuslaw High School.

"We are very excited for this season, and it shows in the intensity of our practice," Perry said. "We have the depth this year to ramp it up in practice, and simulate game-type speed.

"I believe our team this year has the capabilities of winning every time they step on the court this season."

The Vikings have both depth and talent, height and experience, with a 15-player varsity roster and a 12-player junior varsity roster. Only sophomore Aiden Jefferis is listed on both rosters.

The balance of the junior varsity roster will play a JV and JV2 schedule.

As for the varsity team, the middle classes rule, with six sophomores and six juniors. There are three seniors — Caleb Hennessee, Isiah Jones and Kiger Johnson.

As for height, 11 of the 15 players are listed at 6-foot or taller, including 6-foot-6 junior Hayden Burns, who sat out last season.

"It's truly hard to explain the impact (Burns) is going to make for our team this year," Perry said. "He has a very good touch on his shot, and his ability to alter the opposing offensive players' shot is something we haven't had in our program in some time.

"I'm very excited to have Hayden on our team this season."

Among the Vikings veterans are two players who made honorable mention all-Sky-Em League last season, sophomore Braydon Thornton and junior Jacob Foskett.

Ty Perry returns as assistant coach, joined by two newcomers of note.

"Nick Johnson will be our JV coach and Sam Johnson will be our JV2 coach," Dylan Perry said. "I can't express how pleased I am to have these two on our coaching staff.

"There was a point this fall where we were still searching for their positions to be filled and I was kind of getting nervous. When I found out that these two had applied for their respective positions I think I had a smile on my face all day long because of the impact I knew they were going to make on our program.

"Sam is the varsity football coach and Nick coaches there too so the relationships they have with a lot of our athletes that play both sports is a big deal.  And I've always been a proponent of a successful football program directly carries over to the basketball season.

"You can see the difference in the kids attitude and body language who played football and found success this year. They've got a different type of confidence and swagger that is huge for our basketball program.  I couldn't be happier or more grateful to have both Nick and Sam in our basketball program. It's already been a huge win for us."

Wins will be appreciated after a tough 2018-19 campaign which saw the Vikings go 5-19 overall and 0-10 in their first year back in the Sky-Em League.

"Regardless of the amount of wins that comes this season, I truly look forward to the memories that I will create with the players and the ones they create together," Perry said.  "Those are the things, we as athletes remember for the rest of our lives."

DYLAN PERRY'S SCOUTING REPORT

The seniors:
We have three seniors on our varsity roster this year — Caleb Hennessee, Isiah Jones and Kiger Johnson. 
It's hard to believe that Caleb is already a senior, and this will be the last year I get the pleasure of coaching him. He's exactly what you want when you look at one of your athletes. He has really stepped up as a vocal leader this year in the early practices, he has played for me now going on four years so he knows exactly what I expect from the team so it's like having an extra coach out on the floor getting his teammates where they need to be. Isiah and Kiger have really stepped it up this year too, they both practice about as hard as you could ask of one of your players. They both play three sports year round so they know how to compete and they know how to work hard. I couldn't be happier with the seniors that we have on our roster this season.

The juniors:
We have six juniors on our varsity this year — Jacob Foskett, Skyler Loomis, Elijah Blankenship, Skyler Mattson, Liam McClellan and Hayden Burns.
Jacob Foskett is returning for his Junior season as a main focal point for our team and returning starter. I think the jump between sophomore and junior years can be one of the most impactful, and it certainly shows with Jacob. As described before with Caleb, Jacob is another one of those kids that you can count on to be a leader vocally and just with the passion that he plays the game with. He was one of our athletes that was recognized as Sky-Em all-league honorable mention last year as a sophomore, so I expect him to take a big jump forward this season. Skyler Loomis is another returning Junior that played lots of minutes for our team last year. He is an absolute animal, if I asked him to run through a wall he would try, and he probably would do it.  The kid is built like a mack truck. My favorite thing apart from Skyler always playing hard and doing the little things to help his team win, is that he always has a smile on his face when he's doing it. That's just how I want all our kids to be, play your butt off and do it with a smile on your face! Elijah Blankenship was injured most of his sophomore basketball season from an injury that carried over from football.  He was another one that probably would have started a lot of varsity basketball games for us.  The kid is a flat out competitor! His ability to put pressure on opposing ballhandlers is something we really missed last year, and something that will greatly benefit our teams success this year. Skyler Mattson is another one of those kids that just loves to compete, the transformation that he has taken from last year to this year has really blown me away.  His confidence level has skyrocketed, and I believe a lot of that is due to him playing a lot of summer basketball games and constantly working out with his teammates in the summer and fall to enhance their games. Liam McClellan is another sophomore that played lots of minutes for our team last year, Liam is one of the best shooters I have ever had the pleasure of coaching.  If you give Liam any space he can knock down any shot from 25 feet and in. He's truly that good.  Hayden Burns is the one Junior who is new to our varsity roster this season after sitting out last year.  Hayden is the biggest kid we have on our roster, coming in at 6-foot-6.  It's truly hard to explain the kind of impact he is going to make for our team this year. He has a very good touch on his shot and his ability to alter the opposing offensive players' shot is something we haven't had in our program for some time.  I am very excited to have Hayden on our team this season.

The sophomores:
We have six sophomores on our varsity roster this year — Rhys Fleming, Braydon Thornton, Brody Terry, Camp Lacouture, Aiden Jefferis and Avery Hart.
Rhys Fleming swung last year for us and played limited varsity minutes.  He was one of the top offensive contributors for our JV team last year and I expect that to transition well to our varsity team this season.  When you watch Rhys play the game you can tell he has got some serious skill, with the way he is able to move on the court, he can finish with either hand at the basket, can knock down the three, and handle the ball.  When Rhys realizes how good he can truly be at this sport when he buys in to go 100 percent all the time he is going to be an additional monster of a player for our program. Braydon Thornton is a returning starter for us this season and also another player who was recognized for Sky-Em all league last year as well as Sky-Em all defensive team. Braydon has the physical gifts and ability to be one of the best to ever wear a Siuslaw jersey.  As everyone saw with the records and stats he posted in football, he is a special athlete that doesn't come around very often. I truly believe Braydon will have a similar breakout season for us in basketball this year.  He got to experience some spring/summer basketball opportunities around the country that will pay dividends. Brody Terry is another of those kids that probably has some of the best all around basketball skills that I've seen at Siuslaw in the last 30-plus years.  He started quite a few games for us last year and gained valuable experience as a freshman. If he wanted to, he could score 30 points a game for us this year, I truly believe that, but he is an unselfish point guard who makes the right plays and gets his teammates open shots. He is going to have a breakout season this year. Camp Lacouture is another great athlete in this special sophomore class, he also has one of the greatest work ethics I've see as a coach. He is everything you could ask for in a player and teammate. Camp is still out for a while longer with a football injury, but will have a large impact when he makes it back to the team and into the rotation. Aiden Jefferis is another sophomore that has improved so much since last year, you can really tell he has been in the gym and working on his game.  He has also probably put on 20 pounds of muscle since last year which will help him compete at the varsity level this season. Last, but certainly not least is Avery Hart. Another one that just loves basketball and it shows from all the hard work he has put into his game over the years.  He's 6'4" but he has the ability to play like a guard; he can shoot from the outside, he can create open shots for his teammates off the dribble, and he can push the ball on a fast break. I see really big things coming from Avery this year, and when it's all said and done he might be the hardest one to defend on our team.  His size will be a huge addition to our varsity roster this year as he can match up against other big guys that we struggled with in years past.

SIUSLAW BOYS VARSITY ROSTER
Number, player, height, year
  0 Rhys Fleming, 6-3, sophomore
  1 Liam McClellan, 6-4, junior
  2 Braydon Thornton, 6-2, sophomore
  3 Brody Terry, 5-10, sophomore
  4 Elijah Blankenship, 5-9, junior
  5 Skyler Mattson, 6-0, junior
10 Aiden Jefferis, 6-1, sophomore
11 Camp Lacouture, 6-0, sophomore
12 Kiger Johnson, 5-9, senior
13 Isiah Jones, 6-0, senior
14 Hayden Burns, 6-6, junior
21 Caleb Hennessee, 6-0, senior
22 Skyler Loomis, 5-11, junior
23 Avery Hart, 6-4, sophomore
35 Jacob Foskett, 6-3, junior
Coach: Dylan Perry (fourth season)

SIUSLAW  BOYS JV ROSTER
Number, player, height, year
  0 Harrison Hubner, 6-0, sophomore
  1 Jimmy Allen, 5-10, freshman
  3 Isaac Mattson, 5-10, sophomore
  4 Sam Ulrich, 5-9, freshman
  5 Odin Smith, 5-9, freshman
10 Aiden Jefferis, 6-1, sophomore
11 Tyrone Krohn, 5-11, junior
13 Noah Dotson, 5-10, freshman
21 Tristin Shiflet, 5-11, sophomore
22 Joe Slaughter, 5-9, sophomore
23 Ethan Halpin, 6-2, sophomore
35 Chad Hughes, 6-4, sophomore
Coaches: Nick Johnson, Sam Johnson

SIUSLAW BOYS VARSITY 2019-20 SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Dec. 4 — Newport, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 6 — at Pleasant Hill, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 10 — Sutherlin, 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 12 — at Harrisburg, 7 p.m., Junction City/Harrisburg tournament
Friday, Dec. 13 — Junction City/Harrisburg tournament, to be determined
Saturday, Dec. 14 — Junction City/Harrisburg tournament, to be determined
Wednesday, Dec. 18 — at Stayton, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 20 — at South Umpqua, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 27 — Douglas, 7:15 p.m., endowment game
Friday, Jan. 3 — vs. East Linn Christian Academy (Lebanon, Ore.), Bandon Dunes Holiday Invitational, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 4 — Bandon Dunes Holiday Invitational, to be determined
Tuesday, Jan. 7 — Taft, 7:15 p.m.
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 10-11 — Sky-Em/Skyline Crossover, Marshfield, to be determined
Friday, Jan. 17 — at Cottage Grove, 5:45 p.m., Sky-Em League opener
Tuesday, Jan. 21 — Marist Catholic, 5:45 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 24 — Marshfield, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 28 — Elmira, 5:45 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 31 — at Junction City, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 4 — Cottage Grove, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 7 — at Marist Catholic, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11 — at Marshfield, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14 — at Elmira, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 18 — Junction City, 7:15 p.m.