Mission Bulldogs: ‘Don’t count us out’
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Bulldog senior Paden Alexander guards a Bigfork player at home Jan. 26. Alexander is one of three seniors on the Bulldog squad this year and an outstanding player, according to head coach Steve Pelletier.
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
Melea Burke
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ST. IGNATIUS — While head coach Steve Pelletier has only been in Montana four months, he says he loves the area and that St. Ignatius is a “very special place” that reminds him of his hometown — a town where basketball rules all.
“The people, the kids, the players, and the student athletes are outstanding,” he said. “That’s not to say we’re perfect and don’t encounter things we have to get over, but it is a special experience for me.”
Pelletier, with more than 30 years of coaching experience ranging from eighth grade to the college level, said anytime there’s a change in coaching leadership, athletes have difficulty with the new system.
However, this transition was greatly aided by three “outstanding seniors who have been excellent leaders and role models.
“They are wonderful young men who’ve met every challenge we’ve supplied; they’ve bought into the system and I’m very grateful for that,” he said.
Dylan Evans, a senior and one of the leaders Pelletier spoke of, said it’s been a fun season and Mission has a good team that will only get better.
“I love everything about basketball,” Evans said. “I think it’s awesome that you can trust somebody enough to put the ball in their hands and know that they’re going to do the right thing with it. It’s an awesome bonding experience.”
Paden Alexander and his twin brother and fellow senior Nikko have been playing together their entire lives. Pelletier called Nikko “Mr. Tenacious” and Paden “a stick of dynamite” and said that on many levels, Paden was the surprise player of the year.
“We’re getting a lot better; we’re improving a lot,” Paden said. “I think we’re working more as a team, and even though we don’t agree on some things, we always get over it.
Pelletier said all three seniors lead by example.
“They’re very supportive of their teammates; they encourage them in practice and remind them of where they need to be and where we need to focus,” Pelletier said. “I know they come from good families because they’re outstanding student-athletes — all of them. We’re going to miss them; they are that special, and it’s going to be a challenge for our program to replace them.”
The Bulldogs’ season has been up and down, something Pelletier attributes to playing in a tough conference with a new coach and a new system. Even so, he says the team has been a contender in every single game and could easily have another three wins.
The Bulldogs lost to Loyola Jan. 3 in overtime and lost to Deer Lodge by four points, “but we had that game. It just got away from us late but we had the opportunity to take it.”
In a grudge match against Deer Lodge at home a month later, the Bulldogs lost by two at the buzzer. They’d held a double-digit lead at several different intervals.
Despite a difficult season filled with highs and lows, Pelletier said he keeps the players focused on the team.
“It’s team first,” Pelletier said of his coaching philosophy. “The challenge for our guys every day is to come to practice ready to get better and challenge themselves. By doing so, we get better.”
Speaking to the level of effort and drive in his athletes, Pelletier said, “They’re hard-working, and they give us everything they have every single day. And a coach can’t ask for more than that.”
As Evans put it, “We still have a lot left, so you can’t count us out yet.”
