Consistency: Pioneers are the model

If it's not broke, don't fix it. That is the age-old adage, and the Big Sandy Pioneers boys basketball program has thrived in the prep basketball ranks with that exact mentality for years now.

But most fans of the game may not completely understand the unique style of play that has made Big Sandy so successful over the years. The Pioneers have had no problem finding their niche in Class C play. The consistent powerhouse has gone to the state tournament an astonishing six times in the last seven years. And their most recent state title came in the 2010 season when the Pioneers defeated Power 51-49 behind the play of athletes like Corbin Pearson (currently playing for Montana State University-Northern) and Blake Brumwell (currently playing for Montana State University).

Veteran head coach Roy Lackner has found a way to be successful on the hardwood with limited numbers. And while his reputation for yelling at his players during a game might have been misconstrued by some, his vocal guidance from the sideline has been nothing but a critical component in the success of his teams, year in and year out.

Big Sandy's Trevor Lackner, right, drives to the basket during the Northern C boys tournament last month in Great Falls. The Pioneers are in their sixth Class C state tournament in the last seven years. For more on the Pioneers, see Thursday's Havre Daily News.

So too has Lackner's strategy of using very few subs, playing players for a full 32 minutes and for making sure his team is always up-tempo. It's worked at Big Sandy for years, and it is again this season as the Pioneers are set to play in the Class C state tourney Thursday night in Bozeman.

"As our school has shrunk," Lackner said. "I have had less and less good basketball players on a roster. I want to keep my best players on the floor, and I have five starters for a reason. My five starters are my best players, so why not leave them in the game?

"And people always comment on my yelling, and yes I do yell a lot," Lackner went on to add about his coaching. "But I also give a lot of instruction. I like to make my changes during the game, not call a timeout. I want my changes while we are going up and down the floor, I don't have to call a timeout, I don't have to sit a kid down and talk to him, and I don't have to waste time. My kids accept that and are fine with that because they don't want to sit for two, three, four, or five minutes at a time."

To some basketball enthusiasts, that might sound crazy. The same five players remaining on the floor for the full 32 minutes while being constantly yelled at does not sound like the recipe for success. But the proof can't be denied, as the Pioneers are heading back to the state tournament this weekend as the No. 2 team out of the Northern C. The Pioneers have proven that with great conditioning, smart play, and with a high tempo style of play, that a lot of success can be achieved.

And this year, the five players the Pioneers have really leaned on include seniors Jessey Bailey, Trevor Lackner, Kaden Beck, Zac Leader, and junior Jerry Hanson.

"It is really nice knowing you are going to get the minutes," Four-year starter Trevor Lackner said. "We are going to put the best five kids out there, and if one of us get into foul trouble or something like that, the next best kids goes in the game. We think about getting a break sometimes, but you just have to block that out and keep playing. Playing time is what you want when you go out for high school basketball."

If Big Sandy runs into trouble, it isn't because they lack depth, it is because foul trouble can create a lack of depth. With the five starters playing the majority of the minutes, the Pioneers can't afford to commit bad fouls. Reaching is the biggest cause according to coach Lackner, and he has spent plenty of time attempting to break that bad habit. Without getting into foul trouble, the Pioneers don't have to substitute if they don't want to. And when the opposition begins to sub, the Pioneers see that as a time to strike fast, and to run away with the game or gain an edge if trailing in a contest.

"Don't reach, don't do it," Coach Lackner said. "I do not want our kids reaching, and I remind them every single time in practice when they do it, and I remind them every single time in games. Play smart and play hard. Those are the two things we want to do, but we can't play hard and not play smart.

"I see a lot of coaches that aren't winning because they sub players too much," Coach Lackner added. "If I have a really good player I don't want him sitting on the bench because then we have a drop off. When other coaches will sub, a lot of other coaches will sub at that time also. But me, no, I want your second string players playing against my first string players. That might be a place in the game where we can get a lead or where we can come back if we are behind."

Bailey has also enjoyed all of his playing time since becoming a fulltime starter his junior season. He and the rest of the team have grown together immensely, and the importance of gelling shines through with the constant success.

"I think it is a good thing getting to play the whole game because I don't think there are many teams that can do that," Bailey said. "And yeah (playing together so much) helps, especially with us seniors, we have been playing with each other since the fifth grade. It is one thing to know somebody on the court, but it is whole other thing to know somebody off the court. We know everybody and their personalities and we have definitively gelled."

And though the Pioneers play five guys the majority of the time, that doesn't mean the rest of the team doesn't do their part.

The rest of the roster is key in the preparation at practice, and does contribute in some game time situations when they are needed. Eighth-grader Bryant Jones and sophomore Kyle Strutz pick up the most minutes coming off of the bench for coach Lackner. And both Strutz and Jones played key minutes at the Northern C when the Ponies did run into some foul trouble throughout the week.

"Right now I have a couple of young kids that I may bring in off the bench," Coach Lackner said. "But I don't use them very often. But those subs that I do use, when I used them, they helped get us to state. You can play with five kids, but it takes more than five kids to find success. We don't have any superstars on this team. They all play smart and they all play hard. They all have a role, and nobody plays outside of themselves. We play together as a team and that is important."

Playing a lot and playing together. It's a formula which keeps in working for the Pioneers. And will no doubt give them a chance in yet another state tournament.

The Pioneers play Melstone at 5 p.m. Thursday night at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman.