Salinas boys basketball

Salinas (15-11, 7-5)

 Gutted by graduation, Salinas is replacing four starters from a team that went 4-2 in the second half of the Gabilan Division season, beating eventual CCS champion Monterey.
 Yet, last year's finish is what Salinas coach Jens Gordon is building off of with eight returning players from last season.
 "The seniors we have seem like veterans,'' Gordon said. "We brought them up through the system. When you add summer tournaments, we hit the ground running when practice started.''
 Back for the Cowboys is Jarret Edria, the lone starter from last year. The senior will be asked to fill the leadership role, having played a significant amount of minutes last year.
 "We have a solid team made up of kids that have great chemistry, good work ethics and a love for the game,''  Gordon said. "Chemistry can make up for a lot of things.''
 And it'll have too as Salinas doesn't have that one dynamic player that can carry them for stretches.  Still, eight players are back with varsity experience.
 "That's why there is optimism,'' Gordon said. "The expectations are coming from the players. You're going to see a lot of players contributing for us."
 That includes A.J. Saldana, who will run the point this fall for the Cowboys, while brothers Isaiah and Dave Orozco will play on the wings.
 The Orozco brothers will float around the perimeter, where both can knock down the jump shot or drive to the basket. Both are also unselfish players.
 "We might not be as strong talent wise as last year,'' Gordon said. "But this group is meshing much better. They have a love for the game and themselves.''
 Gordon is also high on 6-foot-2 post Caden Batista, who has emerged in the first month as the leader of the Cowboys with his work ethics.
 "He's impressed me,'' Gordon said. "He has a heart that beats outside his chest. He gets us going each day in practice. He runs the team from that point of view."
 As young as Salinas is in terms of experience, it is a group of players that have grown up together and have had success at the lower levels for the Cowboys.
 "Last year we lost to Sequoia by 39 points,'' Gordon said. "This year we played with them. We had one bad quarter. What I can tell you is we are going to surprise people.''