Burnet boys basketball begins new era
CAPTION: New Burnet High School boys basketball head coach Juston Weldon (left) takes over the program from Roy Kiser, who spent more than two decades with the Bulldogs. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School boys basketball team begins the 2025-26 season by welcoming Belton Tuesday, Nov. 18, to The Doghouse. Junior varsity 1 plays at 5 p.m., junior varsity 2 takes the court at 6:15 p.m. and the varsity plays at 7:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs have three returning lettermen from last year’s squad that finished third in District 24-4A with a 7-5 record, 18-17 overall, and ended the season on a 54-48 loss to Lorena in the first round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs.
Those returning lettermen are senior point guard Jaxon Sparks, senior forward Eli Pickens and senior guard J.J. Whigham. Newcomers to the varsity are guard and forward Braven Briant, forward Hayden Sheble and center Parker Wenger, who are all seniors, and guards Hays Bennett, Cam Edwards, Ethan Elmore and Gavin Oakley and center Ryder Corbell, who are all juniors.
“We have a very tight knit group, who believe in themselves and put team success before their own,” new head coach Juston Weldon said. “(They are) a great group of kids who come to work everyday and are coachable (and want) to learn the game at a deeper level. I am extremely excited about our varsity group this year.”
Weldon is new to the Bulldogs’ head coaching chair though he is not new to being a head coach. He takes over the reigns of the program from Roy Kiser, who is now an assistant basketball coach at Schreiner University. Kiser had been at Burnet High School for 24 years, first as an assistant coach on former head coach Rodney McGee’s staff for two years and then as head coach for the rest of his time at Burnet High School.
Naming Weldon the head coach after he spent two years on Kiser’s staff indicates Burnet Consolidated Independent School District officials have a formula that works. The difference, however, may be that Weldon isn’t a first-time head coach. He served as the head coach at Blanco High School before joining Kiser’s staff.
In four years at the helm of Blanco’s program, he guided the Panthers to 100 wins. In all, he was there for six years.
Before that, Kiser saw Weldon play at Wimberley High School before he graduated in 2009 and then followed his playing career at Sul Ross University where another Bulldog, Zakk Revelle, was playing.
At the time that former Burnet assistant coach A.J. Irwin was moving on, he decided to give Weldon a holler to encourage him to consider taking his old spot on Kiser’s staff.
“Once Juston interviewed, I knew he would be a great fit here in Burnet,” Kiser said.
Weldon indicated the two years of being on Kiser’s staff is invaluable to him now that he takes over the program.
“I was on coach Kiser’s staff as his lead assistant and the junior varsity coach for the past two seasons, so I have been able to build positive relationships with the players in the program and had an opportunity to coach most of them at the JV level,” he said. “It has made the transition to becoming the head coach much easier, as I already have a level of trust amongst the players. I feel it has been a very smooth transition for myself but also for the players.”
The Bulldogs will continue play in District 24-4A that includes defending district champion Georgetown Gateway, runner-up Lampasas, fourth-place finisher Marble Falls, Jarrell, Salado and Taylor.
“I think District 24-4A will be extremely competitive this season,” Weldon said. “There are some very good programs, outstanding coaches and returning varsity talent in our district. The competition will be stiff night in and night out. One thing I have grown accustomed to over the last two years in this district is there are no nights off and each team is very evenly matched. There will be no easy wins in 24-4A.”
While Weldon is not expecting any easy victories, he remains enthusiastic about the possibilities and the players who will represent the Burnet CISD community this season.
“I am extremely excited, fortunate and humble to take over the reins of the Bulldog basketball program,” he said. “I have had a great mentor in coach Kiser for the last two years to learn from and emulate, as well as outstanding support from the community. We are ready to start playing games and competing this season.”
Burnet will travel to Comfort Friday, Nov. 21, with junior varsity 2 playing at 5 p.m., junior varsity 1 takes the court at 6:15 p.m., and the varsity follows at 7:30 p.m.
The varsity travels to play Lake Belton at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, at Little River Academy as part of the LRA Shootout.
Then Burnet welcomes Bandera Tuesday, Nov. 25, with the subvarsities playing at noon and the varsity at 1:30 p.m. before enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday.
