The Ottawa Pirates are in the process of discovering their identity.
"It's the nature of having one returning player that played significant minutes (the previous season)," Pirates coach Mark Cooper said, "and you can look at it one of two ways: it's a negative because you don't have much experience returning, or we tend to look at it as a positive where we have a lot of kids pushing each other to play at a level maybe they haven't played at before." Ottawa lost six players to Pomp and Circumstance — including all-state scoring machine and Times Player of the Year McKe Tucker — from the 2016-17 team that went 21-8 and played for a regional plaque. OHS's Class of 2017 accounted for 76.7 percent of the scoring, 79.4 percent of the rebounding, 78.7 percent of the assists, 76.2 percent of the steals and 95.7 percent of the blocked shots last season. The lone starter back is Wyatt Hill. Kendall Brent was also in the rotation. "If this isn't the most inexperienced team (I've had), it's right up there," said Cooper, in his 14th season at the helm of the Pirates (219-133 record — .622 winning percentage), of his 16-player roster, which consists of seven seniors, eight juniors and a sophomore, "but we're not going to use that as an excuse. You know, the expectations and the standards aren't going to change. "There's no question we have a lot of big shoes to fill, but we had some kids that were on the sophomores or didn't play many varsity minutes last season that, you know, have been waiting their time, and they've had the level of dedication that we look for. And now it's their opportunity to play in the 7:30 game and see what type of role they can have. "The competition level's been very good. We have a lot of kids that are fighting for minutes and positions, and it's our job as a staff to figure out the combinations to put together, which kids play the best with other kids. We have a lot of kids that we think can do some (good) things, but until we see it translate into practice and in a game, it's really hard to be able to pinpoint what we're going to be about." One player who doesn't lack experience is the third-year varsity veteran Hill, a sharpshooting junior guard and "high-level passer" who's already got 57 games under his belt. As a 10th-grader, Hill averaged 11.8 ppg — knocking down 37.2 percent of his attempts from 3-point range (67 of 180) — 2.3 apg and 1.7 spg when he was an All-NIB 12 West Honorable Mentionee and Times All-Area Third-Team choice. "We're putting a lot on (Wyatt's) plate, not only from a production standpoint on the floor, but a leadership position off the floor, and he's done everything we've expected and more," Cooper said. "He's a veteran piece that we have, and he's going to have to be a stabilizing force on the floor for us with so many inexperienced parts around him. And his game has really started to develop to where he puts a lot of pressure on the defense when he has the ball. So we're expecting to see a better version of Wyatt Hill this season." The other 12th-graders besides Kendall Brent are Russell Brent, Luke Dougherty, Andrew Evola, Josh Jackson, Joey Owens and Slaten Swords. Other juniors are Tyler Carson, Noah Gould, Kyle Haerle, Keegan Landers, Aaron Koch, Ben Lundy and Alex Stevenson. The roster also includes talented 10th-grader Myles Tucker, McKe's brother. "Myles has a very high level of ability," Cooper said, "and now it's just a matter of getting him acclimated to varsity basketball and getting him to be able to do that on a daily basis ... but the skill set is there." The '17-18 Pirates put forth the effort during the offseason to try and maintain the program's recent level of success this winter. "They've taken the challenge of wanting to have a quality basketball team this season," Cooper said, "and now it's just a matter of being able to put all the pieces together to see if we can have some level of success. "We're just kind of curious to see how this team evolves." ROSTER No. Player Ht. Yr. 2 Joey Owens 6-2 Sr. 3 Russell Brent 5-10 Sr. 4 Myles Tucker 6-0 So. 5 Kyle Haerle 6-0 Jr. 10 Wyatt Hill 5-10 Jr. 11 Ben Lundy 5-10 Jr. 12 Kendall Brent 5-11 Sr. 20 Luke Dougherty 6-0 Sr. 23 Andrew Evola 6-2 Sr. 24 Alex Stevenson 6-3 Jr. 25 Tyler Carson 6-3 Jr. 30 Noah Gould 6-3 Jr. 32 Keegan Landers 6-2 Jr. 33 Aaron Koch 6-5 Jr. 34 Josh Jackson 6-0 Sr. 40 Slaten Swords 6-0 Sr. SCHEDULE Date Opponent/Event Time 11/20-25 DEAN RILEY TRNY. TBA 12/1 at Rochelle 7 p.m. 12/2 ROCK ISLAND 6 p.m. 12/8 SYCAMORE 7 p.m. 12/12 at Sterling 7 p.m. 12/26-30 at Plano Trny. TBD 1/5 at Morris 7 p.m. 1/13 at Moline 6:30 p.m. 1/19 GENESEO 7 p.m. 1/23 at Yorkville 7 p.m. 1/26 ROCHELLE 7 p.m. 1/27 at Kaneland 6 p.m. 1/30 SANDWICH 7 p.m. 2/2 at La Salle-Peru 7 p.m. 2/6 YORKVILLE CHRISTIAN 7 p.m. 2/9 STERLING 7 p.m. 2/13 DEKALB 7 p.m. 2/16 at Geneseo 7 p.m. 2/20 STREATOR 7 p.m. 2/23 LA SALLE-PERU 7 p.m. Article found here: Click here
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Here is The 2017-18 Times Preseason All-Area Boys Basketball Team, as voted on earlier this week by The Times Sports staff: FIRST TEAM Jeremy Durdan (Jr., Flanagan-Cornell) Wyatt Hill (Jr., Ottawa) Dylan Patrick (Sr., Newark) Jimmy Braddish (Jr., Sandwich) Kyle Voytko (Jr., Woodland) SECOND TEAM Jakob Setchell (Jr., Serena) Jack Snook (Jr., Marquette) Collin Hjerpe (Jr., Woodland) Mitch Vickers (Sr., Streator) Derek May (Jr., Fieldcrest) HONORABLE MENTION Cam Grandy (Sr., Fieldcrest) Dawson Fuller (Sr., Serena) Wes Jolly (Sr., Streator) Sam Grushkin (Jr., Seneca) Beau Brown (Jr., Newark) Article found here: Click here
The briefest of glances at the schedule which runs alongside this season preview will reveal the Streator Bulldogs' 2017-18 boys basketball season will get underway next week in Ottawa's Dean Riley "Shootin' the Rock" Tournament.
A look at the roster or a few moments spent talking with ninth-year head coach Beau Doty (116-111 career record) will reveal, however, that the success of the 2017-18 Bulldogs starts with the seniors — most notably returning starters Wes Jolly, John Benckendorf, Mitch Vickers and Joey Byers along with fellow 12th-grader and likely fifth starter this year Noah Mascal. "We're really leaning on our veteran group," said Doty, whose Bulldogs last winter posted a winning, albeit at times frustrating 16-12 mark. "We've got six seniors who have had some varsity experience since their sophomore year, and three guys who have been starters on and off since their sophomore year. "We're really looking to those guys for leadership, to establish an edge and a tone of competitiveness at practice each and every day and to show those juniors who are getting that varsity experience for the first time how to go about it. That's something we're counting on our seniors to do, and hopefully they can deliver on that for us." The Bulldogs' all-senior starting five comes in with plenty of experience and talent as it looks to fill the shoes of three standouts — D'Angelo Pryor, Dakota Limberg and Adam Brown — gone to Pomp and Circumstance. Vickers (8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 spg in 2016-17) can handle the ball and create good looks at the basket seemingly at will; Byers (3.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg) is a versatile, high-energy sparkplug; Benckendorf (5.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.9 apg) brings both muscle to the paint and a good if streaky shooting touch to the perimeter; all indications are the 6-4 Jolly (3.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) is poised for a breakout senior season; and Noah Mascal (1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg), also standing 6-4, seems ready for a starting nod after appearing in 22 games last season. After a couple seasons filled with ups and downs, Doty expects this group's play — through experience and offseason work — to be more steady its last go-round in the Red and White, especially with potentially potent weapons both inside and out. "It should be a group that's pretty consistent," he said. "This is one of our bigger teams as far as size goes with lineups we can potentially put out there with both size and strength. I think that'll be one of our strengths, playing through the interior a little bit, and I think we could be a load for some teams on the boards. ... "You complement that with Joey's ability to slash and get in the paint, Mitch being one of the better guards in the league with great athleticism and anticipation on defense and the ability to get hot on the perimeter or get in the lane and finish, and Johnny's knack for offensive boards and (ability to shoot) the 3." With the first five all but set, the rest of the roster — which includes seniors Hunter Telford (1.1 ppg last season), Coltin Grace (0.8 ppg), Jared Groesbeck and Kyle Cantrell as well as 11th-graders Logan Colter, Grant Mascal, Chase Ramon, Terrence Jordan and Ruben Diaz — is competing for roles and floor time. That process has made practices this preseason interesting, and according to Doty could prove to be the key to the Bulldogs' season. "Hopefully we can get some other guys to help contribute and increase our depth," said Doty. "We know what we've got with our returning guys. It's just a matter of how deep we'll be able to go, and I think that's part of the reason practices have been so competitive." After the tournament in Ottawa, highlights on SHS's schedule include the December 2 Pops Dale Gymnsium opener against Putnam County, the Plano Christmas Classic December 26-30, home against La Salle-Peru on January 9 and a visit to another old NCIC rival, Ottawa, on February 20. "I told our kids, our goals haven't changed from what they've been the last few years," Doty said. "That's to compete for a conference title, win 20 games and put ourselves in a position with a good seed to compete for a regional championship." ROSTER No. Player Pos. Ht. Yr. 1 Logan Colter G 6-0 Jr. 2 Kyle Cantrell G 5-10 Sr. 3 Mitch Vickers G 6-1 Sr. 4 Joey Byers G/F 6-2 Sr. 5 Ruben Diaz G 5-8 Jr. 10 John Benckendorf F 6-2 Sr. 12 Jared Groesbeck F 6-0 Sr. 13 Hunter Telford G 5-8 Sr. 20 Terrence Jordan G 5-11 Jr. 21 Coltin Grace F/C 6-4 Sr. 22 Noah Mascal F 6-4 Sr. 24 Chase Ramon G 6-1 Jr. 33 Wes Jolly C 6-4 Sr. 55 Grant Mascal F/C 6-4 Jr. SCHEDULE Date Opponent/Event Time 11/20-25 at Ottawa Riley Tourney TBA* 12/1 at Seneca 7 p.m. 12/2 PUTNAM CO. 6 p.m. 12/5 at Morris 7 p.m. 12/8 MANTENO 7 p.m. 12/15 at Reed-Custer 7 p.m. 12/26-30 at Plano Classic TBD 1/5 LISLE 7 p.m. 1/9 LA SALLE-PERU 7 p.m. 1/12 at Herscher 7 p.m. 1/13 ST. BEDE 6:30 p.m. 1/16 WILMINGTON 7 p.m. 1/19-26 at I-8 Tourney (Coal City) TBD 2/2 PLANO 7 p.m. 2/6 WESTMONT 7 p.m. 2/9 at Peotone 7 p.m. 2/16 at Sandwich 7 p.m. 2/20 at Ottawa 7 p.m. 2/23 at Coal City 7 p.m. * Thanksgiving schedules Article found here: Click here Crane: 6-5 PG Jimarius Sneed back from injury. G Jalen Stanford/Hylan Harris tough. Robert Hobbs is a threat. In White-West now.
Roster: Click here Schedule: Click here
Top newcomers: Juniors Adam Finstein (G, 5-9), Braden Seyller (G, 6-0); Sophomore Josh Hudgens (F, 6-4) Outlook: Experienced, talented and deep, the Rockets are pointed skyward once more. Central returns 12 players from last year's Kishwaukee River Conference championship team, which lost to Glenbard South in a regional final for the second straight season. Leading the way is senior guard Zach Schutta, entering his fourth varsity season. The two-time all-area pick surpassed 1,000 points last February. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 assists as a junior. Senior forward Patrick Mayfield (5.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg) has nonstop energy, coach Brett Porto said. He's 6-4 and growing. They are joined in the starting lineup by senior guard Michael Kalusa (9.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg), senior forward Caden Scott (2.1 ppg) and senior point guard Desjani Beamon (3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg). Beamon backed up TaVontae Harris last year. He and Kalusa can both handle the ball. Senior Will Hough averaged 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds last year. Juniors Logan Andersen and Kyle Moring and sophomores Jake Lenschow and Matt Muetterties take on expanded roles after limited varsity minutes last year. "I feel like we have a lot coming back," Central coach Brett Porto said. "We don't have a lot of height, but we have all-around length. I can put four or five guys on the floor at a time who are all between 6-1 and 6-4. We'll go with the formula that's been working for us, which is be good on the defensive end and play team basketball on the offensive end. It's a hungry group. If they continue to work and try to better, they could do some nice things." NEW SEASON
We had quite a phenomenal season last year, ending with a state tournament run, grabbing a large 4th place trophy in Peoria. It was a tremendous ride and I enjoyed my seat to watch the players excel so much. Good luck to our last year's seniors as they continue their work in life, school, and athletics. This year we are excited to have a couple of starters back and a whole lot of tremendous athletes to join them. Dylan Patrick (Sr) has already accumulated well over 500 points in his career and is looking forward to a strong senior run. He averaged 11.9 points per game, 79% from the charity stripe, over 50% from inside the arc, 4 boards, 3.1 assists, and over 2 steals a game. Patrick is joined by now varsity veteran starter, Beau Brown (Jr). Big Beau Brown had 11 points as a freshman and came out huge his sophomore year as the big man for the Newark State team, averaging 7.9 points per game (269 points). He shot an amazing 60% from inside the arc, 81% from the free throw line, and grabbed over 3 rebounds in every game. Rhys Pepino is the other senior on the team and looks to contribute in great ways with his hustle, enthusiasm, and grit. Corey Jacobson (Jr) was the sixth man of last year's team as a sophomore and poured in almost 150 points off the bench for the state team and grabbed over 2 boards a game. Jacobson played in all 34 games for the Norsemen last year and looks to be a big part of the 2017-18 team. Connor Swanson (Jr) is the only other player that had significant time on the varsity last year, playing in 23 of the games throughout the season. Connor looks to have a break-out varsity season this year. Others athletes on the Norsemen squad include juniors: Brett Myre (6'0"), Jacob Slivka (6'0"), and Kevin Samion (6'0") and sophomores pulling double duty on JR and Varsity: Zak Akre (6'0"), Jacob Chapman (5'9"), Nate Christian (5'11"), and Alex Tollefson (5'10"). SCHEDULE
NEW WEBSITE PROMOTING THE KIDS The tagline for the new website and for our broadcasting purpose is, "It's for the kids!" That is why we as parents work so hard to encourage, love, and promote our student-athletes. We know that the lessons that they have and will learn through their experiences as a teammate and competitor will shape their lives forever. We love being a part of that! So, with that in mind, I have created a website that will paint a broader brush than just the Newark Norsemen. As you all know, I absolutely love Newark and bleed blue. However, I have been given the opportunity and privilege to broadcast all 40 games in the main gym at the Plano Christmas Classic and that will cover a significant amount of teams. In addition, I am adding a portion of the website dedicated to all of the schools in the Little 10. It will be a work in progress, but I hope to be expanding the website and information in order to help our high school kids get promoted to the next level (both in life and in sports' opportunities). There is a simple link on the homepage to access the Newark Norsemen Basketball page, and thus be able to watch all of the broadcasts. Check it out: www.MySportsWire.com If you are interested in sponsoring MySportsWire, you may contact Phil below. Go Norsemen!!! |
AuthorPhil Chapman is an avid basketball fan that has served as the voice of the Newark Norsemen over the last three seasons. Phil will be broadcasting the games at the Plano Christmas Classic ArchivesCategories
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