j&c boys hoops classic

Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010Journal & Courier • jconline.com

2 Boys J&C Hoops Classic Sunday, November 28, 2010 | jconline.com

Tournamentschedule

At Lafayette JeffMonday

Central Catholic vs. TwinLakes, 6 p.m.

Benton Central vs. Harrison,7:30 p.m.

TuesdayWest Lafayette vs. Frankfort,

6 p.m.McCutcheon vs. Lafayette

Jeff, 7:30 p.m.Thursday

Monday’s losers, 6 p.m.Tuesday’s losers, 7:30 p.m.

FridayMonday’s winners, 6 p.m.Tuesday’s winners, 7:30 p.m.

SaturdayAuxiliary gym

Seventh place, 4 p.m.Main gym

Fifth place, 4 p.m.Third place, 6 p.m.Championship, 8 p.m.

Journal & Courier file photo

The boys J&C Hoops Classicchampionship trophy.

Team previewsBenton Central ...........................3Central Catholic........................ 4Frankfort..................................... 5Harrison ..................................... 6Lafayette Jeff............................. 8McCutcheon.............................. 9Twin Lakes ............................... 10West Lafayette .........................11

About the tournamentThe eighth-annual boys J&C Hoops Classic is a tournament

featuring the five Tippecanoe County high schools, along withBenton Central, Frankfort and Twin Lakes.

On the coverFrom left: Central Catholic’s Brett Haan, McCutcheon’s

Brady Knoy, Lafayette Jeff’s Nick Stacy, Benton Central’s KyleBird, Frankfort’s Stanley Moore, Harrison’s JoshWithers, WestLafayette’s George Zhang and Twin Lakes’ Sam Johnson.

Special thanks to Tim Fitzgerald of Exploration Acres.—Photo by Jordan Kartholl/Journal & Courier

Sunday, November 28, 2010 | jconline.com Boys J&C Hoops Classic 3

BENTON CENTRAL BISON

ON GUARDNew coach Kyle Rule ex-

pects to start four guards atthe beginning of the season.

As a sophomore, JordanJohnson emerged as the Bi-son’s second-best scoring op-tion behind senior Aaron Kult.He shot 35 percent from 3-point range and is perhaps theBison’s only known returningthreat for many opponents.

“What we’ve told Jordan is‘hey, teams are probably goingto be focusing on you,’ so weneed everyone else to step uptheir game,” Rule said. “I’d behappy if we had seven, eightguys scoring four to 10 points.We can’t just have one guy car-ry us; we’re not good enough.We’re going to have to havethe whole team.”

Kyle Bird will be the onlysenior starter early on, at an-other guard spot. He and JohnO’Malley will handle the bulkof the point guard duties.

Devon Freeland, whomissed last season due to in-jury, will be the fourth startingguard.

FRONT LINETy Fischbach stands just

6-foot-2 but will be countedon to provide the team’s postpresence.He had themost var-sity minutes played last seasonamong returning players.

“He’s going to work hard-er or as hard as the guy he’sguarding, even if he’s a footbigger,” Rule said. “I told myguys, what we lack in size,we’ve got to make up withheart and passion.”

NEWCOMERSSenior Mitch Schlutten-

hofer will come off the benchto help underneath, alongwith juniors Colin Claire andNate Slavens. Sonny Floresand Patrick Lester will helpwith backcourt depth.

Rule likes the long-term po-tential of two underclassmen— 6-4 sophomore guard Bran-don Rooze and 6-3 freshmanforward Tyler Souligne. Bothcould see an expanded varsityrole as the year progresses.

“Hopefully I’m going to ro-tate a lot of guys, see a lot offaces out there,” Rule said.

OUTLOOKRule takes over after six

years as an assistant. He’s theprogram’s third coach in asmany seasons but has already

put his own stamp on the Bi-son.

“Coach Rule is bringing alot more intensity and fire tothe practices,” Bird said. “Theharder you practice, the hard-er you’re going to play, and thebetter you’re going to play.”

To help overcome a signifi-cant size disadvantage, Rulewants a more up-tempo ap-proach at both ends of thefloor.

“We’re going to press a lot,”Johnson said. “We’re going tomake sure we’re running theentire game, up and down thecourt, getting layups.”

A lack of rebounding is aconcern, and the Bison won’thave any big bodies to rely on.Rule hopes the team takes thesame approach during gamesthat it has during practices.

“I can’t tell you enough howhard these kids are working,”Rule said. “... They know whatit takes. They know where weare in our program and whatwe’vegot todo to turn it aroundto get where we need to be.”

—Nathan Baird/[email protected]

Quick shotsCoach: Kyle Rule (first

season)2009-10 results: 3-18,

lost to Frankfort 67-52 insectional opener

Conference: HoosierSectional: Class 3A, Sec-

tional 20Sectional opponents:

Frankfort (host), North-western, Twin Lakes, WestLafayette, Western

Returning stat leaders

Scoring: Jordan Johnson(8.3)

Rebounding: Johnson andKyle Bird (2.1)

Assists: Bird (1.2)Steals: Johnson (1.1)

Last seasonOffensive average: 44.9Defensive average: 58.2Benton Central opened

the season with 11 straightlosses, only two of whichwere by fewer than fourpoints. The Bison finallybroke through with a 60-46home victory over Seeger onJan. 29.

Two victories on one Feb-ruary weekend — at SouthNewton and at home againstSheridan — gave BC a late-season lift. But sectionalhost Frankfort dismissed theBison in the opening round.

Senior guard Aaron Kultraised his game to anotherlevel, boosting his scoringaverage nearly nine pointsper game. Five other seniorsgraduated at season’s end,and Eric Wiley steppeddown after one season ashead coach and a long ten-ure as an assistant.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.10 Patrick Lester G 6-0 Sr.12 Ty Fischbach F 6-2 Jr.14 Kyle Bird G 6-1 Sr.20 Mitch Schluttenhofer F 6-2 Sr.22 Sonny Flores G 5-8 Jr.24 Devon Freeland G 6-0 Jr.30 John O’Malley G 5-8 Jr.32 Jordan Johnson G 6-0 Jr.34 Brandon Rooze G 6-4 So.40 Tyler Souligne F 6-3 Fr.42 Nate Slavens F 6-1 Jr.44 Colin Claire F 5-10 Jr.

Rule Fischbach

By Jordan Kartholl / Journal & Courier

BC junior Jordan Johnson.

Johnson Bird

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CENTRAL CATHOLIC KNIGHTS

ON GUARDThe offense goes through

Brett Haan, the leading re-turnee in every statistical cat-egory.

He’ll be asked to direct ateam that lost six seniors fromlast season.

“It makes it a lot easierwhen you still have that guyto run things through,” coachDave Barrett said.

To make matters worse, CCwill begin the season withoutseveral key players who aremembers of the football teamthat advanced to the state fi-nals. They will not be able toplay until they have completedfive practices.

Once the football playersreturn, Danny Anthrop andCody Christopher will helphold down the backcourt.

“Cody and Danny, they willbeproviding all of ourpressureon defense,” Haan said. “Withthose two,we can be one of thebetter defensive teams in 1A.

“Danny is so fast and can getup and down the court. Codycan run the break too. We willbe one of the fastest, if not thefastest in 1A.”

FRONT LINELast season, the football

team’s state championship rungave Hayden Gloyeske a cou-ple of starts at the beginningof the season.

Once they returned,Gloyeske was a reserve andgained valuable varsity experi-ence. After graduation deplet-ed the team’s height, Gloyeskewill be called upon for a biggerrole.

“It definitely makes myrole a whole lot harder,” saidGloyeske, who averaged 2.5points and 2 rebounds last sea-son. “I’ve got a whole lot moreon my shoulders.”

Nick Hilligoss also earnedsome early varsityminutes last

season and has since improveddrastically.

“He’s vastly improved froma year ago,” Barrett said. “He’sgot good size at 6-foot-5.”

The success of Gloyeskeand Hilligoss will drive theKnights.

“If they rebound, I think ouroffense and our defense willgo right through them,” Haansaid. “If they are rolling, wewill definitely be rolling.”

NEWCOMERSMatt Burks, Dalton Skees

and AustinMunn all are mem-bers of the football team, butonce they return, they are ex-pected to fight for varsity min-utes.

Jake Churchill is injured,but is expected to return inJanuary and compete for play-ing time. Cowan Olinger alsois in the mix.

OUTLOOKWhen you’ve won three

state championships since the

inception of class basketball,the goals are high.

Since Barrett took over ashead coach of the Knights,the girls basketball, volleyball,baseball and football teams allhave won state titles. Barrett’steams advanced to three semi-states in a row, but have neverreached the championshipgame.

Accomplishing that is mis-sion No. 1 for CC.

“We are looking to redeemthe dream this year,” Haansaid. “I think we can do it withthe group of players we have.We aren’t the biggest team, butwe never really are.

“We play tough defense ev-ery single year.With the groupof guys, we’re very talented,very quick and a very gooddefensive team. Defense winschampionships.”

— Sam King/[email protected]

Quick shotsCoach: Dave Barrett (97-

33 in sixth season)2009-10 results: 19-6,

lost to Monroe Central 68-60 in regional semifinals

Conference: HoosierHeartland

Sectional: Class A, Sec-tional 53

Sectional opponents:Clinton Prairie, Frontier,Rossville, Tri-Central (host)

Returning stat leadersScoring:

Brett Haan(15.7)

Rebound-ing: Haan(5.4)

Assists:Haan (1.8)

Steals:Haan (1.3)

Last seasonOffensive average: 64.4Defensive average: 52.2Last season, for the first

time since 2006, the Knightsdidn’t win a regional champi-

onship.Central

Catholic didwin a ninthstraightsectional titleand 12th in13 seasons.Includingits three

sectional wins, CC won12 straight games beforelosing to Monroe Central inthe regional semifinals atFrankfort.

The Knights have postedone of the most impressivehome win streaks in recentyears, winning their last 30games at McHale Gymnasi-um dating back to December2006.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.10 Matt Burks G 5-10 Jr.12 Austin Munn G 5-11 Jr.14 Danny Anthrop G 6-0 Jr.20 Danny Skees G 5-10 Jr.22 Cowan Olinger G 5-10 So.24 Cody Christopher G 5-11 Sr.30 Brett Haan F 6-4 Sr.32 Joe Tharp G 5-11 Jr.34 Chase Thieme G 6-0 Jr.40 Nick Zak F 6-0 Jr.42 Hayden Gloyeske F/C 6-3 Sr.44 Ryan DeBoy F 6-0 So.50 Nick Hilligoss C 6-4 So.

Anthrop Christopher

By Brent Drinkut/Journal & Courier

CC senior Brett Haan.

Barrett

Haan Gloyeske Hilligoss


FRANKFORT HOT DOGS

ON GUARDThree senior guards return

to give Frankfort one of thearea’s most experienced back-courts.

Korben “Snoop” Shirarstarted at point guard as asophomore and junior. Butcoach Jason Good said Shirarwill move to the wing this sea-son to better utilize his play-making ability.

Stan Moore will handlethe starting point guard du-ties, and Tanner Svododa,the team’s leading returningscorer and rebounder, is atthe other wing. Svoboda shot45 percent from 3-point rangelast season.

Alex Isgrigg returns to givethe Hot Dogs a boost of hustleand defense off the bench.

FRONT LINETroy Porter’s graduation

deprives the Hot Dogs of a bigrebounding source. Good hasturned to a pair of underclass-men to fill the void.

Dakota Isgrigg averaged4.5 points and 4.1 reboundsoff the bench as a freshman.Good said the sophomore hada strong summer and couldemerge as the team’s mostconsistent scorer.

“If we do a good job of get-ting him the ball inside, it kindof opens everything else up forus,” Good said.

Freshman forward Chris-tian Smith held down the fifthstarting spot on opening night.Good likes his aggressivenesson rebounding and defenseand his shot-blocking ability.

Senior post player GraydenGilmore, the only player be-sides Dakota Isgrigg whostands taller than 6-2, willcome off the bench.

NEWCOMERSSenior Roger Acevedo will

help in the post, and sopho-

more Tanner Coomer givesthe Hot Dogs more backcourtdepth.

Good says another fresh-man, Brody Kirby, will playa lot off the bench and givesFrankfort another solid out-side shooter.

OUTLOOKGood said he was fortunate

during his first four seasons tohave Stevie Loveless and Por-ter as go-to players. While thisyear’s team lacks that level ofstandout player, it should alsohave greater balance.

“I think we’ll have a lotmore depth talent-wise,” Good

said. “Ever since I’ve beenherewe’ve had basically one playerwell above everyone else, thenrole players. This year we have

four kids whocould be ourgo-to guy onany given nightscoring-wise.”

With a hand-ful of freshmenand sopho-mores expectedto contribute

immediately, Good said muchof the preseason was spentworking on team defense. As aresult, the Hot Dogs’ offensiveflow hasn’t come around yet.

Frankfort must also finda way to overcome a lack ofheight and inexperience inthe post, especially when re-bounding.

However, Good says teamchemistry has improved. Theexperience and talent at theguard position should makethe Hot Dogs competitive.


Quick shotsCoach: Jason Good (49-

44 in fifth season)2009-10 results: 12-12,

lost toWest Lafayette 50-40in sectional championship

Conference: SagamoreSectional: Class 3A, Sec-

tional 20 (host)Sectional opponents:

Benton Central, North-western, Twin Lakes, WestLafayette, Western


Scoring: Tanner Svoboda(9.1)

Rebounding: Svoboda(4.6)

Assists: Korben Shirar(3.3)

Steals: Svoboda (1.2)

Last seasonOffensive average: 61.5Defensive average: 59.2Troy Porter helped fill

the void of Steve Loveless’graduation. The forwardscored 30 or more pointsseven times, posted 10double-doubles and finishedsecond in the area in scoringand rebounding.

The Hot Dogs suffered apair of tough losses to endJanuary. A Jan. 29 game atCrawfordsville went fourovertimes, but the Athenianswon 88-86. The followingnight, Frankfort lost at WestLafayette, 59-56.

The Hot Dogs lost justtwice in their next eightgames, though, and put to-gether a four-game winningstreak entering the sectionalchampionship game. But forthe second straight season,West Lafayette deniedFrankfort on its home floor,50-40.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.3 Brody Kirby G 5-11 Fr.4 Tanner Coomer G 5-11 So.5 Roger Acevedo F 5-10 Sr.12 Stanley Moore G 5-8 Sr.14 Korben Shirar G 6-0 Sr.20 Alex Isgrigg G 5-11 Jr.21 Tanner Svoboda G/F 6-1 Sr.33 Christian Smith F 6-1 Fr.34 Grayden Gilmore F 6-3 Sr.40 Dakota Isgrigg C/F 6-6 So.

Moore D. Isgrigg


Frankfort’s Tanner Svoboda grabs a rebound against LafayetteJeff during last year’s J&C Hoops Classic.

Svoboda Shirar

Good


HARRISON RAIDERS

ON GUARDA pair of seniors, Corbin

Richter and Brock Burkhalter,will handle point guard duties.Burkhalter startedmuchof lastseason, but coach Jeff VanArs-del said Richter, last year’s ju-nior varsity point guard and avarsity reserve, will open thisseason as the starter.

Josh Withers showed flash-es of big scoring ability lastseason while shooting 44 per-cent from 3-point range andaveraging 7.1 points. VanArs-del describes him as a “fiercecompetitor.”

FRONT LINELast season’s roster boasted

five players 6-foot-4 or taller.This season, senior forwardZach Williams is the Raiders’only true big man.

The team’s leading return-ing scorer and rebounder,Wil-liams brings athleticism to thepost and he also bulked up inthe weight room in the offsea-son.

“He’s really strong andquick,”Withers said. “He playsreally well around the basket.He’s a smart player.”

NEWCOMERSThough he stands just 5-11,

Will Barr will be expected tohelp rebound and defend inthe post.

“He’s going tobeundersizedin terms of height, playing in-side, but he does a tremendousjob rebounding and keepingthings alive,” VanArsdel said.

Ryan Mundy came off thebench in a dozen games lastseason and will help on theperimeter.

Senior guard Ben Trapp hit4 of 6 3-pointers in limitedaction last season, and is onereason why the Raiders be-lieve perimeter scoring will bea strength.

VanArsdel said Desmond

Rias, a senior wing, may be theteam’s best at executing thedribble-drive.

OUTLOOKVanArsdel has already an-

nounced this will be his finalseason. Whether or not theRaiders send him out with awinning record will likely de-pend on two factors: rebound-

ing and shooting.WhileHarrisonhasasenior-

heavy roster for the secondstraight season,some of themwill play theirfirst significantvarsity minutesthis season.

“We haveplenty of peopleto choose from,but not plenty

of people who have been onthe floor at the varsity level,”VanArsdel said. “Who can han-dle that?Thatbecomesan issueearly on. I don’t think depthwill be a problem through-out the course of the year. Butearly on, figuring out who canstep up and play at that level,and who can’t, might be.”


Quick shotsCoach: Jeff VanArsdel

(240-162 in 19th season)2009-10 results: 11-12,

lost to Lafayette Jeff 60-51 insectional semifinals

Conference: HoosierCrossroads

Sectional: Class 4A,Sectional 7

Sectional opponents:Kokomo, Lafayette Jeff,Logansport (host), Mc-Cutcheon


Scoring: ZachWilliams(7.4)

Rebounding:Williams(3.6)

Assists: Brock Burkhalter(4.7)

Steals: Burkhalter (1.3)

Last seasonOffensive average: 54.8Defensive average: 53.2A six-player senior class

led Harrison to its first sea-son of double-digit victoriesin three years.

A 6-2 start included a lossto Lafayette Jeff in the J&CHoops Classic championshipgame, where the Raidersrallied from a 17-point third-quarter deficit and tied thegame with four minutes leftbefore losing 82-73. Harri-son then lost eight of nine inone midseason stretch.

The Raiders didn’t allowmore than 62 points in agame after Jan. 22, and soliddefense helped them winfour of five in the season’sfinal weeks. Lafayette Jeffdefeated Harrison for thethird time, 60-51, in the Ko-komo Sectional semifinals.

Jacob VanArsdel repeatedas a Journal & Courier sec-ond-team All-Area selection.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.10 Brock Burkhalter G 5-7 Sr.11 Josh Withers F 6-1 Sr.12 Corbin Richter G 5-9 Sr.15 Cam Brown F 6-0 Sr.21 Desmond Rias F 5-11 Sr.22 Ryan Mundy F 6-0 Sr.25 Ben Trapp G 5-10 Sr.30 Kevin Holden C 6-4 Sr.31 Will Barr F 5-11 Sr.42 Zach Williams C 6-5 Sr.45 Tyler Port F 6-2 Sr.

Richter Withers

Jordan Kartholl/Journal & Courier

ZachWilliams prepares to pass to a teammate during practice.

Williams Burkhalter

VanArsdel


2009Monday, Nov. 30

West Lafayette 49, Benton Central 48Harrison 54, Central Catholic 36

Tuesday, Dec. 1Lafayette Jeff 64, Frankfort 54McCutcheon 54, Twin Lakes 51

Thursday, Dec. 3Central Catholic 56, Benton Central 45Frankfort 64, Twin Lakes 47

Friday, Dec. 4Harrison 64, West Lafayette 37Lafayette Jeff 77, McCutcheon 42

Saturday, Dec. 5Seventh place

Twin Lakes 52, Benton Central 41Fifth place

Frankfort 61, Central Catholic 47Third place

West Lafayette 57, McCutcheon 36Championship

Lafayette Jeff 82, Harrison 73All-tournament team

MVP— Jesse Berry, Lafayette JeffRoddy Richardson, Lafayette JeffJacob VanArsdel, HarrisonTroy Porter, FrankfortAlantae Crawford, McCutcheon

2008Monday, Dec. 1

McCutcheon 52, West Lafayette 42Lafayette Jeff 85, Harrison 57

Tuesday, Dec. 2Frankfort 65, Twin Lakes 35Central Catholic 64, Benton Central 43

Thursday, Dec. 4West Lafayette 50, Harrison 39Benton Central 72, Twin Lakes 62

Friday, Dec. 5Lafayette Jeff 62, McCutcheon 49Frankfort 66, Central Catholic 51


Harrison 64, Twin Lakes 55Fifth place

West Lafayette 57, Benton Central 34Third place

McCutcheon 54, Central Catholic 51Championship

Lafayette Jeff 81, Frankfort 62All-tournament team

MVP— Jesse Berry, Lafayette JeffShane Wyant, Lafayette JeffRoddy Richardson, Lafayette JeffStevie Loveless, FrankfortDru Anthrop, Central Catholic

2007Monday, Nov. 26

Benton Central 56, Harrison 51 (OT)Lafayette Jeff 75, West Lafayette 43

Tuesday, Nov. 27McCutcheon 73, Twin Lakes 42Central Catholic 63, Frankfort 50

Thursday, Nov. 29West Lafayette 34, Harrison 31Frankfort 63, Twin Lakes 55

Friday, Nov. 30Lafayette Jeff 94, Benton Central 48Central Catholic 67, McCutcheon 52


Twin Lakes 66, Harrison 54Fifth place

Frankfort 72, West Lafayette 52Third place

McCutcheon 60, Benton Central 55Championship

Lafayette Jeff 67, Central Catholic 64All-tournament team

MVP— Brandon Williams, Lafayette JeffJoe Gamble, Lafayette JeffDru Anthrop, Central CatholicJade Anthrop, Central CatholicStevie Loveless, Frankfort

2006Monday, Nov. 27

Central Catholic 63, Frankfort 38West Lafayette 63, Benton Central 45

Tuesday, Nov. 28Lafayette Jeff 70, Twin Lakes 63McCutcheon 41, Harrison 27

Thursday, Nov. 30Frankfort 66, Benton Central 56Harrison 47, Twin Lakes 44

Friday, Dec. 1Central Catholic 66, West Lafayette 63 (OT)Lafayette Jeff 56, McCutcheon 48


Twin Lakes 52, Benton Central 47Fifth place

Frankfort 60, Harrison 56Third place

McCutcheon 51, West Lafayette 50Championship

Lafayette Jeff 73, Central Catholic 59All-tournament team

MVP— Blaine Koger, Lafayette JeffWill Hubertz, Central CatholicStevie Loveless, FrankfortAndy Day, West LafayetteDerek Lord, McCutcheon

2005Monday, Nov. 28

McCutcheon 63, Central Catholic 59West Lafayette 71, Lafayette Jeff 61

Tuesday, Nov. 29Benton Central 56, Twin Lakes 49Harrison 67, Frankfort 48

Thursday. Dec. 1Lafayette Jeff 89, Central Catholic 64Frankfort 62, Twin Lakes 59

Friday, Dec. 2McCutcheon 42, West Lafayette 38Benton Central 53, Harrison 31


Central Catholic 87, Twin Lakes 55Fifth place

Lafayette Jeff 82, Frankfort 55Third place

Harrison 52, West Lafayette 50 (OT)Championship

McCutcheon 51, Benton Central 42All-tournament team

MVP—Michael Teller, McCutcheonKyle Peabody, McCutcheonKevin Lange, Benton CentralBrad Folta, West LafayetteDallas Richardson, Lafayette Jeff

2004Monday, Nov. 29

Frankfort 63, West Lafayette 57McCutcheon 59, Harrison 57

Tuesday, Nov. 30Twin Lakes 70, Benton Central 35Lafayette Jeff 73, Central Catholic 61

Thursday, Dec. 2Harrison 63, West Lafayette 62 (3 OT)Central Catholic 58, Benton Central 32

Friday, Dec. 3McCutcheon 48, Frankfort 35Lafayette Jeff 64, Twin Lakes 59 (3 OT)


Benton Central 52, West Lafayette 51Fifth place

Harrison 79, Central Catholic 65Third place

Twin Lakes 67, Frankfort 63Championship

Lafayette Jeff 52, McCutcheon 47All-tournament team

MVP— Dallas Richardson, Lafayette JeffGentry Miller, Lafayette JeffLamar Lee, McCutcheonTyler Provo, Twin LakesJared Catron, Frankfort

2003Monday, Dec. 1

Harrison 58, West Lafayette 37Benton Central 60, Central Catholic 57

Tuesday, Dec. 2Twin Lakes 56, Frankfort 53Lafayette Jeff 54, McCutcheon 45

Thursday, Dec. 4West Lafayette 68, Central Catholic 67Frankfort 55, McCutcheon 43

Friday, Dec. 5Benton Central 48, Harrison 41 (2 OT)Lafayette Jeff 66, Twin Lakes 47


Central Catholic 49, McCutcheon 46Fifth place

Frankfort 56, West Lafayette 41Third place

Harrison 73, Twin Lakes 51Championship

Benton Central 68, Lafayette Jeff 65 (3 OT)All-tournament team

MVP— Cody Anderson, Benton CentralBrett Butler, Benton CentralJustin Russell, Lafayette JeffJared Catron, FrankfortJon Pierce, Harrison

TOURNAMENT HISTORY


LAFAYETTE JEFF BRONCHOS

ON GUARDNick Stacy returns for his

third season starting on theperimeter. He nearly doubledhis scoring average from 4.1points to 7.4 last season.

Courtney Waldon played inevery game last season, mostlycoming off the bench to pro-vide another perimeter scor-ing threat. RJ Layton came offthe bench in 23 games, and theBronchos will have three se-niors in the backcourt.

In new coach Scott Rade-ker’s motion offense, the scor-ing should not be as focusedon the perimeter as in recentseasons.

“If we have open shots, we’lltake them, for sure,” Stacysaid. “But we’re doing morewith the basket cuts and backscreens and back doors.”

FRONT LINERashad Richardson show-

cased his lanky 6-foot-3 frameand perimeter scoring skillsfrom the wing the past twoseasons. He’ll need to find hisway underneath to help re-bound for a team that lacks anabundance of tall bodies.

“I’ve been talking to him alot about averaging a double-double and being real activeon the boards,” Radeker said.

Colin Bultinck spent thepast two seasons as a part-timestarter. Jason Washingtonstarted when healthy last sea-son and averaged 5.1 reboundsin 16 games.

NEWCOMERSJustin Ulmer and Darian

Green add depth at guard. Jo-nah Green steps in as a trans-fer fromWest Lafayette.

Joel Ripke returns to theprogram and provides amuch-needed 6-foot-7 frame. ChrisNestleroad and DJ Rogersare forwards coming off thebench.

OUTLOOKWith three returning start-

ers, and a couple of other play-ers backwith extensive varsityresumes, the Bronchos willnot lack in experience.

While Berry’s all-aroundscoring ability will be missed,the bigger question is whowillfill Roddy Richardson’s voidas an aggressive rebounder,intense defender and floorleader.

“He carried us last year,spirit-wise and reboundingand defense, and obviouslyJesse carried us offensively,”Waldon said. “As a team, we’llhave to pick each other up anyway we can on both sides of

the ball.”R a d e k e r ’ s

motion of-fense empha-sizes more ballmovement andsharing on of-fense. It mayalso benefit aJeff team that

will need more scoring bal-ance than in recent seasons.

“There’s no question they’regoing to have to adjust to somedifferent roles,” Radeker said.“But they’re adapting well to itand I think it’s a team that’s go-ing to be very well-balanced.”


Quick shotsCoach: Scott Radeker

(first season with LafayetteJeff; 120-80 in 10th seasonoverall)

2009-10 results: 17-7, lostto Muncie Central 66-52 inregional semifinals

Conference:HoosierCrossroads


Sectional opponents:Harrison, Kokomo, Lo-gansport (host), McCutch-eon


Scoring: Rashad Richard-son (12.6)

Rebounding: Richardson(5.9)

Assists: N/ASteals: Nick Stacy (1.5)

Last seasonOffensive average: 68.7Defensive average: 61.1Led by third-year starting

guards Jesse Berry and Rod-dy Richardson, the Bronchosopened the season with theirfourth straight J&C HoopsClassic championship andfinished it with their secondsectional title in three years.

Jeff lost four of five after a5-1 start, then reeled off ninestraight victories.

The Bronchos defeatedhost Kokomo to win its 68thsectional title, but scoreda season-low 52 points ina regional semifinal loss toMuncie Central at Marion.

Berry, now at Ball State,finished his career as Tippe-canoe County’s all-time boysbasketball scoring leader.

Scot Bunnell steppeddown after the season tobecome the head coach atEvansville North.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.10 RJ Layton G 5-7 Sr.11 Rashad Richardson F 6-3 Jr.12 Courtney Waldon G 6-0 Sr.20 Darian Green G 5-7 Fr.22 Nick Stacy G 5-10 Sr.30 Colin Bultinck F 6-0 Sr.32 Derrick Rogers F 6-1 Jr.34 Justin Ulmer G 5-9 Jr.42 Jonah Green F 6-2 Jr.44 Chris Nestleroad F 6-1 Sr.50 Jason Washington C 6-4 Sr.54 Joel Ripke C 6-5 Sr.

Washington Bultinck

By John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Junior forward Rashad Richardson shoots during practice.

Richardson Stacy

Radeker


McCUTCHEON MAVERICKS

ON GUARDSenior guards Troy Ashley

and Brady Knoy give the Mav-ericks a pair of perimeter scor-ing threats. Knoy averaged 8.9points and hit 30 percent ofhis 3-pointers last season.

Ashley scored 89 points ineight games, including 25 inhis McCutcheon debut. He’llhelp provide some of the scor-ing punch lost by the gradua-tion of Alantae Crawford andalso run the point.

“If he can get 12, 14, 15 andget the other players involved,that’s a much better player forus at point guard,” coach RickPeckinpaugh said. “I thoughthe had a great summer, andpeople are going to be sur-prised, I think, at what he cando.”

Austin Price played all 21games last season, averaging3.2 points per game. MichaelSouthern played in 17 gameslast season as a freshman.

FRONT LINEDevelopment of a post pres-

ence that complements theguards is crucial for the Mav-ericks. Clint Thayer, last year’sleading rebounder and a two-year starter, opted not to playthis season.

A lack of upperclassmen,and frontcourt options, meanta lot of playing time last sea-son for then-sophomores JuanDel Real and Vince Hunsicker.Now they give McCutcheon apair of experienced, solid bod-ies underneath.

“They’ve gotten so muchbetter,” Ashley said. “This yearthey’ve been stepping up, tak-ing boards, getting everythingthey need to get down.”

NEWCOMERSPeckinpaugh is excited

about the potential of seniorClyde Greyer, in his secondseason with the team. He and

Nathan Acree, a transfer fromLouisville, provide versatilityon the wing and in the post.

JT Yocum and Ian Love,neither of whom played varsi-ty last season, are expected tocontribute as well. The playerssay they like the team’s mix ofpersonalities.

“Our team chemistry isamazing, I think,” Knoy said.“We all get along perfect; noproblems yet. Also, I feel like,if we do struggle, we all havethe ability to work together tofigure out what we need to fig-

ure out.”

OUTLOOKKnoy is the only player who

has spent four years in theMavericks’ system. However,six players return who startedat least one game last season,so experience should be a pos-itive.

“We’re so far ahead fromwhere wewere last year,” Ash-ley said. “Guys know whereto go, they know what to do. Idon’t even have to look whereI ampassing; somebody knowswhere to be to get the ball.”

Right now, the Mavericksmay not have anyone to re-place Crawford’s consistentscoring ability. Peckinpaughenvisions more offensive bal-ance, so McCutcheon doesn’tneed one player to score 25 inorder for the team to reach 50.


Quick shotsCoach: Rick Peckinpaugh

(360-210 in 26th seasonwith McCutcheon; 422-273in 32nd season overall)

2009-10 results: 7-14,lost to Harrison 47-32 insectional opener

Conference: HoosierCrossroads


Sectional opponents:Kokomo, Lafayette Jeff,Logansport (host), Mc-Cutcheon


Scoring: Troy Ashley (11.1)Rebounding: Vince Hun-

sicker (4.2)Assists: Brady Knoy (1.4)Steals: Knoy (0.9)

Last seasonOffensive average: 47.5Defensive average: 55.4As Alantae Crawford

went in 2009-10, so did theMavericks.

The guard led the team inscoring, rebounding and as-sists. He was McCutcheon’sleading scorer in 17 of 21games, and eight times wasthe only Maverick to reachdouble figures.

Troy Ashley, who trans-ferred from Lafayette Jeff inthe second semester of hissophomore year, was not de-clared eligible to compete bythe IHSAA until midseason.

McCutcheon only scoredmore than 60 points twice,but went 5-1 when holdingopponents to 46 or fewerpoints. Having only onesenior meant a lot of play-ing time for sophomoresand juniors, which is onereason the Mavericks feelexperience is a strength thisseason.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.4 JT Yocum G 5-9 Jr.10 Troy Ashley G 5-9 Sr.12 Ian Love F 5-11 Sr.14 Vince Hunsicker F 6-3 Sr.20 Michael Southern G 6-1 So.22 Brady Knoy G 6-2 Sr.24 Clyde Greyer F 6-2 Sr.30 Juan Del Real C 6-4 Jr.32 Austin Price G 5-9 Jr.42 Nathan Acree F 6-1 So.

Knoy Peckinpaugh


Troy Ashley brings the ball upcourt during a practice drill.

Ashley Hunsicker


TWIN LAKES INDIANS

ON GUARDDrake Danford, who led

Twin Lakes in scoring as asophomore, transferred toWest Lafayette.

But two backcourt startersreturn, including BrianMoore,who is one of the Indians’ tall-est players but will play pointguard. He averaged 7.8 pointsper game and is the team’s topreturning 3-point threat.

Sam Johnson flirted with adouble-figure scoring averageas a sophomore and providesanother perimeter threat.

“They both bring a lot ofathleticism for what we have,in terms of both can shoot theball, handle the ball, and havepretty good instincts for bas-ketball,” coach Kent Adamssaid.

Another junior guard, Jor-dan Crabb, moves up from lastseason’s junior varsity role.

FRONT LINESean Gardiner and Taylor

Elizaldeboth startedpart-timeas juniors last season. Theyare two of the Indians’ tallestplayers at 6-foot-3, and theirability to rebound and defendin the post will be crucial.

Adams saidthose two likelyneedtoproduce8-10 reboundsper night com-bined.

“Those aretwo kids whohave the po-tential to be

very, very solid,” Adams said.“They’re more slashers thanthey are strong block players.Both have decent shootingability from outside.”

Garrett Howe is in conten-tion for the fifth starting spot.A fourth senior forward, SeanFite, will come off the bench.

NEWCOMERSFreshman guard Cameron

Bennington could become abig part of the Indians’ back-court rotation from the begin-ning of the season.

“He’s learning on the fly,but he does have the ability tocontribute right away,” Adamssaid.

Three other freshman con-tenders — guard Tyler Red-dington and forwards CodyDeBoy and Levi Pritts — werepart of an eighth grade teamthat went 22-0.

Trevor Graham, a guard,has returned to the programfor his senior season.

OUTLOOKAdams believes in the tal-

ent of his underclassmen, butthere’s no telling how soonthose players will develop intoconsistent varsity contribu-tors.

It will be up to the Indians’five seniors to provide stabilityand leadership, especially ear-ly. With four part-time start-ers and two other seniors backfrom last year’s squad, experi-ence could be a positive.

“We need to play hard,” Ad-ams said. “We need to hustle.We need to have a great setof intangibles and have confi-dence early.”.


Quick shotsCoach: Kent Adams

(168-142 in 15th season withTwin Lakes; 238-247 in 23rdseason overall)

2009-10 results: 9-13,lost toWestern 72-63 (OT)in sectional opener

Conference: HoosierSectional: Class 3A, Sec-


Benton Central, Frankfort(host), Northwestern, WestLafayette, Western


Scoring: Sam Johnson(9.0)

Rebounding: TaylorElizalde (3.9)

Assists: Johnson (1.2)Steals: Brian Moore (1.8)

Last seasonOffensive average: 57.8Defensive average: 58.4It was an inconsistent sea-

son for the Indians, who didnot win back-to-back gamesin the first three months.

Twin Lakes lost eight of10 in a midseason stretchbefore mounting a three-game winning streak againstFrontier, Tri-County andSheridan to end the regularseason.

Sparked by that late-season surge, Twin LakespushedWestern to twoovertimes in its Class 3AFrankfort Sectional opener.But the Panthers ultimatelyprevailed, 72-63.

The Indians’ nine victorieswere three times as many asthey had managed the previ-ous season.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.3 Brian Moore G 6-3 Jr.5 Cody DeBoy F 6-2 Fr.10 Garrett Howe F 6-0 Sr.13 Levi Pritts F 6-0 Fr.20 Sam Johnson G 6-0 Jr.22 Sean Fite F 6-1 Sr.23 Jordan Crabb G 6-1 Jr.24 Trevor Graham G 6-2 Sr.25 Taylor Elizalde F 6-3 Sr.31 Cameron BenningtonG 6-1 Fr.33 Tyler Reddington G 5-11 Fr.40 Sean Gardiner F 6-3 Sr.44 Mac Gardiner F 6-1 So.

Moore S. Gardiner

Photo by Jerry Schultheiss

Sam Johnson brings the ball upcourt during practice.

Johnson Elizalde

Adams


WEST LAFAYETTE RED DEVILS

ON GUARDZach Tudor has spent his

previous high school yearslearning the point guard posi-tion behind Daniel Wodicka.

Nowa senior, Tudor is readyto direct the team after playingin all 25 games as a junior.

“I thought he played greatthe last half of the season forus,” coach Dave Wood said.“We expect a lot out of him asthe leader on the floor for ourteam.”

Sean Busch returns for hissenior season, but an injurywill keep him sidelined untilJanuary.

Meanwhile, Thomas Fisherand Matt Peck will be thrustinto their first long-term varsi-ty experience. Both combinedto play in 17 games last season,but already have impressedteammates.

“Peck is a really good roleplayer,” Tudor said. “He likesto set picks and get offensiverebounds and guard on de-fense.

“Thomas Fisher is a goodspot up shooter. With Seanout, hewill have to step up andscore solid points and get at iton defense.”

FRONT LINEHeight is on WL’s side with

6-foot-4 Ben Thomas, 6-4George Zhang and 6-5 BrianBangs all expected to contrib-ute.

Zhang, who averaged 16points a game last season, is athreat from the inside and out-side, where he shot 48 percentfrom 3-point range last season(57 of 118).

“In George Zhang, we’vegot one of the best scorers inthe area and one of the bestscorers in the history of ourschool,” Wood said. “He’sworked very hard to improvehis overall game these last fouryears.”

NEWCOMERSFormer Twin Lakes guard

Drake Danford has moved toWest Lafayette for his junior

season and pro-vides a scoringthreat oppositeZhang.

“We returnthe bulk of ourteam, and weadd firepowerwith the addi-tion of Drake

Danford,” Zhang said. “It ben-efits me tremendously. Draketakes a load off my shouldersregarding scoring.”

Six-foot-5 sophomore Jus-tus Stanback didn’t play as afreshman, but is an athletic bigman with a long wing span.

“He’s 6-5 with 8-foot-longarms,” Wood said. “His prog-ress will be slow and steady,but I think he’s got a chance tobe a very good player.”

Also with size and muscleis 6-2 Dayton Snyder, a 220-pound forward.

OUTLOOKExpectations are high as key

pieces from last year’s team re-turn.

The Red Devils were notintimidated in a regional titlegame against Gary Wallaceand nationally touted recruitBranden Dawson, but couldn’tovercome the size and athleti-cism in a 19-point loss.

“We came out and despiteall their big players and ath-leticism, we still came out andplayed pretty well,” Tudorsaid. “That’s carried over tothis year and taught us whatwe should strive for.”


Quick shotsCoach: DaveWood (202-

158 in 17th season)2009-10 results: 15-10,

lost to GaryWallace 71-52 inregional championship

Conference:HoosierSectional: Class 3A, Sec-


Benton Central, Frankfort(host), Northwestern, TwinLakes, Western


Scoring:George Zhang(16.1)

Rebounding: Zhang (5.4)Assists: Zach Tudor (1.4)Steals: Tudor (1.0)

Last seasonOffensive average: 52.5Defensive average: 49.2The Red Devils repeated

as sectional champions lastseason, then advanced tothe regional championshipgame for the first time underDaveWood.

A three-game winningstreak to close the regularseason propelledWL to atournament run that washalted by state runner-upGaryWallace.

The Red Devils began lastseason 4-2 despite many keyplayers getting a late startafter winning the Class 3Astate football title.

By ending the year 15-10,West Lafayette achieved awinning season for the sixthstraight season. The RedDevils held opponents under50 points in 18 of their 25games.

RosterNo.Name Pos. Ht. Yr.2 Ben Thomas F 6-4 Jr.3 Drake Danford G 5-11 Jr.5 Sean Busch G 6-3 Jr.10 Brian Bangs F 6-5 So.14 Thomas Fisher G 6-0 Jr.20 Zach Tudor G 5-10 Sr.22 Matt Peck G 6-1 Sr.24 Ben Waters G 6-2 Jr.30 George Zhang F 6-4 Sr.32 Jake Shinn F 6-2 Sr.40 Dayton Snyder F 6-2 Jr.44 Justus Stanback F 6-5 So.

Danford Thomas


George Zhang isWL’s top returning scorer and rebounder.

Wood

Zhang Tudor

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