Scouting Grant boys basketball

GRANT

Coach: Wayne Bosworth, 3rd season

2009-2010 record: 9-17, 6-6 Prairie

2009-2010 IHSA tournament results: Lost to Schaumburg in regional play-in, 54-33.

Key players lost: G Tom Bronken, F Jeremy Wiker

Key players returning: G Shane Richardson, sr., G Jerry Gaylor, jr.

Top newcomers: G Sean Wells, jr., F Jared Helmich, jr., F Ilya Kadushin, jr.

Outlook: Right off the bat, Grant had to deal with a buzzkill. Just weeks before the start of the season, senior guard Shane Richardson, the Bulldogs' top scorer, rebounder and playmaker from last year, went down in a pick-up game in open gym. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and has since undergone surgery. Although he is rehabbing nicely and already jogging, Richardson may be out for the entire season. Good thing the Bulldogs might boast one of their deepest teams in years. Head coach Wayne Bosworth says he faces a dilemma any coach would welcome: far more talent than starting spots. “I haven't picked a starting five yet,” Bosworth said with about a week before the start of the season. “We've probably got three clear-cut starters, but after that, you could throw a coin in the air to decide, and that's a nice problem to have. With Shane going down, that's going to leave a hole for us. We wish that he wasn't hurt and we feel for the kid that something like this happened before his senior year. But we have a lot of guys who should be able to step in there and in other spots. We have some depth this year that we haven't always had.”

The Bulldogs also have some newfound speed. In the past, Bosworth has been known to rely on a patient, half-court offense that would work and work to break down a defense. This year, the Bulldogs are doing a 180-degree turn. “We have completely changed our style,” Bosworth said. “We're going to be trying to get up and down the floor as much as possible because our personnel is really suited for that. We have some speed and we are very athletic. I'm super excited about it and our practices have been really great because the guys are having a lot of fun with it.”…Junior guards Sean Wells and Jerry Gaylor are quick to the basket and junior forward Jared Helmich can bang in the post put can also get up and down the floor quickly.