Boys basketball: Lake County all-area team
Ryan Barth Libertyville
You'd hardly know by his numbers that Barth suffered through one of his toughest seasons ever as a basketball player. The senior guard averaged 17 points, 4 assists and 1 steal per game. Not bad, considering he missed 6 weeks and 8 games of the season because of an MCL injury to his knee. “He is an exciting player who is very good in the open floor,” Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil said. “After returning from injury, Ryan still put up big numbers but was not able to play as consistently (as usual) due to the effects of the injury.” Prior to his injury, Barth was averaging 23 points per game and was named all-tournament at the Fenton Thanksgiving tournament. He scored 29 points in Libertyville's season-opener against Naperville Central. After his injury, his best game came against North Suburban Conference champion Warren. He scored 28 points in a 1-point loss.
Nathan Boothe Warren
Booth made big strides this season, often playing as big as his big 6-foot-8 frame. “He's made a lot of improvements this season,” Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said of his junior center. “The best basketball he's played is when he is extremely active. He's going after rebounds aggressively, he's looking to score and he's passing well. When Nathan gets really involved and active in our offense, he's tough to stop.” Boothe had one of his best stretches of the season at the Galesburg tournament over the Martin Luther King Day weekend. He earned all-tournament honors for his play on both ends of the floor. On the season, Boothe was Warren's No. 2 scorer with a 9.5-point average. He hit 54 percent of his shots. He also pulled down 5 rebounds and blocked 43 shots.
Juddon Carter Round Lake
With a 37-point game, a couple of 27-point games and others in the mid- to high-20s, Carter easily reached a career milestone this season. He scored his 1,000th career point to become one of Round Lake's all-time leading scorers. And Carter, who is just a junior, has one more season to add to his legacy. “Juddon should be one of the top players in Lake County next season,” Round Lake coach Jim Roberts said. “He keeps developing as a player. If he continues to work hard and improve, he will have a chance to be a Division II or Division I player.” Carter, a three-year varsity starter, scored in double-figures in 21 of 26 games. He averaged 17 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal per game. He also drained 80 3-pointers and shot 78 percent from the free throw line.
DaVaris Daniels Vernon Hills
If college football doesn't work out, Daniels could probably find quite a few college basketball coaches who would welcome him with open arms. Daniels, a wide receiver who signed on to play football at the University of Notre Dame, proved to be one of the elite players in Lake County once again. A special mention all-state selection last year as a junior, Daniels capped off his career by leading the Cougars to a share of the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division championship. He posted 29 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals against North Chicago in the game that clinched the co-championship. On the season, the senior guard/forward, who has been a starter for four years, averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game. “DaVaris is a once in a lifetime athlete to coach when you consider his abilities, work ethic and attitude,” Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. “His attitude has always been team first. Rarely do you see the complete package but we have had it with DaVaris in both football and basketball.”
Mike Fleming Stevenson
Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose says Fleming isn't your typical, old-school point guard. That's because Fleming does more than “point” the way for his teammates. He also does more than handle the ball. Fleming led the Patriots' in scoring as well. “Mike's got that shooter's mindset,” Ambrose said. “He's not afraid to take the big shot. He's a scorer and he led us in scoring even though a lot of teams keyed on him. But he also filled a lot of other roles for us, too. He was a playmaker and he was our ball-handler.” Fleming led Stevenson in scoring, averaging 12.3 points per game. The junior also averaged 2.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. He was the Patriots' leading three-point shooter as well.
Mirko Grcic Lake Zurich
Grcic set the bar high for next year by scoring 22 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in Lake Zurich's season finale against Lake Forest. Not that he was able to appreciate that silver lining in the wake of the loss. “Despite a great individual performance, Mirko was devastated after the loss,” Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. “That shows what a competitor he is and how much he cares.” On the season, Grcic, a junior forward, averaged a team-leading 14.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He also hit 48 percent of his shots and 78 percent of his free throws. In four games against two of the best teams in the North Suburban Conference Lake Division, Mundelein and Zion-Benton, Grcic posted three double-doubles. “Mirko played the 3 and 4 spot and scored by posting up, on drives and in transition, and he made 13 3-pointers,” Pitcher said. “Because of his size and strength, if Mirko can work on his shooting and ball-handling, I believe he has the potential to play the 3-spot at the Division I level.”
Jared Helmich Grant
Whenever one of his teammates shot the ball, Helmich hoped that it would go in, but never assumed that it would. He was always ready for an offensive rebound, and he got a lot of them. That was Helmich's specialty this season: cleaning the glass and scoring on putbacks. The junior forward averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds per game and posted 9 double-doubles. “Jared has a natural ability around the basket to score and track down rebounds,” Grant coach Wayne Bosworth said. “He's only 6-foot-2, but was one of Lake County's best rebounders.” Helmich also averaged 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks and only 1 turnover per game. “Any coach would be extremely lucky to have a team filled with Jared Helmichs, and not just because of his skills and abilities,” Bosworth said. “He's one of the best kids you'll find. He is super respectful to everyone he meets and is a great kid to be around.”
Tim Hendricks Carmel
Hendricks was Carmel's jack-of-all-trades this season. “He was 100 percent a go-getter who never took a break, even in practice,” Carmel coach Tim Bowen said. “Tim did a lot for us. He was our point guard, so he directed our team and he also handled a lot of the pressure that people put on us defensively, all by himself. He got the ball down the floor well. He was also our best perimeter shooter and scorer, so the other teams would often guard him with their best players. Then, when we were on defense, Tim would guard the other team's best perimeter player. It was a lot to do, but Tim handled all of it really well. If we didn't have Tim, it would have been a very rough season for us.” On the season, Hendricks averaged 11 points, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.3 rebounds per game. He also canned a team-leading 43 3-pointers.
Jeremiah Jackson Warren
A transfer from Simeon before his junior season, Jackson wasted no time finding a role at Warren. The senior forward, who also started last year, made rebounding his forte and scored dozens of points on putbacks. “Jeremiah rebounds the ball very well and he's so aggressive around the basket,” Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. “He can also shoot the ball very well. He's played his best ball at the end of the season for us.” Jackson, who posted double-doubles in Warren's final two regular season games, averaged 9 points per game and hit 55 percent of his shots. He was the team's second-best rebounder, hauling down 6.3 rebounds per game. “Jeremiah is also a leader for us,” Ramsey said. “He plays hard and smart and I think he'll do very well playing at the next level.”
Robert Knar Mundelein
When Mundelein coach Dick Knar would get a tap on the shoulder at 6 a.m. this winter, it was almost always for the same reason. “Robert would want me to go shoot with him at the gym,” Knar said of his youngest son, a sophomore guard for the Mustangs. “He might have felt bad about the way he shot in our game the night before. He'd want to go work on his shot. Robert is the type of player who is never satisfied and is always working.” Knar's numbers on the season were certainly more than satisfactory. He led the Mustangs in scoring with 20 points per game, scoring more than 20 points 16 times on the season. He also scored a career-high 33 points and scored in double figures in all but two games. Knar was dangerous driving to the basket, and averaged nearly 6 assists per game dishing off to teammates. But he did the most damage from 3-point range. He hit 85 3-pointers on the season, connecting on a whopping 52 percent of his attempts. Knar, who scored his 1,000th career point this season, has already been offered two college scholarships and is being contacted regularly by many major Division I programs.
Teddy Ludwick Grayslake North
Always a sharp-shooter, Ludwick turned his attention to defense and made himself a complete player this season. “He deserves tremendous credit for making himself into the player he has become,” Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh said. “He is really an underrated defensive player. He led our team in steals.” Ludwick also led the Knights in scoring and three-point shooting. The senior guard, who will play at Northern Michigan next year, averaged 18.1 points and hit 47 three-pointers to finish his career as the school's all-time leading scorer. “He has always had the ability to shoot,” Grunloh said. “But it was his ability to get to the basket this year that has made him so dangerous. Opposing teams always put their best defender on Teddy and he has such a strong sense of how he is being guarded that his game adjusts from one possession to the next, which is not an easy thing for high school basketball players to do.”
Darius Paul Warren
The younger brother of Brandon Paul, the most decorated player in Warren history, Paul is certainly making a name for himself within the program. The junior forward, a two-year starter, led the Blue Devils in both scoring and rebounding this season. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.5 rebounds. He also dished out 70 assists and blocked 42 shots. “Darius is a player with tremendous upside and potential for the next level because he is so versatile,” Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. “He can pass. He's an excellent rebounder and he can score inside or out. He's a long player who is really able to use that length to his advantage. He got off to a really good start this season. He played well in our Thanksgiving tournament and he's been playing really well like that ever since.”
Ryan Sawvell Mundelein
Sawvell was double- and triple-teamed all season and it hardly seemed to matter. The 6-foot-8 center still managed to put up some of the best numbers in Mundelein history. He averaged 19 points per game, all while hitting a whopping 63 percent of his shots. If that weren't enough, he also pulled down 11.3 rebounds per game to average a double-double. “The thing that's so great about Ryan is that he doesn't even care about the statistics,” Mundelein coach Dick Knar said. “He came up to me before the season began and told me that he didn't care how many points he scored, he just wanted us to win. I told him, ‘Ryan, you've got to score a lot of points for us, otherwise we won't win.' He's been able to be that scorer for us even though defenses are all over him. He's athletic enough and he can jump high enough and he's fast enough to get around all that defense and still get good shots.” Sawvell scored in double-figures in every game for Mundelein, and scored more than 20 points 14 times. Sawvell, who will be playing at Division I Evansville next year, also delivered 2.4 blocks per game.
CJ Stempeck Grayslake Central
A case of mono sidelined Stempeck for the final five games of the season. But, when healthy, it was Stempeck who often left opponents feeling sick to their stomachs at the thought of defending him. The 6-foot-8 senior center was a tough matchup. “He did a lot inside for us, obviously. He could be a force in there,” Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe said. “But probably the best thing about CJ was that he could also step out and knock down those 15-foot jumpers. That helped us with our offense and it prevented defenses from sagging inside on us.” Stempeck averaged 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1 block per game. Approximately a third of his rebounds were on the offensive end. Stempeck, who scored a season-high 21 points against Johnsburg, also hit 51 percent of his shots. An accomplished football player, Stempeck will play football next year at Colgate.
Jordan Taylor Grayslake Central
It's a good thing Taylor was in good shape. Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe rarely wanted to take his valuable junior point guard off the floor. “Over Christmas we were at the State Farm Classic and we played four games in three days,” Moe said. “I bet Jordan spent maybe four to five minutes on the bench total. We needed him on the floor. He handles the ball for us, he's one of our top scorers and he's also such a great defender. He's guarded all of our opponents' top perimeter players this year and has played lock-down defense.” Taylor produced 13.4 points and 3 assists per game. He also scored in double-figures in all but six of Grayslake Central's games and played best against the toughest opponents. Taylor scored a season-high 27 points against Crystal Lake Central, 26 points against Mundelein and 22 points against Glenbard East and North Chicago.
All-Area roster
Player School Yr. Pos.
Ryan Barth Libertyville Sr. G
Nathan Boothe Warren Jr. C
Juddon Carter Round Lake Jr. G
DaVaris Daniels Vernon Hills Sr. G
Mike Fleming Stevenson Jr. G
Mirko Grcic Lake Zurich Jr. F
Jared Helmich Grant Jr. F
Tim Hendricks Carmel Catholic Sr. G
Jeremiah Jackson Warren Sr. F
Robert Knar Mundelein So. G
Teddy Ludwick Grayslake North Sr. G
Darius Paul Warren Jr. F
*Ryan Sawvell Mundelein Sr. C
C.J. Stempeck Grayslake Central Sr. C/F
Jordan Taylor Grayslake Central Jr. G
*all-area captain
Honorable mention
Tim Abbott (Grayslake Central, Sr., F), Chris Argianas (Vernon Hills, Sr., G), Parker Blain (Lakes, Sr., F), Tanner Blain (Lakes, Jr., G), Casey Boyle (Grayslake Central, Jr., C), Ryan Chapman (Stevenson, Sr., G), Brandon Ferguson (Warren, Sr., G), A.J. Fish (Grayslake North, So., G), JoVaughn Gaines (Warren, Jr., G), Jerry Gaylor (Grant, Jr., F), Leavon Head (Mundelein, Sr., G), Nick Lange (Round Lake, Sr., F), Brandon Motzel (Carmel Catholic, Jr., F), Drake Orser (Lake Zurich, Sr., C), Kyle Ryan (Wauconda, Jr., G), David Sparks (Grayslake North, Sr., C)
Captains honor roll
2001 — Joe Baumann (Carmel)
2002 — Matt Glees (Vernon Hills)
2003 — Andrew Wynne (Grant) and Austin Yarc (Libertyville)
2004 — Matt Corning (Mundelein)
2005 — Mike Kolze (Lake Zurich)
2006 — Ceola Clark (Warren) and Marcus Lewis (Warren)
2007 — Ceola Clark (Warren)
2008 — Dylan Richter (Stevenson)
2009 — Brandon Paul (Warren)
2010 — Ben Brust (Mundelein)
2011 — Ryan Sawvell (Mundelein)