Boys basketball: Lake Co. previews

NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE DIVISION

Lake Zurich

Coach: John Zarr (14th season) Last season: 11-17

Key losses: F Steve Kunz, F Greg Lindholm

Outlook: Parents are always saying that their kids grow so fast. Coaches can often say the same thing. Just one year can make such a difference in the development of a player. Lake Zurich coach John Zarr is confirming that three times over this year. He started three sophomores last year, and says that point guard Connor Mooney and 6-foot-6 forwards Brandon Kunz and Danny Coleman are almost completely different players this year. "I've seen such significant improvement with these guys over the summer," said Zarr, who got between 7 and 9 points per game out of each of the three last year. "They're all bigger, stronger and just better. We're ready to compete in our league now." Last year's youth movement meant some growing pains for the Bears. They won just one game (1-11) in the North Suburban Conference Lake Division. "The ironic thing about that is that if you take a look at our scores, we were very close to winning a lot of those games. We had a lot of 2-point and 3-point losses last year," Zarr said. "We were right there day in and day out, even playing sophomores. But we had a tough time closing out games, and I think that's where that leadership and experience comes in. Now we have that leadership and experience." ... Zarr says that with the speedy Mooney leading the way, his team will push the ball up the floor. But the halfcourt game should be a strength as well. Mooney is a strong outside shooter, as are Coleman and Kunz -- even at their size. The two bookends can also go inside and are two of just a handful of big players for the Bears. The Bears also boast 6-foot-4 forward Andy Garlisch and 6-foot-4 forward Brandon Baum. "We're a big team, but all of those guys are really good athletes," Zarr said. "Andy is probably the best athlete on our team and Brandon is a really good scorer and shooter. We've got a lot of talent on this team. We should be pretty competitive this season."

Libertyville

Coach: Scott Bogumil (4th season) Last season: 13-14

Key losses: F Matt Gavigan (St. Ambrose, volleyball), F Ryan Jennings

Outlook: Last season was an unusual one at Libertyville. "The kids on the team now have won every year and at every level except last season," Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil said. "They're not used to that."...The Wildcats should have plenty of weapons to get back on pace. Top 3-point shooter Joey Aiello returns after averaging about 9 points last season. "Joey is a great catch-and-shoot guy and can come off screens," Bogumil said. "He's also worked on putting the ball on the floor more aggressively and going to the hole. I look for him to have a big year, and it's going to help him that we have probably the deepest team we've had since I've been here." ... Bogumil says defenses frequently keyed on Aiello last year and probably can't afford to this season because of all the other solid options that will be on the floor. Also back is a much-improved Jeremy Letchford. The 6-foot-6 center played an extensive AAU schedule over the off-season and has really seen the benefits. "Jeremy missed about half of our games last season because he had a lot of things going on in his family and he also had mono," Bogumil said. "We were thinking he was going to have a great year last year, but he just wasn't around to play that much. This year should be a big year for him." ... Letchford and 6-foot-6 forwards Greg Vente and Corey Lawrence, 6-foot-5 forward Myles Burton and 6-foot-4 forwards Julian Hill and Nik Ebert should give Libertyville all kinds of options inside. "We're going to pound the ball inside in the halfcourt," Bogumil said. "And defensively, we should be able to create some havoc because we are so long and tall." ... Joining Aiello on the perimeter will be Spencer Aull, Erik Jensen and Josh Trees, who started the second half of last season as a sophomore. "Josh will be solid every night," Bogumil said. "He does a nice job of going to the basket."

Mundelein

Coach: Dick Knar (4th season) Last season: 22-9

Key losses: F Raffi Mantilla (Yale), G Chris Millner, G Pat Barron (Cardinal Stritch)

Outlook: In winning 22 games last season, Mundelein increased its win total by 15 games from just the year before. The Mustangs also won a regional title last season. But they aren't satisfied. "The kids really believe in what we're doing now," said Mundelein coach Dick Knar, who got just four wins in his first season two years ago. "The idea now is that we want to go further than ever. We've preached since the day I came that these first groups were going to develop a legacy for this program and this is the direction we want to go. We had high expectations last year and we have high expectations again this year." ... Knar loses three of his top four scorers, but was impressed with his team over the summer. The Mustangs, led by Navjot Singh, an athletic forward who averaged 12.7 points per game last season, placed second at the Indiana University camp and advanced to the Final Four of the University of Illinois camp ... Also back is veteran point guard Andy Rochon. He scored about 8 points per game last year. He'll get some help in the backcourt from fellow returnees Eric Pagsanjan and Kevin Blackowicz and rookie Kevin Barber, who led the sophomore team to a 19-4 record last year. "We won't be very big, but we're going to be fast again," Knar said. "Just as fast as last year. We've got a bunch of athletic kids who can run, push the ball and pressure it. We'll be the same up-tempo team that we always are." ... Transfer guard Ben Brust, who followed former standout Raffi Mantilla to Mundelein from Hersey, should fit right in. Knar says that the sophomore is a very good athlete who gets up and down the floor well. "He's also a very good shooter," Knar said of Brust. "And he can be very creative on the basketball court." ... Inside, the Mustangs will look to veteran forward Anthony Gianaras and newcomers Aaron Metzger and Phillip (P.J.) Bregenzer.

Stevenson

Coach: Pat Amborse (9th season) Last season: 27-7

Key losses: G Jong Lee, G John Taylor (St. Norbert), F Jacob Weiner

Outlook: The Patriots are anxious to build off of their dream season of a year ago, which yielded a trip downstate and a fourth place finish. "It's been a really pleasurable off-season," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. "The kids are excited and confident. The experience they went through last year seems to lend itself to increased confidence and higher expectations. We don't want to be looking back at last year constantly, but as a history teacher, I know that you can really learn a lot from the past." ... A few of the Patriots' key players from the past are back, including gritty guard Kevin Stineman. He has already agreed to continue his career next year at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, which will be going Division I his freshman year. Stineman averaged about 10 points per game last year, as did senior forward Dylan Richter, a strong inside/outside threat whose hops make him explosive. Mike Goldstein is also back at guard, a position that is stacked with talent. "We have a lot of really good guards who can handle the ball and run the offense," said Ambrose, who's also been impressed with sophomore guard Jeff Levitt and senior guard Todd Siegel. "There will be times out there when we could almost have three point guards on the floor." ... The Patriots could also go heavy on the bigs. Besides the 6-foot-3 Richter, Stevenson boasts size in 6-foot-5 center Dan Rebnord, 6-foot-6 forward Henry Wood, 6-foot-4 Jeff Arenson and 6-foot-5 forward Grant Johnson. "We should be able to get on the glass pretty well with our big guys and take care of the ball with all of our guards," Ambrose said. "We have a lot of guards and we have a lot of bigs. Besides Dylan, we don't really have a lot of those mid-range, swing players. That's why he's going to be a linchpin for us this season."

Warren

Coach: Chuck Ramsey (15th season) Last season: 26-4

Key losses: G Ceola Clark (Western Illinois), G Logan Derrick (Carthage), C Julian Jones (CLC), F Shannon Adams, G/F Jason Moss

Outlook: This is why Warren is the most prominent program in Lake County. Even in what would largely be considered a rebuilding year, the Blue Devils have a big-time Division I recruit on their roster. Guard Brandon Paul verbally committed to Illinois after wowing college coaches during AAU tournaments over the off-season. And he's just a junior who came off the bench last year. "Brandon worked really hard at his game and he had a great July playing," Ramsey said. "He got a lot of exposure and I think coaches liked his athleticism. He's got a lot of upside." ... Paul will try to keep a re-tooled Warren team on pace after last year's North Suburban Conference and sectional championship season. "We're kind of starting all over this season," said Warren coach Chuck Ramsey, who retired last spring from his teaching duties, but wanted to keep coaching. "Over the past three years, we had seven guys who were the nucleus of the program. We lost some of them two years ago. And now, all of them are gone. We're going to be a new team with a lot of new kids. We could have a lot of kids in the mix. At this point, we're not really sure what (the final product) is going to look like."...One throwback to last year will be gritty forward Tayler Erbach, a football player who is strong inside. By the end of last season, he had earned a starting spot and wound up averaging about 5 points per game. He's the Blue Devils' leading returning scorer. Forwards Scott Geske and Kegan McDaniel and guard Jason Warneke were also on the varsity roster last year but saw little playing time. Ramsey says that all three should figure much more prominently into the mix. Meanwhile, transfer guard Eric Williams and junior guard David Duncan will give a fresh new look to the perimeter, while newcomers James Poliquin, Jeff Kemp and Jake Anderson should give Warren some size up front. Poliquin is a 6-foot-4 football player, Kemp is also 6-foot-4 and Anderson is 6-foot-3. "It'll be nice," Ramsey said. "We haven't had a lot of beef like that in a while."

NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE

Antioch

Coach: Michael Skinner (1st season) Last season: 6-22

Key losses: G Trevor Popp, G Jeff Lorenzen, G Brett McKenzie

Outlook: It's been a year of change at Antioch, which entered new eras in two of its biggest sports. The Sequoits not only got a new football coach, they also shifted gears with the basketball program and put out the welcome mat for Michael Skinner. He's a former collegiate and professional player who has made a career out of coaching and training AAU and park district basketball teams. He takes over the basketball team for Tom Duffy, who resigned after four seasons. "I'm really happy with how everything has been going so far," said Skinner, who has also coached at the high school level. His most recent school job was as an assistant at Mundelein. "The kids are eager to learn and they are very receptive," Skinner said. "We've still got a long way to go, but we've made a lot of strides already." ... Skinner says that he's been particularly impressed with guard Lamarr Pottinger, who has taken on a strong leadership role. Besides him, only guard Austin Grimm and forward Kyle Kreutzer return from last year's varsity team. "We've got two kids (forwards Mike Powell and Alec Paramski) in our starting lineup who didn't play basketball at all last year," Skinner said. "We've also got four sophomores and a freshman on the team. We've just got a lot of new kids. We'll probably have some hard times, but it won't be for lack of effort. Our guys are going to be in great condition and they're going to play hard." ... The Sequoits will also play fast. Skinner likes a run-and-gun style that mixes in a full-court pressing defense. "We're going to try to score 80 points per game," Skinner said. "And we're going to press the entire time. Teams will have to be in shape to play us."

Grant

Coach: Phil Ralston (8th season) Last season: 15-12

Key losses: F Jacob Sparrowgrove, G Zak Jolly, G Austin Weber (transferred)

Outlook: Even though injuries have already dogged them, the Bulldogs are well ahead of pace. "We've had quite a few minor injuries so far and that's been frustrating, but we're still so much further along as a team than we were at this point last season," Grant coach Phil Ralston said. "This group is really confident in themselves and each other and in their roles. And they play well together. They work off each other well."...It helps that Grant returns four starters. Leading the way will be senior point guard Mike Shields, who returns for his third year on the varsity. He led the Bulldogs with about 16 points per game last season. A dangerous slasher, he's also improved on his passing and shooting touch and should complement senior guard Curtis Oler well. Oler, a smooth outside shooter, averaged nearly 9 points per game last season...The Bulldogs will miss guard Austin Weber, who moved to Northbrook over the summer. But they received their own transfer in freshman guard Vic Muntu, a native of the Congo who has been in the United States less than five years. "He can handle the ball and help Mike at the point," Ralston said of Muntu. "And even though he's a young player, he doesn't back down from our best guys. He's kind of fearless. He's going to be able to do a lot for us."...Inside, the Bulldogs will lean on 6-foot-5 forward Marc Grischeau, who averaged about 8.5 points per game, and 6-foot-3 junior Gilbert Sheehan. "Marc is one of the strongest kids in the (North Suburban Conference)," Ralston said. "And Gilbert can hold his own against Marc. That's saying a lot. We'll want to get the ball to those guys in the post."

Lakes

Coach: Brian Phelan (3rd season) Last season: 16-12

Key losses: G Sean Hertz (Winona State, football), F Chuck Kempf, G Marcus Williams (concentrating on football)

Outlook: It's a new era at Lakes. Ever since the school opened three years ago, the basketball team has been centered around Sean Hertz and Chuck Kempf, two of the area's better players. They averaged about 18 and 15 points respectively in leading the Eagles to the Prairie Division title last season. Now that Hertz and Kempf have graduated, the Eagles will need to figure out how to get along without them. Head coach Brian Phelan knows where to start. Senior forward Kevin Guirand averaged close to a double-double last year with 10 points and 8 rebounds per game. Clearly, Guirand, who started as a sophomore, will be a focus, but Phelan says the team will operate slightly differently than in the past. "The ball will be in Kevin's hands a lot and we're going to let him work in the post and take the ball outside a little bit, too," Phelan said. "But we want to get everyone involved this year and not just rely on one or two guys. It's going to be a lot more sharing the ball and scoring by committee this year."...Lakes returns guards Kevin Rice and Dan Kalb and welcomes in junior guards Justin Hotle, Mike Scott and Chris Boehm _ all of whom can run the floor well. "We're going to rev it up," Phelan said. "We're going to trap, full-court press and play really aggressive defense. We're going to focus a lot on defense and rebounding. It'll be a lot different than the last few years."

Round Lake

Coach: Jeremy Fisher (2nd season) Last season: 9-19

Key losses: F Jaquan Glover (CLC), F Eric Watts, G Joey Diaz

Outlook: Head coach Jeremy Fisher took over the program fairly late in the game last year and had little time to prepare for the season. Not so this year, and he feels that extra time is going to show. "We are definitely more prepared this season," Fisher said. "We got a lot of lifting and conditioning in that we didn't have the chance to do last year. This year was a lot better." ... The Panthers will also look a lot different this year. Forward Jaquan Glover was the team's go-to guy last season, averaging about 16 points per game. He was to play at the College of Lake County this season, but is sitting out to rehab a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Glover was one of the best athletes in the area and even advanced downstate in the dunk contest. "We were so blessed to have a player like Jaquan," Fisher said. "But I don't know that we have a go-to guy like him this year. We're going to have to be more team-oriented in the way we do things." ... It's entirely possible that guard Jerome Brown could develop into a go-to guy for Round Lake. He averaged 10 points per game last year and is extremely athletic. Fisher says he's also expecting big things out of forward Mike Mpokota, guard Eric Green and guard Javier Martinez, a point guard last year who will move to an off guard so that he can take advantage of his reliable shot more ... New to the team this year are sharp-shooting guards John Martinez and Jeff Nicoline, the youngest of many Nicolines to go through the Round Lake athletic department. "We're not going to have that superstar that's going to put up a ton of points," Fisher said. "We're just going to have to focus on playing tough defense and getting every single player to do his job."

Vernon Hills

Coach: Matt McCarty (5th season) Last season: 9-17

Key losses: G/F Tommy Bahnick, G Kevin Hencier, G Andrew Catanzaro

Outlook: The same freshman who wowed crowds at Vernon Hills football games this fall will likely do the same at basketball games. Freshman guard DaVaris Daniels, a wideout for the football team, is set to make yet another varsity debut. "He's been so impressive," said Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty, sounding a lot like football coach Tony Monken. "He's going to be a starter right away. He's just a superior athlete and his body control and athleticism are just phenomenal. He's amazing. My assistant coach (Charlie Pearl) calls DaVaris a thoroughbred, and he really is. He's got this natural ability that's just a notch above." ... McCarty says that Daniels can play the point, can slash to the basket and can shoot 3-pointers. Oh yeah, and he can jump out of the gym...Daniels should be a good complement to 6-foot-4 forward/center Kenny Rideout, the top player from last year's team. Rideout was already a threat in the paint and has put on a lot of muscle since last year. "You'll notice a big difference in Kenny," McCarty said. "He's a lot stronger and I think he's a lot more confident inside because of that." ... Rideout averaged a team-high 14 points and 6 rebounds per game last year, but he was the only non-senior to see significant minutes. The Cougars graduated 11 seniors from last year's team. "We're going to be quite a bit younger," McCarty said. "But I think we're also going to be more athletic and skilled." ... The Cougars' starting point guard will look familiar, though. Back is Jeff Epner, a former reserve who has made big improvements. He is just 5-foot-7 but can handle the ball well ... McCarty is also looking for big things out of forward Chris Weaver and guards Chris Morgan, Riaz Hoveydai and Keith Kamman. "We want to try to get the ball inside and play better defense this year," McCarty said. "If we can do that, I think we'll be in a good position."

Wauconda

Coach: Rich Wolf (8th year) Last season: 11-16

Key losses: G Steve Bilisko (Elgin Community College), G Mike Sheffield

Outlook: The Bulldogs not only have new uniforms to show off, they've got a brand new gym, too. Wauconda will be christening a new, state-of-the-art fieldhouse this winter...with an old goal in mind. The Bulldogs are gunning for their fourth straight double-digit win season. "That means a lot to us," Wauconda coach Rich Wolf said. "And I think it's very attainable for this group. We had our best summer ever this past summer." The Bulldogs finished in the top eight of the 30-team Crystal Lake Shootout and advanced to the Final Four of a 16-team tournament at Prairie Ridge ... Junior guard Connor Dimick, who was promoted from the sophomore team last year, returns as Wauconda's leading scorer at 6 point per game. He'll be counted on to replace the 17 points per game that graduated guard Steve Bilisko scored. But, then again, so will many others -- like guards Scott Wahl, Louie Enriquez and forwards Keith Palmer and Eric Grozavescu. "In years past, we had a couple of kids who stood head and shoulders above the rest," Wolf said. "This year, the team is pretty evenly matched. We have nine to 10 kids who are almost interchangeable. They should all be getting significant time and making significant contributions." ... The Bulldogs will also likely get a boost from the athletic and gritty Brad Wisniewski, a star football player who decided to go back out for basketball this year ... The frontline is banged up now, but could also be solid. Forwards Davis Mills and Bryce Larman are coming off ankle injuries and 6-foot-6 center Josh Mangioni will be rehabbing a fractured foot until December. "We're going to establish our inside game," Wolf said. "But we also have some nice spot-up shooters, so we'll also be able to kick it back outside and feel good about that."

FOX VALLEY FOX

Grayslake Central

Coach: Tim Bowen (8th season) Last season: 9-19

Key losses: F Mauricio Galarza

Outlook: The Rams are young, but not as young as last season, when they started two sophomores and a freshman. The growing pains that young players like sophomore Andrew Sipes and juniors Alex Anderson and Mike Brum experienced while learning the ropes of varsity basketball last year have subsided considerably and hopes are high for a breakout season. As it was, the Rams got a team-leading 14 points per game out of Anderson and about 10 points per game from both Brumm and Sipes. All three have returned stronger and more confident in themselves. "We've talked a lot about how we took our lumps last season but that we're really hoping that it pays off now," said Grayslake Central coach Tim Bowen, whose team had trouble closing out tight games last year. The Rams lost 7 games -- including three in overtime -- by less than five points. "Our guys have gotten a lot tougher. Last year, they had to figure out what varsity basketball was all about. They had to spend the off-season getting stronger. They've done all that. We are going to expect a lot of things this year." ... Bowen got a preview of what could be in store this summer. The Rams, who lost only one player from last year's team to graduation, went 48-14 over the summer and beat some of the top teams in the area ... Also back is 6-foot-4 center Pete Toth, 6-foot-3 forward Jared Zygmunt and guard Mike Davis ... Bowen is interested to see how some of his new additions fit into the mix. He says that junior forward Kevin O'Rourke, the quarterback of the football team, and sophomore forward Josh Rapport both have the potential to put some points on the board.

Grayslake North

Coach: Todd Grunloh (2nd season) Last season: 1-26

Key losses: G Jordan Field (concentrating on baseball)

Outlook: What a difference a year makes. Last year, Grayslake North was a brand new school with no seniors on campus. That translated to a one-win season for the Knights. But here's the payoff: this year, head coach Todd Grunloh returns all of his starters and almost all of his key players. Only Jordan Field, who started about half of the team's games, isn't back in the mix. He will concentrate on preparing for baseball season this winter. He shared his starting spot with 6-foot-3 guard Rollin Idlas. "Our starting five and our first few guys off the bench are exactly the same as last year," Grunloh said. "That's really going to help us. We're more experienced this year. We're faster, stronger, better prepared and more confident. And we had a pretty good summer. We are really looking forward to this year." ... Senior forward Clay Henricksen was the team's go-to guy last year. He averaged 13 points, 7 rebounds and about 3 assists per game and had flashes of brilliance in which he scored between 25 and 30 points in several games. "Clay has a few colleges looking at him," Grunloh said. "He's got a great shot and he's really well-rounded." ... Also returning to the Knights' starting lineup is point guard Xeryus Ivory, 6-foot-5 senior center Tony Herman and senior forward Noel Delamar ... Pushing for playing time will be returning guard Tim Elias and Henricksen's younger brother Grant, a guard who put up big numbers for a sophomore team that won about nine games last year. He averaged about 14 points but put up 20 points over the last six games of the season. "Grant was probably the most improved player in our program last year," Grunloh said. "He's going to add a lot." ... Another strong addition will be junior guard Jamel Glover, a transfer from Round Lake. He is the younger brother of Jaquan Glover, an all-area player from Round Lake last season. "We're a lot deeper this season," said Grunloh, whose team is determined to cut down on the nearly 20 turnovers it averaged per game last year. "We have a lot of guys competing for time."

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Carmel

Coach: Jon Baffico (4th season) Last season: 8-21

Key losses: G Sean Kane (Brown)

Outlook: Talk about a nice surprise. Just as preseason practice was getting underway, Carmel coach Jon Baffico was greeted with the news that one of the "new" players on his team wouldn't be so new after all. Guard Jordan Sivertsen told Baffico that he would be returning to the team. Sivertsen took a break last year to concentrate on baseball. Now that he's verbally committed to Southern Illinois for baseball, he says that he's ready to add some variety back into his sports diet. "Jordan wanted to do everything he could to make himself marketable for baseball and I could understand that," Baffico said. "Now that he's got the weight of his college decision off his shoulders, he wanted to come back and we're happy to have him. He's by far one of the best athletes in the senior class and he's a very good basketball player. He will help us a lot out on the perimeter."...The Corsairs will be in good shape there. Another elite athlete, David Venegoni, the quarterback of the football team, is also a guard and started last year. Guards Cory Garcia, Tim Sachs, Doug Rogers and Ryan Kloss should also see plenty of time as well ... Inside, Carmel will again look to Jack Baucus, a 6-foot-6 junior who was brought up to the varsity as a sophomore part way through the season. "Jack is a big kid and he can score inside and that gives us a nice core with David and Jordan and Tim," Baffico said. "He just didn't get to really play much over the summer because his knee was bothering him." In fact, the Corsairs didn't have a lot of their key guys playing together over the summer. Sivertsen had yet to come back into the mix and Venegoni and Sachs were out periodically for various reasons. "Actually, I'm pretty sure there was not even one game in which all those guys played together," Baffico said. "It'll be interesting when we get everybody on the court together. We're going to be strong on defense, so if we can score about 45 points per game, I think we'll have a great chance in every game."