It could be a special year for boys basketball in Naperville
Change is rarely easy, transitions hardly smooth.
Such is life when you move from one season to the next.
Only a few weeks in, it's tough to put a finger on boys basketball in DuPage County. Some trends seem clear, others won't emerge until well after the holidays.
But while the starting points don't necessarily end at the same finish line, plenty of paths already appear forged.
The most obvious trend thus far is that Neuqua Valley is good. Scary good.
One area coach said this is the best Wildcats team in program history, an experienced and deep group that claimed its first sectional title last season. Another coach took the praise several steps further by saying the Wildcats have the talent to win the Class 4A state title.
As much as Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton would love to have his team lay in the weeds, there's no chance. Not with Derek Raridon, Dwayne Evans and many others breaking out the Wildcats to a 6-0 start.
With two impressive wins already under their belts - against Morton and Bolingbrook - the Wildcats' strong start shows no signs of stopping. A title run at the Elgin holiday tournament later this month would simply cement the case firmer.
Another trend? Naperville Central's Drew Crawford is quickly emerging as the area's top player.
Again, no surprise in that news. But watching his MVP performance at the Fenton Thanksgiving tournament and his inspiring effort against West Aurora last week makes you realize the leap in talent and confidence he's made since last we saw him in a Redhawks uniform.
Committing to Northwestern in the fall, the 6-foot-5 senior has been phenomenal thus far. Not only did he score a game-high 26 points in the DuPage Valley Conference opener against the Blackhawks, he also dominated the hustle stats and threw down an awfully pretty dunk.
If Neuqua Valley's the best area team and Crawford the top area player so far, a big reason why looms large. Both teams have been itching for the season to begin for quite some time.
That's not the case for many other teams, particularly teams from the Suburban Catholic Conference and the West Suburban Silver that anxiously awaited the arrival of their football players.
Playoff football runs by St. Francis, Montini and Driscoll may hamper each team's basketball abilities early in the SCC season, although Class 2A football champion Immaculate Conception appears immune to that theory after starting out 5-2. All-stater Matt Purdom scored 23 points in a win over Timothy Christian only four days after helping the football team win in Champaign.
Glenbard West and Hinsdale Central also could struggle early because of late football arrivals, but once the Hilltoppers' Tyler Warden and Chris Watt and the Red Devils' John Whitelaw fully get their basketball legs, both teams will be on the upswing in the season's second half.
But that, of course, is a long way away.
As much as we've learned thus far, the school year's longest season has only just begun.
kschmit@dailyherald.com