Answering questions about Neuqua Valley
Daily Herald sports writer Kevin Schmit has covered Naperville Central's boys basketball team all season. Fellow sports writer Dave Oberhelman has done likewise with Neuqua Valley's team. Heading into Friday night's showdown between the cross-town rivals in the Class 4A Oswego East sectional final, they have some questions for each other about their team of expertise.
Q. Hey, Dave, is this year's Neuqua Valley team as good as last year's model?
A. Wildcats coach Todd Sutton uses IHSA playoff advancement as the standard. On that basis no, this Neuqua team does not yet match up. Last season's 25-8 Wildcats went the furthest in program history, losing 63-42 to eventual Class 4A runner-up Richards at the Chicago State University supersectional.
However ... I think this team is better. Neuqua shattered its prior wins record of 26. Dipping deep into the bench, its 70.7-point average exceeds last year's 64.3. The Wildcats' sole loss was 74-70 in overtime at 20-win East Aurora. They've beaten Glenbard East, Morton, Bolingbrook, St. Charles North, Glenbrook South, Zion-Benton, Geneva, Batavia and Plainfield North. Not shabby.
Center Kareem Amedu strengthened Neuqua's frontcourt overall even without graduated center Danny Pawelski. Guard Rahjan Muhammad can roll from 3. Starters Derek Raridon, Nolan Brown and Dwayne Evans and top rotation guys Ryan Wagner, Drew Sutton and Steve Waeghe a year better. Christian Shonkwiler, 6-foot-2 sub post, could be sixth man of the year. Advantage Neuqua 2008-09.
Q. So, smart guy, what was the different between tight playoff wins over Benet and Batavia and the 20-point blowout of 26-win Plainfield North?
A. Two things, Kevin: Better shooting than in those two first games, and greater acknowledgment of perimeter defense. Coach Sutton admitted his team's outside defense in the 69-49 win over Plainfield North wasn't outstanding, yet Plainfield North's top marksman, Ryan Crow, entered the game with 65 3-pointers and left with 65. Shifted to cover Crow, Evans' athleticism and length - keys to Neuqua's defensive effort - held an 11-point scorer to 4.
Evans commented afterward that the shots hadn't fallen in the two prior playoff games, such as a 2 of 13 second quarter in the opener against Benet. A sign of a turnaround Tuesday was Raridon, who scored 25 and canned four 3s. A far cry from 1 of 6 from the arc against Benet.
Q. How does Neuqua Valley win this game?
A. Here's one of Todd Sutton's standard quotes: "Defense and rebounding win championships." Naperville Central's Crawford can't be shut down. In all likelihood tonight he'll get at least his 24-point average. Neuqua Valley can't totally collapse on penetration by Crawford or point man Danny Ondik at the expense of Redhawks perimeter shooters David Mallett and Nick Linne. Amedu will tread a fine line between helping on Crawford and leaving Naperville Central post man Matt Neufeld, who hurt Bolingbrook inside.
Evans has had monster playoff games rebounding and blocking shots. The athleticism, height and length of Amedu, Raridon and Evans and Shonkwiler's box-out fundamentals serve the Wildcats well on the boards.
Another 23-2 run couldn't hurt, either.