Hawks ready for court, mat seasons
With the leaves changing from summer green to fall orange and yellow - and snow sure to fall soon - that can only mean one thing.
The Harper College Sports and Wellness Center is abuzz with the men's and women's basketball squads and the wrestling team preparing for their seasons.
Men's basketball
Tony Amarino's Hawks are trying to improve upon a 9-18 (3-7 N4C) mark a year ago. The Hawks returnees include Brandon Bolger (Schaumburg), Adis Kadiric, Tracy Winston, Kevin Steele and Isiah Holcombe.
Five fresh faces have joined the squad, including Perrish Bell (Schaumburg), Floyd Battle, Paul Sanders (Glenbard East) and Jordan Mack.
"Every game we were in until the final four minutes," Amarino said of last season's close losses. "We did not know how to win. Mentally we were not tough enough to win. We have been working on that in the off-season. We have to play with a chip on our shoulder."
The Hawks will be tested this season. Playing a schedule Amarino called "loaded," the Hawks will play all the Division II junior colleges in Region IV - including a trip to Oglesby to compete in the eight-team Battle on the Hill tournament at Illinois Valley Community College, Dec. 4-6.
"We will be very athletic and have decent size," Amerino said.
Wrestling
Harper finished fifth at last year's national meet, the Hawks' worst finish in coach Dan Loprieno's 10-year tenure.
"Last year we did not have any sophomore leadership in the room," Loprieno said. "It is kind of a blessing to have the sophomores back."
A key returnee is All-American P.J. Starnes (Schaumburg), who placed sixth in the nation at 157 pounds.
"He is a tough competitor," Loprieno said. "We are hoping he has turned the corner when wrestling on his feet."
Loprieno will be also be counting on Mike Lukowski (Dundee-Crown), who is moving down to the 184-pound weight class this season. The coaching staff believes Lukowski may have been too small for the 197-pound weight class he wrestled at a year ago.
Jordan Bakeley (Huntley) is moving up to wrestle at 174, and Loprieno thinks Bakeley can contend at nationals.
Nate Stadaker (149 pounds) was 1 win from placing at the national meet. Stadaker is the only sophomore who is staying at the same weight class he wrestled last season.
The Hawks welcome 22 new wrestlers, including what Loprieno called "one of my best recruiting classes ever."
Six are freshmen, including Matt Boggess (Prospect), John Grubich (285 pounds), Aber Bebo (Addison Trail, 184-197 pounds), Joe Patricelli (Conant), Josh Hills (Downers Grove South) and Mike Ryan.
The Hawks also feature a pair of redshirt transfers, Luke Roth from Northern Illinois and Josh Cratavil from the University of North Carolina.
Redshirt Mike Dace (Grant) returns after having MCL knee surgery last season. Dace was third in the nation as a freshman wrestling for the Hawks in the 165-pound class.
The Hawks open their season Nov. 7 at the Loras Open in Dubuque, Iowa. The Hawks compete at home three times. The first is Dec. 30 when Harper hosts the Midwest Open. The second is a quad with Triton, Lincoln and Muskegon, Mich. The third is Feb. 6 when the Hawks host the Harper Open.
Women's basketball
The Hawks, who were 10-17, 4-4 last season, are hoping to score plenty of points with their Princeton half-court offense.
Coach Mark Smith's Hawks, who reached the regional final a year ago, welcome back all-conference standout Peggie Parhas. She averaged 17 points per game last year.
Also returning is Noreen Davis (Conant).
"We have to get her to shoot the ball more," Smith said.
Schaumburg graduate Nina Montero (5-feet-11) will help handle the interior for the Hawks. Concordia University transfer Betsey Bailey (6-0, from Palatine) will be eligible to play for the Hawks after sitting out the 2008-09 season.
Of the seven players on the roster, three are freshmen. Anna Kirchoff (Barrington), who Smith called "a real basketball player," will be joined by left-handed guard Siobhan Cerney and Jasmine Chew (Palatine).