Reserves help bail Vernon Hills out of foul trouble

At 6-1, Vernon Hills is off to one of its best starts in school history.

But there has been trouble for the Cougars. Foul trouble.

Vernon Hills has continued to pile up the victories despite the fact that its two best players, DaVaris Daniels and Chris Morgan, have spent more time on the bench than anticipated because of fouls.

For instance, in the Cougars' victory over Lakes on Tuesday, Daniels left the game after getting his fourth foul with three minutes left in the third quarter. He stayed on the bench until the midway point of the fourth quarter.

"In four of our six games, we've had either DaVaris or Chris in foul trouble and we just can't have that," Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. "We've stressed to the kids the difference between aggressive fouls and dumb fouls. Unfortunately, we're seeing both kinds."

Fortunately for the Cougars, the reserves continue to come through when they're asked to give up their seats to Daniels, Morgan or any other starter who must spend time on the bench because of foul trouble.

"The good news is, I don't hesitate to put anyone in," McCarty said. "We've gone to Stephen Curry a lot off the bench. He's a really good freshman who's doing a lot of good things. He can score, he can handle the ball on the perimeter. He's picked up on things really well.

"We're also getting some good play out of our backup center, Brian Berzanski. He's had 7 and 8 rebounds in our last two games. And we get some good three-point shooting off the bench from Tyler Zuniga."

Clearly, though, McCarty would prefer to keep Daniels and Morgan on the floor. They average 19 and 15 points per game, respectively.

McCarty said it was a huge help in the victory over Lakes that Morgan stayed out of foul trouble and was able to keep tabs on Lakes sharpshooter John Androus.

"Obviously, we need those guys (Daniels and Morgan) and we want to cut down on the fouls," McCarty said. "But we've also found out that we have a bench that we can really trust and that's going to help us down the road."

Visit from the chairman: While he played at Vernon Hills, Kenny Rideout was a rebounding fiend, the Cougars' chairman of the boards, if you will.

Rideout is now a sophomore on the basketball team at St. Norbert College in Green Bay. He was back over Thanksgiving to cheer on the Cougars.

What he saw must have warmed his heart.

Senior center Robert Bryant was going after rebounds, Rideout-style.

In a win over Gordon Tech, he had 13 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 Bryant also had 13 rebounds Tuesday against Lakes. He's averaging 9 rebounds per game.

"Kenny is our all-time leader for rebounds in a season," Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. "When I saw Kenny I was like, 'Watch out, Robert might be on your tail for rebounds in a season.' "

Self-starter: What basketball player doesn't want to start games?

You get your name read enthusiastically during the introductions, you get public affirmation that you're one of the better players on the team.

Libertyville senior forward Hobie Herberger was hoping to have a spot in the starting lineup this season. But given the way he's been coming off the bench, he might end up preferring his reserve status.

Herberger is averaging about 10 points per game for the Wildcats, who have gotten off to a 4-2 start thanks to the spark he consistently gives.

"We keep telling all of our guys that everyone reads too much into who starts," said Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil. "What you really need to watch is who's in the rotation and who's getting the minutes and who's playing at the end of games.

"I know Hobie wants to start, but we talk about guys like (former Bulls star) Toni Kukoc and how he came off the bench and was an NBA all-star. You can still be valuable to the team, and sometimes even more valuable, coming off the bench."

Herberger, who suffered through his junior season with various injuries and illnesses, had a hard time establishing any consistency last year. He came into this season having to prove himself, even as a senior.

"I think he's shown us a lot already," Bogumil said. "And I think he really has accepted his role. He's been terrific off the bench so far."

Surprise, surprise: In getting off to a 4-4 start, Carmel has gotten solid contributions out of veterans such as Connor Sexson, Patrick Cox and Jonathan Huisel.

Coach John Ryan was expecting as much.

What he wasn't quite expecting was that a junior newcomer, Doug Meyer, would be his leading scorer. The junior guard is averaging nearly 12 points per game.

"When a guy comes up from a sophomore team, you're never really sure how he's going to fit in and Doug has been a real pleasant surprise," Ryan said. "He's been so consistent. Every game but one he's been in double figures.

"Doug is a catch-and-shoot guy. He's a shooter. He's had games where he's had five 3-pointers and it seems like he's very capable of that every game. We saw glimpses of this during the summer, but not with the consistency that Doug is playing with now."

Slow start: Lake Zurich has limped out to an 0-6 start, not that it's a complete shock.

Having graduated all five starters from last year's team, the Bears were figuring on getting off to a slow start. And that was before they knew that the football team would make a long run in the playoffs and some key players would be joining the team late.

Starter Jacob Brinlee, the Bears' star running back, has played in just two basketball games. Meanwhile, Aaron Lewandowski is still recovering from an MCL tear in his knee that kept him out for much of the football season.

Football players Peter Papatratakos and J.J. Raffelson are also still trying to get their basketball legs back.

"This isn't what we would want, but this isn't all that unexpected," said Lake Zurich coach John Zarr. "I think that's part of the reason the kids have been dealing so well with this start. We knew it was going to be tough for us for a while at the start. We've got a lot of new or inexperienced guys playing."

The Bears have been struggling most with inconsistent shooting and turnovers.

"We anticipate that those two things will fall into place after Christmas, after we've had more games together," said Zarr, whose Bears have never opened a season with 6 straight losses. "The biggest thing we need to do is keep everyone upbeat while we work through it."

Zarr says that seniors Chris Baumann and Marko Grcic have given the Bears something to smile about in the meantime.

Baumann, a 6-foot-7 center, recorded a double-double in his last outing, 10 points and 11 rebounds and Grcic has been the most consistent presence on the court. He also has the most experience on the roster.

"This is our most challenging year since I've been here," Zarr said. "But we are seeing a lot of positive things that we can build on."