Guard play provides spark for Saints
St. Charles East coach Brian Clodi likes what he sees.
"We feel like we're as deep as we've ever been with our talent level," he said.
The Saints graduated their top three scorers Drew Vazquez, Zack Burns and Jess Streidl but return a lot as well. Clodi called it a guard-based group, but there is size interspersed in the lineup as well.
Kendall Stephens brings both guard tendencies and height. The 6-foot-4 sophomore, who averaged 6.3 points and made a team-high 36 three-point baskets as a freshman, has worked to improve his driving ability in order to get to the free-throw line more. Stephens has a 30-inch vertical leap to go along with an 81-inch wingspan. Purdue, Michigan, Illinois, Northwestern, Southern Illinois, Butler and DePaul have all visited St. Charles to see him play.
Charlie Fisher returns as the Saints' point guard, overcoming a torn groin muscle early in the football season, while junior Johnny Hondlik checks in as a 6-foot-5 forward-center. He didn't get much playing time as a sophomore, but practiced every day with the varsity and has shown great improvement.
"He's a big-time mismatch because he can shoot from the perimeter and can go inside with both hands," Clodi said.
A trio of senior lettermen, Dan Ditusa and Spencer Motley, plus 6-2 Matt Ray, the leading scorer on last year's junior varsity level, are among prospective starters at the wing and forward slots.
Seniors Imran Hassan and 220-pound Andrew Carrano are in the post rotation with 6-5 junior Luke Ludke fitting in at forward. Athletic Zach Zajicek and sophomore Mike Woods will back up the guard spots.
"We feel like this is going to be one of our better shooting teams," Clodi said. "We're guard oriented, so we want to keep the turnovers down."
The Saints also need to box out and rebound to maximize their abilities. The fact that their first three games are against Proviso East, St. Joseph and Schaumburg at the annual Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Tournament will outline any deficiencies.
There's one facet St. Charles East has that can't be taught.
"This team really likes hanging out together. The chemistry is really, really good," Clodi said. "It showed in the summer and we got it back this week. They don't care who scores, they just want to play as a team, which every coach is looking for."
Quick facts
Coach: Brian Clodi (eighth year)
Last year: 12-15, 4-6, tied for fifth in the Upstate Eight Conference; lost 45-43 to Elgin in a Class 4A Bartlett regional quarterfinal.
Players to watch: Dan Ditusa, sr., G; Charlie Fisher, jr., G; Johnny Hondlik, jr., F; Spencer Motley, sr., G; Matt Ray, sr., G; Kendall Stephens, so., G; Zach Zajicek, sr., G.