Boys basketball: Scouting Grant

Coach: Wayne Bosworth, 4th season

Last year: 14-13, 8-4 (NSC Prairie)

Last year’s tournament: Lost to Stevenson in regional quarterfinals, 61-41.

Key players lost: G Vic Muntu (Concordia College, Illinois), G Shane Richardson (Concordia College, Wisconsin)

Key players returning: F Jared Helmich, sr., G Sean Wells, sr., G Allen Lewis, sr., F Ilya Kadushin, sr., F Jerry Gaylor, sr., F Brandon Lombardino, jr.

Top newcomers: G Jordan Thompson, jr., F Tom Blanchette, jr.

Outlook: Grant put in a radical new offense last year and focused much of its practice time to getting it down pat. The Bulldogs went from a slow-down, deliberate half-court game to a high-octane, full-court running game. Getting everyone on the same page didn’t happen overnight. “We spent a lot of time last year on our offense because it was new,” head coach Wayne Bosworth said. “The good news is that we’ve been able to hit the court running this year with our offense. The guys are used to it now and comfortable with it.” The bad news is that the Bulldogs are now playing catch-up on the defensive end. With so much emphasis on the offensive end last year, they weren’t able to totally perfect the way they wanted to play defense. As a result, Grant gave up approximately 60 points per game. Bosworth said he’d prefer his team to be allowing in the mid- to preferably the low-50s. “Our defense definitely took a hit last year because we spent so much time on our offense,” Bosworth said. “Now, we’re spending a lot more time on our defense. We’re really making that a focus for this year.” The Bulldogs are hoping that a seasoned group of veteran seniors will be able to put it all together: last year’s strong offensive production, and this year’s defensive emphasis. Bosworth says it is likely he’ll be able to start five seniors in Jared Helmich, Sean Wells, Allen Lewis, Ilya Kadushin and Jerry Gaylor. “Three of those seniors have been up since their sophomore year,” said Bosworth, referring to Lewis, Kadushin and Gaylor. “We have a really good feeling about our core group of guys and what we can expect out of them. We feel like we have a good mix of good guard play and good post play. The biggest thing about our team will be our chemistry and how well we mesh. We have the talent, but it will be how we get it all working together.”

Opener: Tuesday vs. Rockford Harlem at Johnsburg Thanksgiving Tournament.