Boys basketball: Scouting Kaneland

Kaneland boys basketball coach Brian Johnson, used to this sort of thing by now, has absolutely no problem with another long playoff run by the Knights’ football team. Even when it means key personnel have yet to take the floor.

“To tell you the truth, I think it affects things in a positive manner,” said Johnson, whose Knights come off their second straight 17-win season.

“It gives these guys a lot of the confidence that they need to be successful. I think it bleeds into the basketball season. I think there’s a big correlation between how the football team does.”

Kaneland’s football team has done quite nicely, thank you, enjoying a second straight undefeated run to the Class 5A semifinals. Johnson will happily accept a few of those boys coming in late, such as his starting point guard — the football team’s starting quarterback.

“I think it only is going to make guys like Drew David better on the basketball court,” Johnson said. “I definitely don’t take it as a negative, I take it as a positive, and we want those kids to be as successful as they can be.”

With David at the helm in 2010-11 the Knights basketball team won 17 games for a second straight season and went 8-2 in the first year of the Northern Illinois Big 12 East, Kaneland’s first boys basketball conference title since 1982.

Along with the graduation of All-Area forward Chaon Denlinger, the Knights also lost promising Dan Helm to Chatham Glenwood, a product of his family transferring to the Springfield area.

In addition to David, who averaged 3.5 points and 3.5 assists last season, the Knights return the one-two punch of the Heinle twins, senior swingmen Trever and Tyler. The former averaged 7.7 points, fourth on last year’s squad.

Kaneland accepted the transfer of 6-foot-4 senior guard-forward Marcel Neil, who in 19 games with West Aurora averaged 2.9 points. His long arms and athleticism are counted upon to grab rebounds, in addition to 6-3 junior Dan Miller, Trever Heinle and 6-3 Bryan VanBogaert. Johnson is hoping sophomore guard Thomas Williams can slash to the basket to score.

Without great height but with good quickness, Kaneland seeks to increase its tempo and get some of its offense through pesky man-to-man defense with some full-court pressure. Rebounding is a concern.

“We’re going to have to find ways to make the game a little bit fast-paced and try to play a little bit helter-skelter,” Johnson said.