Scouting Huntley boys basketball
Huntley Red Raiders
Coach: Marty Manning (sixth season, 98-47)
Last year: 25-5, 9-1, outright champion of the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference; lost to Rockford Auburn 59-31 in the Class 4A Jacobs sectional final.
Top players: seniors Jake Brock (6-2, G), Justin Frederick (6-3, F), Ryan Lussow (6-1, F), Troy Miller (6-0, G); juniors Bryce Beschorner (6-3, F), Ryan Craig (6-3, G), Bryce Only (6-1, G), Tommy Regan (5-11, G), Jake Wagner (6-2, G); sophomore Amanze Egekeze (6-6, F)
Scouting report: Huntley lost two key players from last year’s sectional final team in leading scorer Tyler Brunschon and Dylan Neukirch, but plenty of talent returns for a team that has the potential to be coach Marty Manning’s most competitive yet. The attack is led by Troy Miller and Justin Frederick, each of whom enters his third varsity season along with junior Bryce Only. Miller is one of the area’s best shooters. He averaged 12.4 ppg last year on the strength of 79 3-pointers. He sank 88 percent of his attempts from the free-throw line and posted 54 assists and 45 steals. Frederick can play inside or outside. He averaged 7.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg last year. Only does the dirty work but is expected to add a bit more offensively this season. Last year he averaged 4 ppg, 4 rpg to go with 48 steals and 70 deflections. The starting lineup gets a lift from the improvement of Jake Brock, the school’s quarterback this fall. He started last year when Neukirch was hurt early in the season. “He’s been really eye opening,” Manning said. “He’s one of those kids that as a senior gets it and puts it altogether. That’s what we saw from Jake through the summer defensively and offensively and it’s continued in the first two weeks.” The wild card is sophomore Division I prospect Amanze Egekeze. The raw athlete has a way to go in his development but he already “does things in practice that are jaw dropping,” Manning said. The 6-6 forward has a 61-inch wingspan and blocked 35 shots last year. He has already been contacted or visited by Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and DePaul. Supporting the starting five are a senior and four juniors. Ryan Lussow will come off the bench to rebound and play defense. He can finish at the rim. Jake Wagner, according to his coach, is a clone of Brock. Both are good athletes who can defend and shoot the ball. Golfer Ryan Craig has a game similar to Frederick’s; he can grab rebounds and consistently sink jump shots from 15-18 feet. Bryce Beschorner spent some time with the varsity last year and adds height to the lineup. Tommy Regan will back up Miller at point guard. “Talent won’t hold us back,” Manning said. “We’ll try to play 10 guys this year. Last year we flew under the radar and a lot of balls bounced our way. There will be quite a few teams gunning for us this year so getting the guys to play together at a high level has been our goal since Day 1. A lot of teams that have been hyped end up having mediocre years. In high school basketball it comes down to consistent intensity every game and playing as a team. If we do that, we’ll be successful.”