Scouting St. Francis boys basketball

Posted November 16, 2011 11:00 pm

By David Oberhelman doberhelman@dailyherald.com

St. Francis

Coach: Bob Ward.

Last year: 15-12, 6-4, second in the Suburban Christian Conference Blue Division; lost 63-41 to Riverside-Brookfield in the Class 3A Nazareth regional final.

Top players: Ryan Coyle, sr., F; Nick Donati, sr., G; Charlie Flood, sr., G; Brian Spahn, sr., G; Zach Roswold, sr., C; Austin Wilkens, sr., G.

Scouting report: A nifty hire lured from Jim Nazos’ staff at Wheaton North to succeed Shawn Healy — now a college assistant in Wisconsin — Ward heads a program for the first time since 2000. He’s got a great start with the 6-6 Coyle, who averaged 17.5 points and 7.6 rebounds. He comes off a summer injury and must stay healthy for the Spartans to take off, but Coyle has the versatility and chops to play all five positions. The 6-7 Roswold could relieve inside pressure on Coyle, as Ward said his offense is geared to getting the ball inside and drawing fouls. The new coach plans on speeding the tempo by extending defensive pressure, which should fit the athletic and inspired duo of Spahn and Donati just fine. “One thing you cannot underestimate is that we’ve got really good senior leadership,” Ward said.

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.