Larkin making its move in Upstate Eight standings
Larkin's strong junior class, led by starters Damari Wheeler-Thomas, Fernando Perez, Jamarion Stubbs, and Dontrell Maxie, has helped spark the Royals to a fast start in the Upstate Eight Conference boys basketball standings.
Coach Deryn Carter's squad secured a pair of double-digit victories last weekend - 49-36 over Fenton and 68-40 over West Chicago.
On Tuesday, the Royals improved to 4-0 in UEC play with a thrilling 54-53 overtime victory over South Elgin (2-1 in UEC).
Fellow junior Dearrius Clardy has provided valuable bench support for the Royals, whose roster also includes seniors Trace Boley, DJ Jones, and Phoenix Fulbright.
Against South Elgin, Perez led the Royals with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Boley and Wheeler-Thomas added 12 points apiece.
Wheeler-Thomas scored all 3 of Larkin's points in the extra session.
Carter has high expectations from his junior-laden team - both this season and next.
"We expect a lot from all of those junior perimeter players," said the coach.
Wheeler-Thomas, a 6-footer who saw limited action in the Royals' loss to St. Charles North due to a hip flexor sprain, has played an instrumental role in Larkin's torrid UEC start while sporting some added muscle.
"I added 15-20 pounds in the offseason," said Wheeler-Thomas. "I put on the weight through lifting - working on everything, including core, arms and legs - and I'm eating a little better. I can feel the difference."
Lack of prep time
St. Charles East (1-6) suffered a pair of tough losses last weekend - 65-60 to St. Charles North and 58-54 to Geneva - falling to 1-4 in the DuKane Conference.
While turnovers and rebounding have hurt the inexperienced Saints, coach Patrick Woods cites a bigger issue during this pandemic-shortened season.
"We're inexperienced but the problem is lack of preparation time - that's the whole problem here," said Woods. "(Last Thursday) was the first day off that the varsity guys got. Since we started, they had not had a day off.
"It's tough when they're playing three or four games a week and you have no time to prepare. We haven't even had 14 practices yet. Normally, we have 14 practices before we even play a game. I just hope people realize that."
Led by Joe Musial, Matt Peddy and Zach Masud, the Saints look to bounce back while hosting Wheaton North and Lake Park Saturday and Sunday.
Summertime blues
While the months of November, December and January were wiped away due to the pandemic, high school basketball coaches also missed out on an often forgotten, but important part of their season planning last June and July.
"Everybody knows our season was postponed (until February), but I think every coach will tell you what really hurts was not having the summer with the players," said Carter. "I think our guys were forgetting how fast we want to play earlier in the season. There's a big difference between jogging and running."