Boys basketball: Scouting Carmel

Coach: Tim Bowen, 2nd season

Last year: 10-18, 2-8 (ESCC)

Last year's tournament: Lost in regional quarterfinals to Highland Park, 55-42.

Key players lost: G Tim Hendricks, F Dan Mooney, F Mike Fitzgibbons, G Doug Meyer

Key players returning: F Brandon Motzel, sr., G Conner Jordan, sr.

Top newcomers: G Zenen Davis-Mckennie, sr., G/F Joe Molloy, sr., G/F Andy Cantor, G Ian Kristan, soph., G Billy Kirby, soph, F Jack George, soph.

Outlook: In most sports conversations, 1 is better than 2-unless you're talking about years on the job for a head coach. The second year is almost always easier, and better than the first. Second-year coach Tim Bowen was already starting to feel that, just a week into preseason practice. "The boys have figured out now what our philosophies are on offense and defense, so there is a lot less time spent on teaching," Bowen said. "Coming into the start of practice, we already had a lot of our stuff put in last year or over the summer, so in practice we're doing more review and fine-tuning and that has been nice." The other nice thing for Bowen is that the Corsairs return a solid core from a 10-win team that is mindful (and tired) of the fact that Carmel hasn't had a winning record in more than 20 years. "These kids are working so hard to get better as players, as a team," Bowen said. "They're bright, they care. They really want more success for this program and they have come together to try to reach that goal." Leading the way will be Brandon Motzel and Conner Jordan, the Corsairs' inside-outside punch. "This is going to be their team," Bowen said of Motzel and Jordan. "Both of them are strong, heady seniors and they are carrying themselves like it. How they go will be how we go. They are both coming off fantastic summers." The Corsairs put together one of their best summers in recent memory. They hosted a summer league for the first time ever and went 30-10. "We had a great summer," Bowen said. "We had a lot of teams from all over the area coming here. It was a good mix of competition. It was a really good experience for us." Speaking of experience, sophomore Billy Kirby was up with the varsity all summer and will likely be the Corsairs' starting point guard. "He sees the floor really well," Bowen said of Kirby. "He has some learning to do, and being a sophomore, he'll probably go through some growing pains on varsity. But he played all summer with us, he saw what it takes to play at the varsity level. I think he has the tools, it might just take him a little bit of time before he's totally comfortable."

Opener: Monday vs. Crystal Lake Central at Crystal Lake Central holiday tournament