Scouting Lake Zurich boys basketball

LAKE ZURICH

Coach: Billy Pitcher, 1st season

2009-2010 record: 3-24, 0-12 Lake

2009-2010 IHSA tournament results: Lost to Hersey in regional play-in, 65-52.

Key players lost: F Marko Grcic, F Aaron Lewandowski

Key players returning: G Colin Rathe, sr., G Mike Boyd, sr., C Tyler Every, sr., C Drake Orser, sr., G Andy Cox, sr.

Top newcomers: F Mirko Grcic, jr., F Jeff O'Brien, jr., F Doug Murphy, jr.

Outlook: Sometimes a new coach needs time to convince his players to change. But at Lake Zurich, change was welcomed when first-year coach Billy Pitcher pitched his philosophies. After winning only three games last year, the Bears were receptive to new ideas. “We've put a lot of new stuff in and I think the guys were completely open to a different way and new strategies because of what happened last year, unfortunately,” said Pitcher, who took over for John Zarr. Zarr retired at the end of last season after 16 years as head coach. “The guys definitely have a bad taste in their mouths about winning only three games. They're excited about the opportunity to turn that around.”…

The Bears have big ideas, literally, about how to do that. Lake Zurich boasts nice size in two senior centers who could pose quite a defensive challenge. Drake Orser is 6-foot-8 and Tyler Every is 6-foot-7. “We'll definitely want to get the ball into our big kids,” said Pitcher, formerly an assistant coach at Libertyville. “We're just going to try to play smart, recognize what kind of advantages we have out on the floor and play to our strengths.”…Besides size, another strength for Lake Zurich will be athleticism. Pitcher points to players such as newcomer Mirko Grcic, a junior forward who is versatile enough to play multiple positions. He is the younger brother of Marko Grcic, who was named all-conference last year as a senior. Meanwhile, the Bears boast experience on the perimeter with the return of guards Colin Rathe and Mike Boyd.

Opener: Vs. Niles North at Palatine, 6 p.m. Monday