2009-2010 Boys Basketball  Week-1, Top-10 Poll A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (12-16-2009)

VALPARAISO (12-10-2009) What should be an action-packed local season has begun.  And even though the top teams (Valparaiso, Bowman Academy, Lew Wallace, Munster) do not play each other because of petty feuds or stupid league schedules, this is the hour of power in NW Indiana.  Bowman Academy, in its infancy as a high school, is probably a 2A school enrollment standpoint, but they will benefit from still being 1A according to the IHSAA this year.  That, plus a senior class they've been grooming since 7th grade, makes them a state contender.  They made a lot of excuses when they didn't win the regional last season, so I hope they win now.

In 3A, Lew Wallace has a lot of speed for the battle with rivals Roosevelt and Hammond, and with the 3A regional moved to Chesterton (from Plymouth), Lake County has no more excuses about not winning at that level either.  The police dog in Chesterton is reportedly much friendlier than the dog in Plymouth.  Wait a minute.  Class 3A Lake County teams do have an excuse for not surviving regional play.  Somebody better keep a scouting eye on Culver Academy, which has assembled college style talent.

In 4A, Valparaiso has undergone a complete team makeover without changing any players.  New coach Joe Otis runs the ball and takes every shot after former coach Chris Benedict slowed the game down and limited shots.  Coach John Boyd taking over at Michigan City and 6-foot-9 Mitch McGary at Chesterton makes the DAC a highlight league in a year when the Northwest Crossroads Conference will be down somewhat again.

We have no TV for Northwest Indiana high school basketball again, making this the only area of the state where games are not televised.  We are also the only area of the state where the top teams find an excuse (Bowman-LW, Valparaiso-LW, Bowman-Munster, EC-Valpo, Merrillville-West Side, Merrillville-LW), make that aggressively find an excuse not to play each other and blame someone else.  Almost every county in the state of Indiana that has more than three high schools has a county or league tournament except Lake County, the NCC and the DAC.

As far as Indiana high school basketball is concerned, Northwest Indiana is still the dark side of the moon.  Local fans, players and coaches are mostly too into themselves to even notice that their act is second class.  The competitive nature of scheduling is unlikely to change soon, because in NW Indiana, it's easier to make excuses than make changes.

Welcome Campagna Academy of Schererville to the IHSAA.  They are Class 1A and they have no seniors.  But they are on the floor.  Another new team for NW Indiana.  Remember.  The year is 2010.  This is the 2010 season.  Why?

Because nothing you do before the first of the year matters anyway.

1. (4A) Valparaiso (3-0)
2009 (20-4), 2008 (11-14), 2007 (23-3), 2006 (21-3), 22-3 (2005)

VALPARAISO:  The Vikings have dominated their first three games under the run-and-gun style of new coach Joe Otis, the highly successful LaPorte coach of the 1990s.  Senior guard Brad Karp (16.3 ppg.) and 6-foot-3 Derrich Suiter (11.3 ppg.) have teamed with 6-foot-3 Adam Butterfield (10.3 ppg.) and Derek Kennett (13.3 ppg.) to do whatever they've wanted so far with point guard Andy Martin (8.6 ppg.) directing the show.  The Vikings play Portage (1-5) and Clay (0-3) this week, but down the line looms Carmel on Jan. 2 at Purdue.  Why?  Coach Otis is quoted in the Times as saying that, "To get to where we want to go, you have to play the Indianapolis-area schools."  That's an attitude we need more of.

2. (1A) Bowman Academy (5-0)
2009 (19-4), 2008 (7-7)

GARY:  Bowman Academy has won their first five games in three states, including a 76-70 win over Howe (3-1) high of Indianapolis.  I'm not sure whether Bowman or Lew Wallace has more talent (and we won't know because they don't play again this year), but Bowman has to understand that wins in Kentucky and Illinois, no matter how good the team are, do NOT necessarily translate into wins in the Indiana state tournament.  In their defense, the Gary public schools are throwing money away by not scheduling Bowman and the Eagles have to go elsewhere.  6-foot-6 sophomore DeJuan Marrero is one of the state's most highly recruited players, but he's also the tallest player Bowman has.  Bowman, which has a senior class for the first time, gets to play 2A state champ Bishop Luers (1-0) and 4A power Elkhart Memorial (4-0).  In Class 1A, Bowman must win the state title.  But they've talked about it and now they have to simply do it.

3. (4A) Munster (3-0)
2009 (24-2), 2008 (16-6), 2007 (21-4), 2006 (20-4), 2005 (16-8)

MUNSTER:  The Mustangs have dominated their first three foes by a combined score of 240-140.  Munster has good size with 6-foot-4 Mike Stolarz, plus 6-foot-6 forwards Justin Gill and Rick Carbajal.  Munster's biggest feature this year is the schedule, which includes Penn, Howe, Mt. Vernon (and maybe defending 3A state champ Princeton), Gary West Side and superpower East Chicago (3-0) this Friday, Dec.12.  You'll notice that Munster plays no Illinois or Kentucky teams.  To win in the Indiana state playoffs you need to play 20 Indiana teams.

4. (4A) East Chicago (3-0)
2009 (14-8), 2008 (20-4), 2007 (23-3), 2006 (19-5)

EAST CHICAGO:  The Cardinals have swept the first three games, winning each by 20 points or more.  6-foot-2 guard Michael Harris leads the independent Cardinals through one of the most difficult schedules in the state.  EC travels to Munster (3-0) Friday, but they also face Howe, West Sde, Bishop Noll (3-0), Bowman (5-0), Lew Wallae (4-1) and superpower Lawrence North (4-1), which plays at East Chicago on Jan. 8.  EC doesn't have much size, but like Bowman, they won't need it in most games.

5. (4A) Lew Wallace (14-5)
2009 (14-7), 2008 (13-11), 2007 (5-17), 2006 (4-17)

GARY:  Wallace has a very quick defensive team that held Andrean to 22 points last Saturday night.  The Hornets are NW Indiana's most unpredictable teams because they are an awful foul shooting team and they foul a lot.  But the "Killer Bees' have more speed than EC and Bowman and, if they play with the intensity they showed against the 59ers, LW, with 6-foot-6 junior all-stater Brandon Dawson, the Hornets will go a long way.  Truthfully, they'll go a long way during the regular season because LW plays games in four different states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana) against top foes.  The problems is, that does not get you ready for the 3A tourney in Indiana.  It doesn't work that way.

6. (4A) Merrillville (2-0)
2009 (16-6), 2008 (16-5), 2007 (13-9), 2006 (17-4), 2005 (18-4), 2004 (9-12)

MERRILLVILLE:  The Pirates won their first two, but they don't have any big people in a season where most teams in the DAC do.  There are mixed reports on 6-foot-8 soph Edward Seay at this point.  Guards Brandon Clark and Jeremiah Jones are strong, but there's a lot of players here that have not been regulars before.  As always, the Pirates are hurt by the DAC schedule and their unwillingness to play Gary schools or East Chicago.  Let's put them on the 15-game plan and get back to them in February.

7. (2A) Bishop Noll (3-0)
2009 (13-9), 2008 (19-5), 2007 (9-13), 2006 (6-15)

HAMMOND:  This former state power comes back to power with the help of speedy guard Kendall Coleman and 6-foot-8 freshman Milos Kostic, a Serbian National junior team player.  Bishop Noll plays mostly larger schools (five 4A schools) all season, so they'll be the favorite in what should be a powerful 2A sectional that includes fast-rising Hanover Central (3-1) and senior-laden Wheeler (3-0).  Noll could be 6-0 going to Bishop Chatard on Jan. 2, but the game at East Chicago on Feb. 19 is always a highlight.

8. (4A) Chesterton (1-2)
2009 (11-10), 2008 (19-3), 2007 (15-7), 2006 (14-9)

CHESTERTON:  The Trojans are a very big team with Mitch McGary at 6-foot-9 and Alec Haupt at 6-foot-6 and guard Freddy Price will be the key.  Obviously, nobody is sold on this team, but they epitomize this year in NW Indiana.  In the DAC, Chesterton has a 6-foot-9 center.  So does Crown Point, Lake Central and Merrillville.  Michigan City has a 6-foot-7 center.  Everybody's big.  Noll has a 6-foot-8 kid.  South Central has a 6-foot-9 Division I guy.  Even River Forest has a 6-foot-8 center.  It's a big boy season.

9. (2A) BOONE GROVE (1-1)
2009 (13-7), 2008 (12-10), 2007 (11-12), 2006 (18-6), 2005 (19-7)

PORTER TOWNSHIP:  Pay no attention to Boone's 79-47 loss to Valparaiso in the season opener.  The Wolves have seven seniors and they've been building towards this season for three years.  Boone expects this to be a good year.  They've scheduled 4A Mishawaka and 2A arch-rival Wheeler on New Year's Day.  Lead guard Michael Eleftheri is the key to everything.  The weekend on Jan. 29-30 at Kouts and Crown Point followed by games at North Judson and Lowell will be their biggest test.  Region-wide, 2A is open but the semistate roadblock is two-time defending state 2A champion Bishop Luers.  They do not have size, but they have everything else.  Will they win the PCC?  Ask me after they host Hanover Central (3-1) and Morgan Township (4-0) on Jan. 8-9.

10. (4A) Michigan City (2-0)
2009 (3-18), 2008 (11-10), 2007 (8-13), 2006 (9-12), 2005 (6-16)

MICHIGAN CITY:  This team hasn't been winning, but Adam Harmon gives them an anchor in the backcourt and two starters transferred in (under questionable circumstances) from Gary West Side, coincidentally when coach John Boyd moved from West Side to MC.  Football QB Rodney Washington comes off the bench and 6-foot-7 first time starter Grady Byrnes will be asked to battle a lot of tall people.  If they win a couple (and they have), spirits should rise here.  MC does not see Valparariso (they play them twice) until after the first of the year.