2007-2008 Boys Basketball  Week-2, Top-10 Poll A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (12-12-2007)

MERRILLVILLE (12-12-2007) - Virtually everybody in NW Indiana lost in the first two weeks of the season and that's not that surprising.  It's an indication that there is no dominant team this year.  It takes a awhile for fans and media to make the mental adjustment from football.  In football, if a lesser team wins, it is significant and there is something to be made of it.  In basketball, any team can get beat, especially with the advent of the three-point shot, which is a cheap way for an inferior team to beat a superior team without really playing the game.

East Chicago was top-ranked because of what they did last year.  They lost to No. 5 Warren Central in a showcase game, the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis, but Warren Central has lost their top player and will not be a state factor this season either.

The new No. 1 team will be Marion (3-0), with all-stater Julius Mays.  But look out for the 'second coming' of Lawrence North (4-1), the four-time (2003-2006) state champion, which has returned to power with one of the state's all-time biggest young lineups: 6-9 junior Steve Van Treese, 6-9 junior Jeff Robinson, 6-7 junior Chris Read and three sophomores 6-foot-7 or taller including 7-foot Jan Maehlen.  I do not know exactly how this happened.  They are said to have a few transfers from Chicago.  But this might be the tallest team (they reportedly also have a 6-10 freshman) in the history of the state.  Everybody says height isn't everything -- until you have to guard their 6-9 guys with your 6-2 boys.  Lawrence North has already lost one: 71-63 to Marion.

Early reports indicate that the six county area we call NW Indiana (Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, Starke) will have to stay humble this year.  The only top-10 teams in ANY class this week will be East Chicago and LaCrosse and both of them are not Top-10 for long.  EC plays a tough independent schedule.  Lawrence North comes to East Chicago on Jan. 4.  Indy schools Howe (4-1) and North Central (2-2) are also on the slate.  LaCrosse (4-0) hasn't faced a team with a winning record yet.  There will come a week this year when there are no NW Indiana teams in the Top-10.

Incidentally, the world of NW Indiana basketball shifted on its axis last Friday night and you may have missed it.

Charter school Bowman Academy (3-0), fielding a team of only sophomores (the school is only 2 years old: there is nobody else) stunned former Gary superpower Roosevelt 91-83 in a game that has apocalyptic implications.  What?  Listen, Bowman Academy is not eligible for the IHSAA state tourney yet but they will be NEXT SEASON.  If they can take a bunch of 16-year-olds to Roosevelt and smoke the Panthers like so many Oscar Meyer wieners, Bowman Academy is going to be a monster in Class 1A or 2A (I believe they are 1A, but as a charter school, that could change if more enroll) and the 'monster' arrives next season.

Bowman Academy will be in the Gary Holiday Tournament, so let's see how they do against Gary West Side, the city's big dog.  But all you 1A schools who thought you were going somewhere in the basketball tourney... as of next year, you may all be going home early.  Hello?  They beat Gary Roosevelt at Roosevelt with sophomores.  Obviously, everyone on the roster is back for the next two seasons.  The Bowman Academy Eagles, huh?  Apparently, the 'Eagle' has landed.

2.  (4A) Merrillville (3-2)
2007 (13-9), 2006 (17-4), 2005 (18-4), 2004 (9-12)

MERRILLVILLE:  The Pirates rolled over winless Andrean 85-45 to move on down the road.  Jonathan Nwaununu scored 19 and football star Dolapo Macarthy added 13.  Merrillville lost to Chesterton 67-54 on Dec. 1 when the Trojans sank 10 three-point baskets.  You have to look closely at games like that when you evaluate.  If somebody drops 10 3s on you, you will lose whether you have a better team or not.  It goes back to the 3-ball being the 'great equalizer'.  The Pirates were 18-of-25 from the foul line against Andrean and 72% is good.
Merrillville held on to beat LaPorte 61-60 on Dec. 7 with Macarthy scoring 13 and blocking three shots.  I didn't know he was any good in basketball.  The Pirates need better shooting when defenses zone their big men.  Merrillville lost 56-53 to Michigan City Tuesday (12-11-2007) and they scored only eight in the final quarter.  There does not seem to be one guy yet to take the last shot in key situations.  The guards here are so good that the Pirates will win 15 games on that alone.  The first 25% of the season has not gone as well as it should have, but this is a very good team and anyone who says they aren't is playing you.
 

3.  (4A) CROWN POINT (3-1)
2007 (12-9), 2006 (9-13), 2005 (13-9), 2004 (6-16)

CROWN POINT:  Crown Point took a 52-47 loss when Lake Central rallied from an early 17-6 deficit.  I would not draw from this loss that LC is the better team, but CP has started slowly again this year.  A mid-week 44-31 win over Morton was hugely unimpressive.  It's a slow start.  They were 0-4 last year before they got started.  CP only used seven players in the loss to LC and they used nine in a 60-46 win over Valparaiso Tuesday.  They need more off the bench, but there's time for that.  CP is an outstanding shooting team.  That's a strength.  So when they sink 10-of 20 from the line, you almost have to laugh it off.  I'm not interested in games in December for permanent purposes of evaluation.  The bounce-back was good, but it doesn't prove much either.  Remember.  Eight seniors.  They've played together all their lives.  The state leaders in assists (Kyle Hanaway) is back and the NW Indiana leaders in 3-point shooting (Stephen Albrecht) and field goal percentage (Zac Cecich) are all back.  One game means little.  Win or loss.  Even if it's the New Year's Day game against 2A No. 1 Winchester (5-0).

4.  (4A) East Chicago (3-1)
2007 (22-3) 2006 (19-5), 2005 (13-8), 2004 (13-10)

EAST CHICAGO:  The Cardinals didn't have a good trip to Indianapolis where they lost to Warren Central 79-73 last Saturday.  Losing to the state's No. 5 team is no big deal, but how did this happen after Warren's All-America guard Walter Offutt was injured and declared out for the season two days earlier?  This may sound strange, but the Cardinals need losses like this to allow them to mentally burn through the purple haze of the dream world that the many East Chicago fans are living in because they think All-America guard E'Twaun Moore (a Purdue freshman) is still on the team.  Derrell Conner scored 19 at WC, but all-area forward Angel Garcia finished with 11.  This team needs to finds its identity.  What?  That's 'coach-speak' for:  Somebody's got to put up 18 per night and draw double teams like E'Twaun did the last four years or good teams will whip EC like a slow pony.  With that said, that was a big game for Derrell Conner, and by the end of the season, he'll be the team leader and make EC fans forget about a certain player who used to be there.  ('A certain player' but not E'Twaun Moore.)  EC didn't drop in this poll because they are about the fourth best team in the region.  No shame.

5.  (4A) Gary West Side (4-1)
2007 (14-7), 2006 (7-14), 2005 (19-5), 2004 (12-7)

GARY:  Gary West Side took their annual whipping from Chicago west side power Farragut 57-49, but that doesn't mean they can't play.  They've beaten Arlington and Lake Central but those schols are under .500 in the early going.  A game with Lowell was called due to an ice storm and rescheduled for Jan 31.  You need to play consistently and this team hasn't been able to do that yet.  When they do, I still expect lead guard Xavier Jones to quickly turn into an all-area star and the offense here should pick up.  Only a lack of size in an unusually big and tall year in NW Indiana will hold them back.  By the way: Got a ticket for the 'Side' and Bowman Academy at the Gary Holiday Tournament?  I think I need one.

6.  (4A) Michigan City (3-2)
2007 (8-13), 2006 (9-12), 2005 (6-16), 2004 (2-19)

MICHIGAN CITY:  The Wolves have been stung with two losses, but they are to Chesterton (4-0) and South Bend Washington (5-0) and they bounced back with a 56-53 win over Merrillville.  Many don't seem to pay any attention to who a team loses to.  It's not like they are the Miami Dolphins.  Those are not bad defeats.  Don't believe the coach when he says his team isn't good.  Jarrod Jones was held to 15 in last Friday's 69-62 loss at Chesterton.  Senior guard Stephen Ward scored 17 points and added four assists, but Jones scored 16 in the win at Merrillville Tuesday (12-11-2007).  Jones, the 6-foot-9 center, does appear healthy, and that's the most important thing the early season has told us.  Friday's home game with Crown Point (3-1) will tell us more.

7.  (2A) Bishop Noll (4-1)
2007 (9-13), 2006 (6-15), 2005 (8-14), 2004 (15-10)

HAMMOND:  The Trojans shut down undermanned Lowell 40-29 last Saturday to improve to 2-0 against 4A schools.  The Warriors' only loss was 79-70 to speedy Calumet.  Jason Shroba scored 17 against Lowell as the Warriors didn't get into their up tempo running game.  Noll got a first taste of the new Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) Friday night when they rode the big yellow bus for two hours to North Newton where they stomped the home team 80-45 despite sinking only 14 of 28 free throws.  If you're from north Hammond, you don't get back from a night game in Newton County until after midnight.  That might explain the lack of points Saturday.  Noll is looking ahead to the Dec. 21 home game with sectional rival Wheeler (3-0).  The schedule separates this school from other 2A teams.  Hammond (4-1), Gary Roosevelt (1-2) and East Chicago (2-1) await the Warriors after the first of the year.

8.  (3A) Calumet (4-1)
2007 (14-8), 2006 (4-19), 2005 (4-17), 2004 (2-20)

GARY:  The Warriors got shocked 73-61 by Gavit, but Calumet's Warriors did win the all-Warrior championship with a 79-70 win over the Bishop Noll Warriors on Dec. 1 and Mike Akins scored a career-high 28 points.  Calumet was 28 of 34 in that game from the foul line.  Cal did beat Whiting 80-45 last week, but Whiting will be outmanned this season.  Calumet threw the Gavit game away when they sank just 6-of-18 from the line.  The Warriors smoked out Lowell 70-56 with Akins scoring 23 more to offset 13 of 22 from the foul line.  Now unless their schedule has changed, Calumet has a two-week break after their Dec. 21 game at 1A Marquette (4-0).  Calumet's schedule is a lot tougher in the final 10 games than it is in the first 10.
They need to be 6-1 going into that break and Calumet can get that done.  But this is a pressing, speed team that needs to play. They have to be in top condition and intense every game because of the style they play.  Two week breaks are especially bad for a team like this.
 

9.  (3A) Wirt (2-0)
2007 (14-9), 2006 (12-9), 2005 (9-12), 2004 (6-15)

GARY:  Why is Wirt so low in the poll?  Last week didn't I say they had top guards and would play everybody tough?  Well, Wirt hasn't played anybody tough for two weeks because they haven't played ANYBODY AT ALL.  An unnecessary early season vacation ends on Dec. 14 when the Troopers return to Earth for a game at Lew Wallace.  And then, they're supposed to play Munster the next night?  Where's the athletic director here?  Although I do like the Saturday, Dec. 22 game.  Wirt travels to Indianapolis to take on the Northwest Space Pioneers (2-0).  (I know. I know. But everybody has to have a nickname, kids.  They probably think 'Troopers' is funny.  Hey.  When you were little, you probably wanted to be a Space Pioneer, too, right?)  You can't rise in a poll by not playing.  After playing only two games in the first 24 days of the season, Wirt's players are going to feel like space aliens.

MORGAN TOWNSHIP:  Morgan has won three in a row after an 0-2 start.  The Cherokees have played four of five games on the road so far, so they have some quality time at home coming up.  All three wins so far have been by 10 points or less over teams with losing records, so there's not a lot to be drawn from them yet.  But this is a very experienced team that is facing the toughest part of the schedule now and they play a very patient style, so almost all of their games are going to be close.  If you're waiting for them to lose a lot though, it's going to be a long wait.  Not counting the PCC tourney, Morgan has only four road games (they host the South County tournament) the rest of the way.  This is the defending PCC, South County and sectional champ.  New coach, but they surely expect to win.

(4A) Portage (5-1)
2007 (4-17), 2006 (2-19), 2005 (8-13), 2004 (12-11)

PORTAGE:  There is a revival here.  They're doing it with football players so far, and the DAC schedule hasn't kicked in yet.  But four wins already means this year is going to be better than the last three years.  Football halfback Albert Evans scored 20 in the 61-51 win over Hobart on Dec. 4.  Evans added 12 in last week's 48-44 win over Valparaiso.  A big deal was made of the fact that Valpo had beaten Portage 21 of the last 25 times the teams have met, but this is not the same Valpo team.  You always want to live in the real world and Portage has to do a lot better than beating an all-new Valpo team in overtime if they want to celebrate.  Still, Vance Johnston, Sam Gonzalez and other football stars have come out to help the basketball team and that's good to see.  Portage roasted winless LaPorte 71-57 Tuesday night.  The days of 4-17 are clearly over.