2004-2005 Boys Basketball  Week-4 Renegade Poll A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (12-16-2004)

(12-16-2004) Nobody has jumped out in the first three weeks of the season as a dominating team. Merrillville has taken two overtime losses. Andrean has been a tad fortunate and Gary West Side has taken some losses.

The boys LAC tournament will create some excitement and draw some fans this week (unlike the girls tournament which was as dead as the National Hockey League) at Calumet.

Valparaiso has started the fastest, but because their players are new to the varsity, you can't say how good they are. The lack of Holiday tournaments slow the schedule for the next two weeks. Andrean and Bishop Noll travel to Indianapolis to play in the Brebeuf Classic. A big tourney locally will match Boone Grove and undefeated rival Kouts in the South County tournament Dec. 22-23 at Boone. Rivals Roosevelt and West Side should meet in the finals of the four-team Gary Holiday Tournament on Dec. 28 at West Side.

1.) East Chicago (4-2)

EAST CHICAGO – The Cardinals turned back Lake Central but they should have won by more when you consider LC had a very difficult game the night before. How many points is E'Twan Moore (23.5 pg.) going to score? If he played for Highland, he'd be all-state already. EC travels to Indianapolis to join Bishop Chatard (1-1), Marion (2-3) and Host North Central in the North Central Holiday tournament on Dec. 29-30. The foul shooting (79-137, 57.6%) has got to get better.

But this independent schedule will serve them well down the line. And few teams have more athletic ability.

2.) Merrillville (1-2)

MERRILLVILLE – I refuse to drop a team due to overtime losses. The Pirates lost 63-58 in OT at LaPorte last Friday and 64-61 at home in OT to rival Andrean last (Dec. 11) Saturday. How many times do I have to explain that an overtime game is a tie game? Josh Mayo (15.6 ppg.) and Greg Hill (14.6 ppg,) give them a solid scoring base and 6-5 center Dwayne Momon (9.0 ppg.) will hold his own inside. Mayo had eight three-point goals after three games. The Pirates are 36 of 47 (76.5%) from the foul line. Don't jump off the Pirate ship because of a couple of stormy nights.

3.) Gary West Side (5-2)

GARY – It's hard to judge the Cougars, who have played four out-of-state teams. 6-7 Jamil Tucker (18.6 ppg.) scored 30 in an 88-80 win over Chicago Public League standout Farragut. 

The Cougars have score at least 67 points in every game but everyone has played up-tempo with them so far.

What happens when somebody slows the pace?.

4.) Valparaiso (5-0)

VALPARAISO – New 6-8 center John Hanselman has been ill and has missed two games but Valpo has had no problems, winning five games by 13 points or more.

The Vikings smoked out Crown Point 55-35, holding the Bulldogs to 12 of 40 shooting. VHS also paddled South Bend Clay 57-39 and low-bridged Portage 53-35, all in a five day span.

6-2 Jon Moon (17.0 ppg.) scored 24 against CP. The Vikings have also made 86 of 109 (78.9%) of their free throws, the No. 1 rate in NW Indiana. Rob Hummel scored a new career high 15 against the Bulldogs, who were the fifth team Valpo has held under 50 points. They are making it look far too easy.

5.) Chesterton (2-3)

CHESTERTON – Once again, I just don't buy overtime losses as bad losses. The Trojans edged Michigan City 57-56 and lost to Lake Central 73-68 in overtime. Chesterton has also lost 74-71 in overtime at Mishawaka (5-0). Freshman Zack Novak has scored in double figures in every game. The Trojans should have lost to Merrillville but they were as good or better than the other four teams they've played.

Besides, nobody's jumping up all shiny and ready to take this spot in the poll.

6.) Crown Point (2-2)

CROWN POINT – The Bulldogs gave away a 64-61 loss at Lake Central (Dec. 10) and then got flattened 55-35 at Valparaiso (6-0) four nights later. 6-2 senior Sam Henderson scored a career-high 23 points against LC with seven three-point goals but he was 0-for-5 against Valpo. The VHS game may have been a reaction from losing a 10-point fourth quarter lead at LC.

CP still has a good team and they should recover Friday might (Dec. 17) against Michigan City. The Bulldogs average almost seven three-point goals a game but they could average 10 a game. The foul shooting is at 77% (60 of 78, 76.9%). 6-4 center Ryan Brown has a broken nose but he's playing with it. He scored 10 against Valpo. CP is too experienced not to bounce back.

7.) Andrean (4-0)

MERRILLVILLE – Andrean's 6-7 Luke Harangody (26.2g.) is leading the way and a 64-61 win over Merrillville was a happy day.

The 59ers advanced to the quarterfinals of the LAC tournament with a 72-44 win over Griffith. But Andrean can win the LAC tourney and there are still problems. Senior wing Frank Provenzano is out until February with injury and the 59ers don't have that much offense without him. The foul shooting is just below 70% (53 of 79, 67.2%) so there's not a real problem there. But the 59ers did not see any tall teams in the first four foes.

8.) Lake Central (3-2)

ST. JOHN – They have snatched three narrow victories, 74-73 over West Side, 64-61 over Crown Point and 73-68 in OT over Chesterton. I don't know what's going on here. This team made 13 first half turnovers at Chesterton and still won.

Who is 6-1 junior wing Adam Short (16.8 ppg.) and how is he scoring all these points? LC has trailed after three quarters four times in five games. The Indians are this far down in the poll because you can't continue to win this way. They have been lucky so far. But 69-of-100 at the foul line is good and the confidence to rally late is not a bad thing.

The only losses are to West Side (5-2) and East Chicago (4-2). But this team may look better than they are. The Indians are a couple of bounces and two free throws away from being 0-5.

9.) LaPorte (3-1)

LaPORTE – Here's another team that's hard to read. The 63-58 win in OT over Merrillville is a proud moment. But they lost at CP (2-2) and they barely survived Portage 42-41. Troy Tonagel will help when he comes back at guard. Kris Staats (14.8 ppg.) has scored 56 points in his last three games. 5-10 guard Airrence Shark (11.6 ppg.) has been steady. The Slicers are still strong at home.

But I don't know what they'll do at Valparaiso this Friday (Dec.17) and at Michigan City next Tuesday (Dec. 21).

10.) Hammond (4-1)

HAMMOND - Okay, they're a little erratic. But they have top-10 talent and wins over Munster and Gary Roosevelt are the reasons those two teams aren't in the poll. Hammond is better than those two when they play well. Guard Jere Taylor (17.2 ppg,) and wing Chris Moore (11.4 ppg.) lead an up-tempo attack that has been effective in every game except the 74-63 loss to Highland (3-2).

But Hammond has enough experience to reverse some of the close losses they suffered last year when they were 13-10. The key to the team is 6-6 Aaron Wright because I'm not sure what's happened to 6-8 Jermaine Brooks, who has hardly played.

OUTSIDERS...

Outsider No. 1 - Boone Grove (2-1)

PORTER TOWNSHIP - Danny Borys (26.6 pg.) scored a career-high 32 in a 71-20 romp over River Forest. The 61-48 loss to Valpo must be judged in the light of Valpo's 6-0 record. Boone has hardly started and they won't get real until the South County Tournament next week.

Foul shooting (52 of 67, 77.5%) has been a strength. Nobody else but Borys is scoring and that must change.

Boone's sophomore backcourt of Joe Johnson and Jake Pivarnik must contribute because Joe Faron is the only other true guard the Wolves have with any experience.

Outsider No. 2 - Munster (3-1)

MUNSTER - It's always difficult to separate hype from fact about Munster. They are always highly-touted and they usually win. But they are the largest, most affluent school in the 16-team LAC and they should never lose to Whiting and Clark. They blew a 12-point lead and lost to Hammond 68-65.

Munster's record is less significant than their performance in big games. Does it matter how many times they blow out Calumet?

In the early going, the Mustangs are playing 10 players and that will help them eventually when they face Gary West Side in the big money games.

As for this weekend, they want to play Andrean (3-0). And Hammond again.

Outsider No. 3 - Kouts (4-0)

KOUTS - This team is averaging 69.2 points a game, but wins over Kankakee Valley, South Central, North Newton, and Hebron left some questions unanswered. They've allowed 55.2 which is a little much.

Kouts has given up 20 three-points goals which is also a little much.

Jake Birky has scored 48 points in his last three games and Jake Schoon (15.4 ppg,.) and John Lauer (13.0 ppg.) have been consistent.

Foul shooting (74-102, 72.2%) has been good. But can they speed up a taller Boone Grove team in the South County semifinals on Dec. 22?

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Revised: December 16, 2004 .