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2003-2004
Boys Basketball
Renegade Poll - Week 2A USA-365.com Special Report(12-9-2003) |
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December update: Lake Central has justified everyone's rating so far... beating West Side and Valparaiso, two perennial powers. Munster still doesn't look like a top-10 team and Lew Wallace blew any chance they had to be a top team when Marcus Rhodes (19.0 ppg.) put his hand through a plate glass window and knocked himself out for 3 months. The region's top freshman appears to be E-Twaun Moore (14.8 ppg., FTs: 19-22, 85.4%) of East Chicago. The MVP at this point is clearly Tremaine Cooley (23.6 ppg, 21 3s) of East Chicago.
1. Lake Central (2-0)
Lake
Central had four players in double figures for the second game in a row. It's
the same four: 6-6 Brett Summers (16.5 ppg.), Krste Krstevski (13.0 ppg.), Scott
VanDeMeer (17.0 ppg.) and David Hoffmaster (13.0 ppg.). The size shakes teams.
LC's 75-58 win over Valpo was a product of Valpo's 21 of 70 shooting from the
field. From a 'D' standpoint, Valpo shouldn't get 70 shots. But that's an issue
to be revisited when the rematch comes up in 2 months. LC at the line: 42-of-63,
66.6%)...good enough for now. Big weekend: Can they survive rival Crown Point
(2-1) and hot-shooting East Chicago (4-1) on the same weekend?
2. Valparaiso (2-2)
Let
me say this now... If
Valparaiso gets 70 shots in the rematch with LC on Feb.12,
they will win decisively. Valpo was 21 of 70 and 9 of 38 from 3-point
range in a 17-point loss to LC. Brett Kimmel (12.6 ppg.) was ill and hit only
2-of-11. These are excuses, but wait for the rematch.
Valpo should get well this weekend against Portage (Dec.12) and Clay (Dec. 13).
Valpo has 27 3-point goals after 3 games and first time varsity player (and
football QB) Jon Moon
(10.0 ppg., FTs: 4-4) is off to a solid start.
3. LaPorte (3-0)
LaPorte
smoked Crown Point 78-48 and South Central 72-54 with Jerome Vann (25.0 ppg.)
continuing to produce points. 6-7 center Todd Deromdy (15.0 ppg.) has scored in
double figures all 3 games. Troy Tonagel (11.0 ppg.) has been solid, but there
are FT problems (46 of 80, 57.5%) here. LaPorte has not trailed
significantly in any game yet. What happens if they do Friday night at
Merrillville?
4. Gary Roosevelt (2-1)
Robert
Jenkins (20.7 ppg.) and Tyrone Appleton (17.6 ppg.) are off to big starts and it's
becoming clear they are better than Wallace. The rematch is Dec. 17. Roosevelt
is 49 of 73 (67.1%) from the foul line. Good numbers. Velt needs to start
playing regularly and rolling up the wins. The Gary Holiday tournament this
month is a big prize.
5. East Chicago (4-1)
Tremaine
Cooley (23.6 ppg.) has hit almost every big shot all year, according to reports.
Angel Rosado had a year like that at River Forest in 2000 when the Ingots went
all the way to the semistate. EC is 59 of 79 (74.5%) from the foul line,
outstanding numbers. How can they overcome all the size of Lake Central Saturday
night?
6. ANDREAN (1-1)
The
59ers came off a two week break and beat Bishop Noll 76-65. 6-7 Ty Harangody
(27.0) and 6-6 David Carson (20.0) have not met any true big men yet, but they
won't see that many in the LAC. Frank Provenzano (10.0) sank four three-point
baskets against Noll. The 59ers travel to Griffith Friday and the cross-town
match is Saturday night at Merrillville. This is a coming team and everybody in
3A has a problem.
7. Chesterton (3-0)
Chesterton
opened the DAC with a big home win over Merrillville. Matt Campbell (18.7 ppg.)
scored 19 and Josh Malone (12.3 ppg.) added 11. The Trojans held off a Pirate
rally at the foul line... making 14 of 18. The Trojans, for the season, are 47
of 59, an amazing 79.4% from the line. The 52-48 win over Merrillville was just
Chesterton's 20th in 62 meetings.
8. MERRILLVILLE (0-3)
This
team is still one of the 10 best in the region. How many close games can they
lose? 44-43, 54-52, 52-48... Chesterton is the 0NLY one of the three teams
that have beaten Merrillville that might be better than the Pirates. Josh Mayo
(11.6 ppg.) may be trying to do too much with LaVell Cook (14.5 ppg,) injured.
Sophomore Greg Hill tried to boost the Pirate attack with 16 against Chesterton
last week. The Pirates are only 23 of 39 (58.9) from the foul line, which is
unacceptable.
9. Gary West Side (2-3)
West
Side looked awful on the opening weekend, losing to Lake Central, East Chicago
and Gary Roosevelt. Since then, West Side has beaten Kenwood and Senn, two
Chicago Public League teams. 6-7 point guard Jamil Tucker is big and fast but
inexperienced. West Side was 27 of 43 from the line against Kenwood. They need
about 10 games before we can judge all the talent they have.
10. Munster (3-0)
The
Mustangs did a good job against an overrated Elmhurst team in the Region Rumble
on Dec. 6. The Mustang offense seems to be all perimeter and, while that can win
against most LAC teams, it won't beat Andrean or Sectional foes. With that said,
Munster is well-coached and patient. They just aren't a top-10 team state wide.
Others
to watch......
Lew Wallace (3-1)
Say
good-bye to Wallace for awhile... In what ranks as the dumbest
game-related incident of the young decade, Wallace's top-scorer Marcus Rhodes
(19.0 ppg.) punched a glass window and cut a tendon in his hand, reportedly
because he was angry about referees calls after scoring 'only' 15 first half
points. He'll miss three months. Joe Lumpkin, who came into the 76-72 loss to
Concord averaging 11.3 per game, finished with 27 keep it close. Terrell Bess
(12.0 ppg.) has been consistent, but the Hornets need lots of firepower in their
up tempo attack.
Morgan Township (3-0)
Morgan's
3-0 start is the Cherokees' best since 1990 when they were 5-0. Young Matt Bush
(27 pg.) and Nate McGinley (19 ppg.) have been consistent but untested. Morgan
averages 73 points a game and they look good until the South County championship
on Dec. 29.
BOYS BASKETBALL NOTES: Portage junior Milt Rivera scored a career-high 24 Last week in a 78-77 OT victory over Michigan City. South Bend Adams, which travels to Crown Point on Jan. 17, is 4-0 and has allowed only 42 points a game.
Boone Grove freshman Jake Pivarnek, a heralded shooter, scored 18 in his third varsity game, Boone's 74-46 win over South Central on Dec. 6. Keith Nuest of the Times newspaper reports that Kouts' 73-52 victory over North Newton last Saturday was Kouts 20th consecutive win over the Spartans.
Plymouth 6-foot-1 junior guard Kyle Benge (23.6 ppg.) has consecutive scoring games of 25, 23 and 25 points. He'll play at LaPorte in Jan. 17.
The Hammond Civic Center's 'Region Rumble' was an artistic success with three well-played games, but a box office bust with no fans. Next year? A suggestion: Instead of bringing in teams that don't know each other, let's try to bring in teams that know each other TOO well. How about arch rivals Gary West Side and East Chicago? Boys or girls. It doesn't matter. Both are loaded up for the next few years. Then go south and get the oldest rivalry in northern Indiana... Hebron and Boone Grove. No one in Hammond may know this, but the Hawks and Wolves have met over 150 times and are arch rivals. But don't bring the boys. Bring in the girls. Boone returns nine juniors next season along with all-stater Karissa Walter. Hebron returns 8 varsity players next year including potential-rich freshman Cindi Boricich. Gary West Side and Andrean drew maybe 100 people. Hebron and Boone would bring 500 people to the Civic Center.
You have to have a Hammond school?
How about the Catholic championship between Bishop Noll and Andrean? Its always
a good game and followers feel obliged to show up. An outsider? How about
Plymouth, with Kyle Benge, a top shooter, against Highland, which has good young
players and (more importantly) a fan following.
Another suggestion is to make this a championship tournament instead of a group
of disconnected games.
Four boys teams. Four girls teams. Girls semifinals at 10 a.m. and 12 noon. Boys semifinals at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Girls championship at 6 p.m. Boys championship at 8 p.m. No 3rd place games. Nobody likes consolation games. Six games and two teams win titles. A REAL tournament.