The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Lake relying on chemistry around Eller, Frazier
Lake Catholic wears a target on its back. Teams want to win every game but, seemingly, opponents yearn to beat the Cougars more than an average foe.
The mark comes with the territory of the Cougars’ success in recent seasons, led by Division I college prospects Luka Eller and Luke Frazier. The juniors keyed Lake Catholic’s Jefferson District title as freshman before the Cougars finished as the district runner-up against Villa Angela-St. Joseph in 2018.
Eller and Frazier hold a handful of college offers. They begin their third year of varsity play when most juniors would play their first.
But seniors Ryan Boruszkowski and Sean Fitzgerald are also two-year varsity players. How they fill their roles is equally vital to Lake Catholic’s aspirations for 2018-19. The experience in coach Matt Moran’s rotation affords its pieces unique cohesion.
“I would say we’ve all been through the highs and lows with each other,” Boruszkowski said. “It just makes you stronger, makes us more together and everything.”
Junior Christian DeMitro, who played sparingly alongside Eller and Frazier as a freshman, will join them in the starting lineup. Boruszkowski is a speedy guard who will help Frazier with ballhandling duties, Fitzgerald spreads the floor as a 3-point threat, and Moran says the hard-working DeMitro has the best understanding of
his role.
Seniors Vinny Cremonese, Nick Grandini and Eric Dickey figure to factor in off the bench.
Opponents will look to force the ball away from Eller or Frazier, if not both, during the winter. Teamwork is necessary to counter that strategy.
“It’s just a matter of us three have been in a gym together on the varsity team for three years,” Frazier said. “Practicing and going against each other every day, same with Sean Fitzgerald, we just all play against each other every day, we just have the chemistry that’s finally come together this year.”
Eller averaged a double-double as a sophomore, scoring 20.2 points and pulling down 10.3 rebounds per game. Frazier scored 15.8 points per game.
Now upperclassmen, production on the scoreboard isn’t the talented duo’s only responsibility.
“I think it’s past how many points they can score for us,” Moran said. “Now it’s, you have to be the hardest worker, you have to be the most disciplined.”
Eller and Frazier are used to their individual success. After two seasons, they possess a better sense of how to lead and elevate their teammates’ level of play.
“Once we get together as a team, that’s the fun part,” Eller said. “Putting in each other’s talents, individually, making each other better, that’s really what it comes down to.”
The Cougars open their season against Gilmour Nov. 30. The schedule includes dates with Mentor, St. Ignatius, Solon and Cornerstone Christian alongside Lake Catholic’s North Coast League slate.
Moran seeks consistent improvement to benefit the team when the postseason arrives.
“There’s a lot of expectations right now,” Moran said. “I’m not necessarily concerned with what the wins are going to pile up to be. You want to win every single one of them, but I want us after every game, win or loss, feel that we’re taking a step