LV to starts season with loss of key seniors

2021-11-23 - By s.e. SHEARER Correspondent

LAKEVILLE — When 88 percent of your offense from the year prior graduates, what does that mean to the upcoming team?

The honest answer is that it is time for the next player(s) to step up.

Laville head boys basketball coach Michael Edison is in that exact position as the 2021-22 season is set to tip off.

With the graduation of Leyton Czarnecki (16.1 points per game), Bobby Good (13.2 ppg), Andrew Dill (12.9 ppg), and Ayden Doyle (3.7 ppg), Edison can no longer find an average of 45.9 points per game in the scorebook.

“Last year I was blessed to have four amazing seniors on our squad,” explained Edison. “They were all really good players and even better people. Losing these guys will be very tough to replace with not only their skills on the court, but also their leadership in the locker room. The entire team worked very hard last year to accomplish what we were able to. I felt last year’s team was a very tight knit group of players that came in to practice every day with the right mindset and focus level. Those seniors were a big key to the atmosphere that was developed throughout the season.”

The 2020-21 version of Lancer basketball finished 14-9 overall and 6-1 in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference. It was the fourth straight HNAC basketball title either outright or shared.

“I think last year’s team had the belief that they could compete with anyone on our schedule,” said the 14th-year Laville skipper. “Having the right mindset is half of the battle sometimes. They worked extremely hard and all tried to fulfill their role on the team. The seniors really were good role models for these younger guys that will be on the court more this year.”

As a new season is set to begin, Edison is looking for a few good young men to step up and fill those open spots.

“We have openings this year for many spots to be filled,” said Edison. “I think there will be 10-12 guys this year that will fill those spots at different times throughout the year. I am really looking forward to seeing who develops and is able to step up and help us become competitive. It will be a year in which we count on a lot of different players. It is hard to predict who will fill the different positions that we will need. Our lone senior this year is Connor Henry and he has worked very hard and has stuck with things over the years. I am excited to see how he is able to help the team be successful this year.”

Due to the success of the Laville football team, the season-opener against Westville has been pushed to Feb. 3. Laville is now scheduled to open the regular season against rival Bremen on Dec. 2.

“We basically have been delayed for a week more than most other teams in our area,” said Edison. “With so many of our basketball players also playing football we decided to push back our first game against Westville. We definitely have a lot of work to do to get ready for our first opponent, which will be Bremen, but the first practice went extremely well. We will continue to try to build solid habits that will serve us well for the duration of the season.”

Of late, Laville has been able to find success in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference, combing for a 24-4 mark in the last four years.

“There will be a tremendous amount of talent in the HNAC this year,” explained Edison. “With there being so many great coaches it is a given that the players on each team are going to get better and better as the season goes along. There are going to be some really good games by some quality opponents in the HNAC this year. We are looking forward to competing and trying to do our best to be successful.”

Along with the graduation of four players from the Lancer squad a year ago, Edison has made some changes to his coaching staff. Six-year assistant and Laville High School graduate Jason Bremen took the reigns from Gordon Mosson at Argos High School. Edison has added former four-year letterwinner and Laville High School graduate Nicholas Amor to the coaching staff. Amor was a first-team all-conference player under Edison, averaging 12 ppg and six rpg. Edison also has added Bethel University graduate Luke Hillegonds, who was a member of the Pilot basketball squad.

Laville Lancers

Coach: Michael Edison, 196-106 in 14th year at school Nov. 24 Westville 2A 7:30 pm

Dec. 2 Bremen 2A 7:30 pm

Dec. 4 at Goshen 4A 7:30 pm

Dec. 7 at Argos 1A 7:30 pm

Dec. 10 Winamac 2A © 8:00 pm

Dec. 17 at Pioneer 1A © 8:00 pm

Dec. 18 John Glenn 3A 7:30 pm

Jan. 4 at Tippecanoe Valley 3A 7:45 pm

Jan. 15 Elkhart Christian 1A 7:45 pm

Jan. 18 Bi-county Tournament TBA thru Jan. 22 Jan. 25 South Bend Career 2A 7:30 pm

Jan. 29 at Boone Grove 2A 7:30 pm

Feb. 5 at West Noble 3A 2:30 pm

Feb. 12 Whitko 2A 7:30 pm

Feb. 19 at Concord 4A 7:45 pm

Feb. 22 at Oregon-davis 1A 7:30 pm

LV to starts season with loss of key seniors

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