Time to get fired up
Here’s a sneak peek at the 2019-20 season, which begins Nov. 25
Basketball never can start soon enough in Indiana. Monday is the opening day of practice for the boys. Here are 10 storylines for the upcoming season.
1. Can Andrean repeat as the Class 2A champion?
Heck, yeah. The 59ers were one of the youngest teams in recent memory to win a title, and four of their best players were sophomores. Juniors Kyle Ross (17 points, 9.2 rebounds), Nick Flesher, Deshon Burnett and Ben Jones are all back. Ross, who is 6 feet 7, has lost 15 pounds. Their big loss was Johnny Carrothers, their fiery, inspirational leader. The talent is there. Expect the 59ers to be ranked No. 1 in the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association’s poll.
2. How good is West Side forward Jalen Washington?
To be announced. The 6-foot-9 sophomore already has offers from Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State and Iowa. 247Sports.com lists him as the 13th-best sophomore in the country, while Rivals.com has him ranked 20th. His summer performance against some of the best players in the country that were a year older than him put him in elite company, but he’s hardly played high school basketball. He missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.
3. What about Hammond?
Don’t sleep on the Wildcats.
They have won two straight sectionals, and Larry Moore Jr. returns four starters. They also add Darryl Reed, a 6-foot-7 transfer from T.F. North in Illinois. Reed was one of North’s best players. The good news for Hammond is that Culver Academy, which beat the Wildcats the past two years in Class 3A regionals, has moved up to Class 4A.
4. Who is going to win the Duneland Athletic Conference?
It’s wide open. Chesterton, with senior forward Jake Wadding and sophomore point guard Travis Grayson, appears to be the slight favorite. Merrillville has Keon Thompson, the best guard in the league, with some complementary parts, and Lake Central looks like it could be good. The Indians are led by senior guard Nick Anderson, who averaged 15.4 points.
5. What’s going to happen at Michigan City with Tom Wells taking over?
The Wolves are going to play as fast as possible. It’s how Wells prefers to play. He said he has 10 good players and wants to use all of them. Dez’Mand Hawkins, a 6-2 senior guard, is his top returning player.
6. Which team could be a sleeper?
No grumbling please, but Valparaiso could. The Vikings lost four starters, including Brandon Newman, who finished as their No. 2 all-time scorer. Their only returning starter is Colton Jones, a 6-2 junior guard. Cooper Jones, a 6-6 junior center, played like a starter off the bench. Valparaiso’s junior varsity team was 22-0, and freshman Mason Jones, Cooper’s younger brother, could make a splash.
7. Who is the favorite in the Northwest Crossroads Conference?
It’s not Andrean. The 59ers lost to the Mustangs by 19 last year. Munster returns starters Luka Balac, a 6-3 junior guard; Josh Davis, a 6-1 senior guard; and Jeffrey Hemmelgarn, a 6-8 senior center from a team that won sectionals.
8. Who are the new coaches?
John Boyd replaced Josh Belluomini at Bishop Noll, Wells replaced Boyd at Michigan City, Steve Baumgartner replaced Mark Anderson at Wheeler, Bobby Jones replaced Neil Dimos at Gavit and Miguel Frausto replaced Jason Hill at Clark.
9. The 10 best players (in alphabetical order):
Nick Anderson, Lake Central, senior, guard; Luka Balac, Munster, junior, guard; Johnell Davis, 21st Century, senior, guard; Nick Flesher, Andrean, junior, guard; Chris Mantis, Lowell, junior, guard; Quimari Peterson, West Side, senior, guard; Kyle Ross, Andrean, junior, forward; Keon Thompson, Merrillville, junior, guard; Jake Wadding, Chesterton, senior, forward; Jalen Washington, West Side, sophomore, forward.
10. The top 10 teams:
Wouldn’t you like to know? We’ll start rolling those out beginning Nov. 16 with our No. 10 team. The final story, which features the top-ranked team, will run Nov. 25, which is the first day of games.