Start the countdown
With 2 weeks left in the regular season in boys basketball, here are 10 storylines to follow
It’s time to take a look at the state of boys basketball in Northwest Indiana. Here are 10 storylines to follow as the regular season winds down. The sectional draws are Feb. 21.
1. Hammond, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A in the poll by The Associated Press, has a legitimate chance to make a deep postseason run. The Wildcats have defeated solid Class 4A teams like Munster, West Side and Evansville North. And their only loss through Thursday was by one point to Lawrence North, which is ranked No. 3 in 4A.
After the Wildcats beat West Side, Hammond coach Larry Moore Jr. said his team wasn’t going to lose very many games. He was right. The Wildcats have won three straight sectional titles.
2. Kouts is ranked No. 3 in Class 1A. The Wireman boys, Cole and Cale, are the most exciting brother duo around. They average 27.3 points and 16.8 points, respectively, for Kouts. The road to tournament success runs through 21st Century, however. The Cougars (5-12) play a brutal schedule. Kouts (18-2) was 1-9 against 21st Century before winning their latest matchup 68-67 on Friday.
3. West Side finally got the signature win it sought when it knocked off Indianapolis Cathedral, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, on Feb. 6. This could be the on-ramp to a big finish for the most talented 4A team in Northwest Indiana. West Side coach Chris Buggs said Mason Nicholson, a 6-foot-9 center, should return sometime this season after suffering a foot injury.
4. There was no fallout at Chesterton with the graduation of Jake Wadding, a four-year starter who is playing well for Grace College. The Trojans lost Travis Grayson, their leading scorer, for several games but still went 3-0 in Duneland Athletic Conference play. Sean Elliott, their second-leading scorer, returned Friday against Portage after missing nine games. Justin Sims, who is 6-5, is one of the best freshmen in Northwest Indiana. And Owen Guest, a 6-2 sophomore guard who transferred from Maine South in Illinois, is an excellent spot-up shooter.
5. Crown Point and Hammond were shooting 40.8% and 42.7%, respectively, from 3-point range going into Friday’s games. That’s really good. For context, Munster, which is an excellent 3-point-shooting team, was making 36.5%. As of Friday, Baylor was leading NCAA Division I at 43.9%. Purdue Fort Wayne was second at 40.4%, and Weber St. was third at 40.2%.
6. Hebron’s Reece Marrs not only has the best name for a basketball player, but he also is really good. Marrs, a 5-11 junior, is averaging 19.9 points. He averaged 14 points as a sophomore.
7. Bowman and Andrean are the favorites locally in Class 2A, with Marquette in the mix. Bowman beat Andrean 57-46 on Jan. 7. Marquette beat Bowman 82-62 on Jan. 19, but the Eagles played without Koron Davis, a 6-6 senior averaging 24.1 points.
8. Mason Jones, who is 6-7, is the best sophomore in the Region and Valparaiso’s best allaround player. Jones makes an impact in every game. He had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a win against Michigan City. Those stats will only improve. Other talented sophomores include Michigan City’s Jamie Hodges, Crown Point’s AJ Lux and 21st Century’s Demetrius Moss and Quintin Floyd.
9. Most schools started allowing 25% fan capacity at games, which has made home court into a real advantage. Look for the tournament to have 50% capacity if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to drop.
10. In-person scouting by coaches won’t be the same even when the pandemic ends. There will be less of it because staffs have discovered they can be just as good without it.