Warsaw Being Honored For Team Play
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Quite honestly, Warsaw has a trophy case and a rich tradition that some programs around the state can only dream of.
Along the way, there have been plenty of standout players.
There have been Mr. Basketballs Jeff Grose and Kevin Ault.
There have been other Indiana All-Stars like Mike Niles, Ben Niles, Charlie McKenzie, Ron Brandenburg, Marty Lehman, Rick Fox, Jason McKenzie and Nic Moore.
The 2014-15 edition of the orange and black has had plenty of success of its own.
The Tigers won the Northern Lakes Conference with a 7-0 record, won the Warsaw Holiday Tournament and will take an 18-4 record against a very tough schedule into this week’s Class 4A sectional at North Side Gym in Elkhart.
While there is plenty of talent on Warsaw’s roster, the current group of Tigers have achieved their success with team play.
And in a unique year of basketball where there’s no dominant individual in the area, the Times-Union is recognizing the Tigers for their team play, rather than giving out an Area Player of the Year award.
To understand the group that Doug Ogle is blessed to coach, close your eyes and think about the scene from the motion picture Hoosiers, as Gene Hackman’s character (Coach Norman Dale) stresses the importance of team play.
“Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit. No one more important than the other. Team. Team. Team.”
The Tigers have taken that line from the silver screen and brough it to life on the court.
“We’re very unselfish,” said sophomore Kyle Mangas when asked what makes Warsaw so good. “All of us do what’s best for the team and for each other.”
Mangas leads the Tigers in scoring with just under 12 points per game.
Senior Rashaan Jackson scores nine points per game, while senior Jake Mangas averages just under eight points per game and classmates Nick Sands and Tim Swanson average seven each.
Junior Paul Marandet scores five points per game and averages a team-high five rebounds per game while running the show from his point guard position.
“Some of us have been playing together since fifth grade,” said Jackson, who exemplifies taking on a team role after many thought he would be a standout scorer this season. “We play really well as a team. You hear people say things like ‘you need to score more’ or ‘you need to shoot more’, but they don’t see what goes on in practice everyday. We’re a team ... more like a family.”
In the first 21 games of the season, Kyle Mangas scored a team-high 250 points, followed by Jackson (199), Sands (158), Jake Mangas (154), Swanson (145) and Marandet (108).
Junior Riley Rhoades has come off the bench and provided strong play in the post area, while senior Peyton Long has come off the bench as another ballhandler.
And the scary thing, as balanced as the Tigers are on offense, their strength may be on the defensive end of the floor.
“We really focus on defense,” said Jake Mangas, who Ogle praised for his post defense. “We take pride in how we play defense. I think we all understand that defense is important and that we’re better when we play as a team.”
Warsaw gives up just 43 points per game and has outrebounded its opponents more times than not this season.
The Tigers’ faith and trust in each other has kept them from being rattled in most situations this season.
Warsaw went on the road in Dec., and fell just 60-59 to current Class 4A No. 4 Homestead, as Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski was there to watch Caleb Swanigan.
The Tigers went on the road two weeks ago and lost just 45-40 to No. 2 Carmel.
And when No. 6 Carroll came to the Tiger Den for the regular season finale, Warsaw didn’t back down then either, eventually pulling out a 48-47 win in overtime.
“Balance has been our key,” said Marandet. “Everyone has accepted their role and we’re getting better everyday. This team is pretty special, and we think we can make some noise in the tournament because we play as a team. If the other team slows one of us down, we have other guys who are ready to step up. We’re a team.”[[In-content Ad]]
Quite honestly, Warsaw has a trophy case and a rich tradition that some programs around the state can only dream of.
Along the way, there have been plenty of standout players.
There have been Mr. Basketballs Jeff Grose and Kevin Ault.
There have been other Indiana All-Stars like Mike Niles, Ben Niles, Charlie McKenzie, Ron Brandenburg, Marty Lehman, Rick Fox, Jason McKenzie and Nic Moore.
The 2014-15 edition of the orange and black has had plenty of success of its own.
The Tigers won the Northern Lakes Conference with a 7-0 record, won the Warsaw Holiday Tournament and will take an 18-4 record against a very tough schedule into this week’s Class 4A sectional at North Side Gym in Elkhart.
While there is plenty of talent on Warsaw’s roster, the current group of Tigers have achieved their success with team play.
And in a unique year of basketball where there’s no dominant individual in the area, the Times-Union is recognizing the Tigers for their team play, rather than giving out an Area Player of the Year award.
To understand the group that Doug Ogle is blessed to coach, close your eyes and think about the scene from the motion picture Hoosiers, as Gene Hackman’s character (Coach Norman Dale) stresses the importance of team play.
“Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit. No one more important than the other. Team. Team. Team.”
The Tigers have taken that line from the silver screen and brough it to life on the court.
“We’re very unselfish,” said sophomore Kyle Mangas when asked what makes Warsaw so good. “All of us do what’s best for the team and for each other.”
Mangas leads the Tigers in scoring with just under 12 points per game.
Senior Rashaan Jackson scores nine points per game, while senior Jake Mangas averages just under eight points per game and classmates Nick Sands and Tim Swanson average seven each.
Junior Paul Marandet scores five points per game and averages a team-high five rebounds per game while running the show from his point guard position.
“Some of us have been playing together since fifth grade,” said Jackson, who exemplifies taking on a team role after many thought he would be a standout scorer this season. “We play really well as a team. You hear people say things like ‘you need to score more’ or ‘you need to shoot more’, but they don’t see what goes on in practice everyday. We’re a team ... more like a family.”
In the first 21 games of the season, Kyle Mangas scored a team-high 250 points, followed by Jackson (199), Sands (158), Jake Mangas (154), Swanson (145) and Marandet (108).
Junior Riley Rhoades has come off the bench and provided strong play in the post area, while senior Peyton Long has come off the bench as another ballhandler.
And the scary thing, as balanced as the Tigers are on offense, their strength may be on the defensive end of the floor.
“We really focus on defense,” said Jake Mangas, who Ogle praised for his post defense. “We take pride in how we play defense. I think we all understand that defense is important and that we’re better when we play as a team.”
Warsaw gives up just 43 points per game and has outrebounded its opponents more times than not this season.
The Tigers’ faith and trust in each other has kept them from being rattled in most situations this season.
Warsaw went on the road in Dec., and fell just 60-59 to current Class 4A No. 4 Homestead, as Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski was there to watch Caleb Swanigan.
The Tigers went on the road two weeks ago and lost just 45-40 to No. 2 Carmel.
And when No. 6 Carroll came to the Tiger Den for the regular season finale, Warsaw didn’t back down then either, eventually pulling out a 48-47 win in overtime.
“Balance has been our key,” said Marandet. “Everyone has accepted their role and we’re getting better everyday. This team is pretty special, and we think we can make some noise in the tournament because we play as a team. If the other team slows one of us down, we have other guys who are ready to step up. We’re a team.”[[In-content Ad]]
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