New Coach, Experienced Players At Whitko
November 21, 2016 at 6:08 p.m.
New Coach, Experienced Players At Whitko
By Mark [email protected]
Fleetwood moved on to Owen Valley, but left new Wildcat head coach Eli Henson with quite a bit to work with.
At the top of the list is senior Nate Walpole, who led the Three Rivers Conference in scoring last season.
“Nate’s one where on any possession he could get his own shot off if he really wanted to. He averaged 26 points a game last year, and that’s a lot to ask for,” said Henson, who came to Whitko from North White in Monon. “He knows there’s a big burden on him; he’s got to be able to score for us to be competitive, and he knows that.
“My whole thing with him is to get him to understand what a good shot is and what a bad shot is, and when to find his teammates. I feel like since we’ve started with our fall workouts and open gyms that he’s done an excellent job of getting everyone involved.
“He’s a listener, and he takes in what I’m telling him to do and he tries to go out there and do it. He’s taken on more of a leadership role this year and so far he’s doing a great job of running the show for us.”
Henson said River West provides additional scoring punch, and 6-foot-6 sophomore Spencer Sroufe will be called on to make a big step forward this season.
“Last year Spencer’s role was to provide some hustle and rebounds for us. This year he’s going to be asked to do a little bit more. We need his scoring and his presence inside,” said Henson. “He’s a great help defender, and if your guy beats you off the dribble, you can always plan on Spencer being there. We’re trying to get him to the point where he stays out of foul trouble, because without him on the court, the next tallest guy is River at 6-1.
“We’re trying to get him to realize how important he is to our team. I think he’s ready for an expanded role, and we’re trying to get him to be more aggressive on the offensive end. He needs to be able to score 10 to 15 points for us, and I feel like he has the ability to do that.”
West is coming off a season in which he averaged better than 15 points a game, good for seventh in the TRC.
“River is by far our best shooter. He’s one where if he gets hot he can hit four or five threes in a row,” Henson said. “He’s a streaky player, but he’s an offensive threat no matter where he is on the court.
“Last year he was more of a three-point shooter, and this year he’s got the ability to put the ball on the floor and get by somebody and either finish at the rack or pull up for a jump shot. He’s put in the time in the offseason, and he knows what it takes to get a lot better. I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen from River. He’s consistent, comes out every day and busts his butt in practice, and does what he needs to do to make himself better and make his team better.”
Seniors Alex Bechtold, Colin Craig and Alex Robbins round out the returnees with the most varsity experience. Classmate Tim Gensch played quite a bit of junior varsity ball last season, as did junior Cody Swick.
So while there’s some experience returning for the Wildcats, playing time is available for someone who can step up. Henson said improvement and competitiveness will be areas where Whitko can define success.
“Every team’s goal is to win a sectional championship, but does that always define a good season? No. I hope that we’re competitive every game, and that if we have some early losses that we learn from them,” he said.
“I want us to play our best basketball come February and that first week of March. As long as we get to that point, and the kids are getting a little bit better each week, that’s how I’d define success.”
Whitko opens the 2016-17 season at Columbia City Wednesday night.
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Fleetwood moved on to Owen Valley, but left new Wildcat head coach Eli Henson with quite a bit to work with.
At the top of the list is senior Nate Walpole, who led the Three Rivers Conference in scoring last season.
“Nate’s one where on any possession he could get his own shot off if he really wanted to. He averaged 26 points a game last year, and that’s a lot to ask for,” said Henson, who came to Whitko from North White in Monon. “He knows there’s a big burden on him; he’s got to be able to score for us to be competitive, and he knows that.
“My whole thing with him is to get him to understand what a good shot is and what a bad shot is, and when to find his teammates. I feel like since we’ve started with our fall workouts and open gyms that he’s done an excellent job of getting everyone involved.
“He’s a listener, and he takes in what I’m telling him to do and he tries to go out there and do it. He’s taken on more of a leadership role this year and so far he’s doing a great job of running the show for us.”
Henson said River West provides additional scoring punch, and 6-foot-6 sophomore Spencer Sroufe will be called on to make a big step forward this season.
“Last year Spencer’s role was to provide some hustle and rebounds for us. This year he’s going to be asked to do a little bit more. We need his scoring and his presence inside,” said Henson. “He’s a great help defender, and if your guy beats you off the dribble, you can always plan on Spencer being there. We’re trying to get him to the point where he stays out of foul trouble, because without him on the court, the next tallest guy is River at 6-1.
“We’re trying to get him to realize how important he is to our team. I think he’s ready for an expanded role, and we’re trying to get him to be more aggressive on the offensive end. He needs to be able to score 10 to 15 points for us, and I feel like he has the ability to do that.”
West is coming off a season in which he averaged better than 15 points a game, good for seventh in the TRC.
“River is by far our best shooter. He’s one where if he gets hot he can hit four or five threes in a row,” Henson said. “He’s a streaky player, but he’s an offensive threat no matter where he is on the court.
“Last year he was more of a three-point shooter, and this year he’s got the ability to put the ball on the floor and get by somebody and either finish at the rack or pull up for a jump shot. He’s put in the time in the offseason, and he knows what it takes to get a lot better. I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen from River. He’s consistent, comes out every day and busts his butt in practice, and does what he needs to do to make himself better and make his team better.”
Seniors Alex Bechtold, Colin Craig and Alex Robbins round out the returnees with the most varsity experience. Classmate Tim Gensch played quite a bit of junior varsity ball last season, as did junior Cody Swick.
So while there’s some experience returning for the Wildcats, playing time is available for someone who can step up. Henson said improvement and competitiveness will be areas where Whitko can define success.
“Every team’s goal is to win a sectional championship, but does that always define a good season? No. I hope that we’re competitive every game, and that if we have some early losses that we learn from them,” he said.
“I want us to play our best basketball come February and that first week of March. As long as we get to that point, and the kids are getting a little bit better each week, that’s how I’d define success.”
Whitko opens the 2016-17 season at Columbia City Wednesday night.
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