Wildcats Look To Be More Balanced
November 15, 2017 at 5:43 p.m.
Wildcats Look To Be More Balanced
By Mark [email protected]
Walpole scored 1,977 points in his four years on the varsity team and averaged almost 27 points a game. The cupboard, however, is hardly bare on Big Blue Avenue.
Senior River West returns after averaging 16 points a game, while junior Spencer Sroufe averaged a double-double with 12.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest.
And they aren’t alone, according to coach Eli Henson.
“We have a lot of guys returning this year. We have Brian Collins, who played a little last year, but he’s better now than he’s ever been,” he said. “We have a couple of guys who are going to step up from the junior varsity that will provide some minutes for us. They might not score 10-15 points a night, but they can chip in. A couple of them can shoot, a couple of them can contribute rebounds and play good defense for us.”
Other returnees include Cody Swick, Shad Ebbinghouse, Cade Bechtold and Micah Cokl.
“We have a good core coming back. Obviously, River and Spencer are going to be relied on for a lot of scoring for us; they know that. But they know they have to trust their teammates, too.“
Since Central Noble ended the Wildcats’ season with a 62-61 sectional loss at the buzzer, this year’s crop has been working hard. Henson said this year’s Wildcats will resemble last year’s team, but with some important differences.
“It’s a different feel than last year,” Henson said. “I feel we’re more team-oriented than last year in that now you’re going to have to stop all five of us, where last year teams keyed on Nate or River. I feel we have a better core group of kids that are more of a threat from the outside. We have guys who can stretch the floor a little bit and can put more pressure on the defense.”
Henson said West and Sroufe have accepted the responsibility of leadership, and led their teammates through the offseason.
“River’s had a great summer and a great fall. It’s not necessarily his team, but he knows a lot falls on his shoulders. He carries a big burden and he’s stepped up and been a great leader,” Henson said. “He’s leading not necessarily with his words, but by example. He’s been in the weight room every day and become a lot stronger.
“He’s worked on his all-around game. Instead of just being a spot-up shooter, he can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He’s a lot quicker and added a lot of elements to his game.
”The same goes for Spencer. He played around the basket a lot last year, and now he’s more of a stretch four (power forward) for us. He’ll play a five sometimes, but he’ll play a lot around the perimeter this year. He’s developed a one-dribble pull-up jumper and he can get all the way to the rim. He’ll play around the basket in games where we have a size advantage.
“They’ve worked hard in the offseason. They’ve been committed since we got beat last year. Everybody’s bought in and showed up when they needed to be somewhere.”
The offense will have a different feel, adapting to the personnel Henson has at his disposal.
“We’re gonna try to stretch it out a little bit. We want to be as up-tempo as possible. Teams are going to key in on River and Spencer once they get in a half-court set, so we want to get the ball moving more this year and get some quick shots in transition, as opposed to having to run a lot of sets in the half-court,” Henson said.
“Defensively we’ll play a similar style. We’re going to try and play as good, sound defense as possible, try to contain the ball and not put as much pressure on Spencer down low to have to help out and get in to foul trouble.
“One thing we do lack is depth, so foul trouble could be an issue. So we’re going to do our best to keep boys out of foul trouble and give ourselves a better chance to win.”
Whitko opens its season at home Tuesday night in the traditional night before Thanksgiving matchup with Columbia City.
The Wildcats will then have eight days off before playing back-to-back home games against Three Rivers Conference rival Wabash and non-conference foe Bellmont on Dec. 1-2.
Whitko’s first road game will be Dec. 5 at Central Noble.
Walpole scored 1,977 points in his four years on the varsity team and averaged almost 27 points a game. The cupboard, however, is hardly bare on Big Blue Avenue.
Senior River West returns after averaging 16 points a game, while junior Spencer Sroufe averaged a double-double with 12.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest.
And they aren’t alone, according to coach Eli Henson.
“We have a lot of guys returning this year. We have Brian Collins, who played a little last year, but he’s better now than he’s ever been,” he said. “We have a couple of guys who are going to step up from the junior varsity that will provide some minutes for us. They might not score 10-15 points a night, but they can chip in. A couple of them can shoot, a couple of them can contribute rebounds and play good defense for us.”
Other returnees include Cody Swick, Shad Ebbinghouse, Cade Bechtold and Micah Cokl.
“We have a good core coming back. Obviously, River and Spencer are going to be relied on for a lot of scoring for us; they know that. But they know they have to trust their teammates, too.“
Since Central Noble ended the Wildcats’ season with a 62-61 sectional loss at the buzzer, this year’s crop has been working hard. Henson said this year’s Wildcats will resemble last year’s team, but with some important differences.
“It’s a different feel than last year,” Henson said. “I feel we’re more team-oriented than last year in that now you’re going to have to stop all five of us, where last year teams keyed on Nate or River. I feel we have a better core group of kids that are more of a threat from the outside. We have guys who can stretch the floor a little bit and can put more pressure on the defense.”
Henson said West and Sroufe have accepted the responsibility of leadership, and led their teammates through the offseason.
“River’s had a great summer and a great fall. It’s not necessarily his team, but he knows a lot falls on his shoulders. He carries a big burden and he’s stepped up and been a great leader,” Henson said. “He’s leading not necessarily with his words, but by example. He’s been in the weight room every day and become a lot stronger.
“He’s worked on his all-around game. Instead of just being a spot-up shooter, he can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He’s a lot quicker and added a lot of elements to his game.
”The same goes for Spencer. He played around the basket a lot last year, and now he’s more of a stretch four (power forward) for us. He’ll play a five sometimes, but he’ll play a lot around the perimeter this year. He’s developed a one-dribble pull-up jumper and he can get all the way to the rim. He’ll play around the basket in games where we have a size advantage.
“They’ve worked hard in the offseason. They’ve been committed since we got beat last year. Everybody’s bought in and showed up when they needed to be somewhere.”
The offense will have a different feel, adapting to the personnel Henson has at his disposal.
“We’re gonna try to stretch it out a little bit. We want to be as up-tempo as possible. Teams are going to key in on River and Spencer once they get in a half-court set, so we want to get the ball moving more this year and get some quick shots in transition, as opposed to having to run a lot of sets in the half-court,” Henson said.
“Defensively we’ll play a similar style. We’re going to try and play as good, sound defense as possible, try to contain the ball and not put as much pressure on Spencer down low to have to help out and get in to foul trouble.
“One thing we do lack is depth, so foul trouble could be an issue. So we’re going to do our best to keep boys out of foul trouble and give ourselves a better chance to win.”
Whitko opens its season at home Tuesday night in the traditional night before Thanksgiving matchup with Columbia City.
The Wildcats will then have eight days off before playing back-to-back home games against Three Rivers Conference rival Wabash and non-conference foe Bellmont on Dec. 1-2.
Whitko’s first road game will be Dec. 5 at Central Noble.
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