Grace Men Fall To Clarke University
November 20, 2017 at 5:09 p.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
Wawasee boys basketball coach Jon Everingham said the offseason has been more productive, and the result is being better prepared for the start of the season.
“It almost feels like we’re refining some things that we tried over the summer. We experimented with some things, and now we’re zeroing in on the things we can be successful with,” he said.
“Last year at this time it was a completely different feel, where we were introducing pretty much everything; the drills, the offense, the defense and so on. We have a lot of the same guys back, so that helps. The physical and mental maturity certainly is far above where it was last year.”
The Warriors, with six seniors on the roster, will look to make a move up from last season’s 6-18 record. Everingham said he has confidence this group will take that step.
“We’re going to miss last year’s seniors, and their leadership and maturity,” said Everingham. “But in terms of skill level and the ability to compete, we’ve got everything we need right here.
“Trevon Coleman was an all-conference guy, and he averaged 13 points a game last year. And we have a slew of other guys who have plenty of experience over the last couple of years. Caden Wagoner will man the point-guard position, Ben Hoffert is a junior that had some success last year and will play quite a bit. Jairus Boyer, this will be his third year playing a lot of varsity minutes, and the same with Jacob Hand.”
Boyer, Hand and Hoffert each averaged around five points a game last season and will look to take on more of a scoring load this year.
The biggest weight of expectation the Warriors have to bear is a six-season, 42-game Northern Lakes Conference losing streak. The last Wawasee conference win was a 73-51 victory over Northridge on Feb. 15, 2011 at the Hardwood Tepee. The six Wawasee seniors were sixth graders then.
Everingham’s approach to that particular albatross is to not put too much emphasis on any one regular-season game.
“Just like last year, it’s not something we talk about. It’s just something that exists and is out there, and I know I’ll be asked about it,” he said. “It’s certainly not a focus or something we talk about as a main goal for the season.
“Again, we’re coming into the season trying to figure out how to put together a squad that will compete not only for a conference championship, but also a sectional championship.
“Last year we talked about winning and we didn’t quite get over the hump. We were competitive in a lot of games. But it’s not about winning one NLC game, it’s about winning all of the NLC games and all the sectional games, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Everingham said Warrior Nation will like how their boys basketball team represents Wawasee on and off the floor. The plan is to establish a winning “brand” that should, hopefully sooner than later, show up in the win column.
“We’ve got really good kids, and they represent their families, our school and our basketball program very, very well,” the coach said.
“The brand that we’re putting on the floor is guys that know how to act on the basketball floor and off the floor, play extremely hard, and that are gonna compete.
“The biggest question is if we can get over the hump in terms of winning basketball games, and that’s a still a big question mark. I think it’s just a matter of getting out there, playing some games and trying to crack the code. We got so close last year, and it’s just a matter of finding that one little situational thing that will crack the code and get us over the hump.”
Wawasee opens its season Tuesday at Fairfield, then has nine days to prepare for its home opener Dec. 1 against Manchester.
Wawasee boys basketball coach Jon Everingham said the offseason has been more productive, and the result is being better prepared for the start of the season.
“It almost feels like we’re refining some things that we tried over the summer. We experimented with some things, and now we’re zeroing in on the things we can be successful with,” he said.
“Last year at this time it was a completely different feel, where we were introducing pretty much everything; the drills, the offense, the defense and so on. We have a lot of the same guys back, so that helps. The physical and mental maturity certainly is far above where it was last year.”
The Warriors, with six seniors on the roster, will look to make a move up from last season’s 6-18 record. Everingham said he has confidence this group will take that step.
“We’re going to miss last year’s seniors, and their leadership and maturity,” said Everingham. “But in terms of skill level and the ability to compete, we’ve got everything we need right here.
“Trevon Coleman was an all-conference guy, and he averaged 13 points a game last year. And we have a slew of other guys who have plenty of experience over the last couple of years. Caden Wagoner will man the point-guard position, Ben Hoffert is a junior that had some success last year and will play quite a bit. Jairus Boyer, this will be his third year playing a lot of varsity minutes, and the same with Jacob Hand.”
Boyer, Hand and Hoffert each averaged around five points a game last season and will look to take on more of a scoring load this year.
The biggest weight of expectation the Warriors have to bear is a six-season, 42-game Northern Lakes Conference losing streak. The last Wawasee conference win was a 73-51 victory over Northridge on Feb. 15, 2011 at the Hardwood Tepee. The six Wawasee seniors were sixth graders then.
Everingham’s approach to that particular albatross is to not put too much emphasis on any one regular-season game.
“Just like last year, it’s not something we talk about. It’s just something that exists and is out there, and I know I’ll be asked about it,” he said. “It’s certainly not a focus or something we talk about as a main goal for the season.
“Again, we’re coming into the season trying to figure out how to put together a squad that will compete not only for a conference championship, but also a sectional championship.
“Last year we talked about winning and we didn’t quite get over the hump. We were competitive in a lot of games. But it’s not about winning one NLC game, it’s about winning all of the NLC games and all the sectional games, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Everingham said Warrior Nation will like how their boys basketball team represents Wawasee on and off the floor. The plan is to establish a winning “brand” that should, hopefully sooner than later, show up in the win column.
“We’ve got really good kids, and they represent their families, our school and our basketball program very, very well,” the coach said.
“The brand that we’re putting on the floor is guys that know how to act on the basketball floor and off the floor, play extremely hard, and that are gonna compete.
“The biggest question is if we can get over the hump in terms of winning basketball games, and that’s a still a big question mark. I think it’s just a matter of getting out there, playing some games and trying to crack the code. We got so close last year, and it’s just a matter of finding that one little situational thing that will crack the code and get us over the hump.”
Wawasee opens its season Tuesday at Fairfield, then has nine days to prepare for its home opener Dec. 1 against Manchester.
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