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Al Rhodes stops his videotape, turns off the TV and puts his remote control down.
It's 1:30 Monday afternoon, and the Warsaw boys basketball coach is watching tape of Fort Wayne South Side's team.
To coaches, preparing for regional this year is the equivalent of the stressed-out college student performing an "all-nighter."
The college student who feels poorly prepared for an exam crams by studying all night. Like college students, coaches must cram for the regional, although not by choice. Their hands are tied by an IHSAA schedule that features a sectional championship on Saturday followed by one-game regionals on either Tuesday or Wednesday followed by a two-game semistate on Saturday.
Warsaw (18-4) faces No. 10 (4A) Fort Wayne South Side (20-3) in today's 7 p.m Class 4A regional at South Side. The Tigers advanced by beating Concord 53-42 in Saturday's Elkhart 4A Sectional, while South Side advanced by beating Carroll 78-66 in the Fort Wayne Northrop 4A Sectional.
Warsaw's sectional title game ended at 9:30 p.m. Later that same night Rhodes began preparing for South Side.
"We started watching tape Saturday night," he said. "You would like time to celebrate your sectional win, but you have to get going right away.
"Sunday night the coaching staff met at 7 and put together a gameplan."
Rhodes is fortunate. As of 9 a.m. Monday, South Side coach Gregg Taylor had seen no Warsaw game tapes, and when asked if he would see any before today's regional, he said, "It doesn't look like it."
"We don't play them on our schedule," he said, "so I haven't seen much of them. We had a coach scout the Concord game."
South Side may be the one team in the state more senior-dominated than Warsaw; Warsaw has eight on its varsity roster, while the Archers have nine. All five South Side starters -Êguard Kenny Tolbert, guard Jason Barnes, forward Kevin McDavid, forward Devon Phillips and center Brandon McLemore - are seniors.
Of South Side's three losses, one came to Marion. The Archers led that game 58-50 in the second half until Marion closed the game with a 30-8 run to win 80-66. The team on Warsaw's schedule Rhodes compares South Side to is Cincinnati Withrow, which Warsaw beat 78-62. South Side defeated Carroll 78-66 in the Fort Wayne Northrop Sectional championship.
South Side, which Rhodes believes is the second-best team Warsaw will have faced (besides Marion) this season, presents Warsaw three problems. One, the Archers own the offensive glass. They have outrebounded teams this season by an average of 30-16, and they typically have as many offensive rebounds as the opposing team has defensive rebounds.
"They are one of the best offensive rebounding teams I've# seen by far this year of anyone we've faced," Rhodes said. "A crude estimate, maybe 60 percent of their points against Carroll came on putbacks."
Two, the Archers have quick outlet passes after defensive rebounds and zip down the floor.
"This team will be very different from teams we've faced in the sectional," Rhodes said. "Both of those teams wanted low-possession games. We have to control the tempo and make sure it's not a 100-point game."
Said Taylor: "I'd say the faster the game, the better for us."
Three, Archers point guard Kenny Tolbert harrasses and harangues opposing point guards.
"It all starts with Tolbert," Rhodes said. "The rest of the defense works hard on denying the basketball, and they don't let teams move the basketball easily.
"Jason Barnes is an excellent defender on the wing. (Brandon) McLemore, their center, guards the lane very well. Their guards can gamble on the perimeter with him able to stay back and block shots."
Limiting South Side's offensive rebounding. Controlling the tempo. Warsaw's point guards, Brad Seiss and Trent Martin, handling pressure from Tolbert.
To Rhodes, how Warsaw performs in those three areas will determine if the Tigers survive and advance.
"We don't have," he said, "a whole lot of margin for error in those three areas."
On the other side, Warsaw has gotten through the sectional with stifling half-court defense and by hitting free throws. Sectional opponents shot a combined 38 percent against Warsaw, and the Tigers hit 38 of 47 free throws, 81 percent.
Free throws may be the Archers' biggest weakness: They hit just 60 percent from the line.
Taylor's concerns?
"Warsaw is strong on the boards," he said. "We can't allow them second shots. (Chris) Wiggins has us concerned because of his size playing guard. Our biggest guard is 6'2'. He's probably their best player. Wiggins, and (Steve) Siebenmorgen's size and strength inside have us concerned."
A sectional was won Saturday. The regional championship is tonight, three days later.
"Tonight's (Monday's) practice will not be rocket science," Taylor said. "I'd prefer more time, but the kids, they're ready to throw it up and play."
1999-2000 WARSAW BOYS BASKETBALL STATS
(Through 22 games)
Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG
Wiggins (G) 79-187 42 38-98 39 54-69 78 250 11.9 67 3.2 38 1.8 82 3.9
Sbnmrgn (F) 65-120 54 3-8 38 79-103 77 212 11.8 32 1.8 22 1.2 78 4.3
Nelson (C) 96-148 65 1-3 33 50-64 78 243 11.0 17 0.8 17 0.8 90 4.1
Kesler (G) 62-112 55 0-4 0.0 51-76 67 175 9.2 64 3.4 19 1.0 83 4.4
B. Seiss (G) 25-49 51 1-6 17 39-66 59 90 4.1 60 2.7 39 1.8 46 2.1
Buck 35-65 54 1-5 20 20-33 61 91 4.1 31 1.4 26 1.2 56 2.5
Rhodes 8-20 40 2-7 29 1-6 17 19 1.0 22 1.2 1 0.1 23 1.2
Finnegan 30-66 45 1-8 13 8-11 73 69 3.1 19 0.9 11 0.5 54 2.5
Martin 17-37 46 14-31 45 7-15 47 55 2.5 18 0.8 9 0.4 13 0.6
G. Seiss 15-26 58 0-0 - 2-9 22 32 1.5 12 0.6 5 0.2 25 1.2
Henthorn 20-36 56 11-23 48 11-13 85 62 3.4 10 0.6 1 0.1 12 0.7
Walmer 2-6 33 0-3 0.0 0-3 0.0 4 0.3 5 0.3 1 0.1 3 0.2
Warsaw 454-872 52 72-196 37 322-468 69 1302 59.2 357 16.2 189 8.6 621 28.2
Opponents 383-919 42 93-292 32 254-372 68 1113 50.6 219 10.0 200 9.1 494 22.5
*starters indicated by position
1999-2000 FW SOUTH SIDE BOYS BASKETBALL STATS
(Through 23 games)
Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG
Barnes (G) 96-216 44 57-136 42 40-59 68 289 12.6 34 1.5 27 1.2 49 2.1
Phillips (F) 107-207 52 3-8 38 24-63 38 241 10.5 58 2.5 60 2.6 170 7.4
McLemore (C) 100-179 56 1-2 50 27-44 61 228 9.9 28 1.2 33 1.4 154 6.7
McDavid (F) 62-104 60 1-2 50 38-63 60 163 7.8 15 0.7 12 0.6 67 3.1
Tolbert (G) 45-118 38 10-36 28 34-51 67 134 5.8 91 4.0 24 1.0 46 2.0
Taylor 55-133 41 25-75 33 24-35 69 159 6.9 22 1.0 19 0.9 69 3.1
Smith 67-145 46 4-26 15 16-21 76 154 6.7 69 3.0 16 0.7 52 2.3
Waller 40-67 60 0-0 - 12-26 46 92 5.1 8 0.4 8 0.4 49 2.7
Howell 10-28 36 4-11 36 12-18 67 36 1.6 9 0.4 2 0.1 10 0.4
FW South 596-1203 50 105-299 35 233-390 60 1530 66.5 340 14.8 207 9.0 692 30.1
Opponents 349-703 50 73-169 43 236-360 66 1007 48.0 160 7.6 85 4.0 339 16.1
*starters indicated by position
**(South's opponents' totals are through 21 games)
Warsaw
(18-4)
*Warsaw 71, T. Valley 68 (2 OT)
*Warsaw 38, Columbia City 37
Warsaw 51, Valparaiso 44
Warsaw 61, Wawasee 40
*FW North 64, Warsaw 60
*Northridge 74, Warsaw 56
Warsaw 56, Elkhart Central 40
Warsaw 74, Lake Central 46
Warsaw 78, Withrow 62
Warsaw 68, G. Wallace 58
Warsaw 62, Goshen 25
*NorthWood 75, Warsaw 66
*Warsaw 42, Concord 39
Marion 70, Warsaw 62
*Warsaw 65, E. Memorial 63
Warsaw 50, Plymouth 44
Warsaw 56, Gary Wirt 43
Warsaw 72, H. North 57
*Warsaw 62, Carroll 47
Warsaw 53, Kokomo 46
Elkhart Sectional
Warsaw 46, East Noble 29
Warsaw 53, Concord 42
*regular season road games
No. 10 (4A) Ft. wayne South Side
(20-3)
*FW South 61, Eastbrook 53
*FW South 75, H. North 63
FW South 59, SB LaSalle 54
FW South 63, Homestead 55
*FW South 69, FW Snider 60
FW South 75, Bishop Luers 58
FW South 62, FW Wayne 61
*FW South 73, Adams Central 56 (OT)
*FW South 76, FW Elmhurst 52
FW South 46, FW Wayne 45
Bishop Dwenger 57, FW South 56
*FW Concordia 53, FW South 45
*Marion 80, FW South 66
*FW South 71, Harding 64
*FW South 67, FW North 58
FW South 68, FW Elmhurst 56
FW South 79, FW Northrop 37
*FW South 71, Ind. Chatard 44
*FW South 71, Bishop Dwenger 52
FW South 58, SB St. Joseph's 48
*FW South 80, Winchester 59
Fort Wayne Northrop Sectional
FW South 61, FW North 59
FW South 78, Carroll 66
*regular season road games
