To think of the season as running a race, Doug Ogle is preparing for a marathon rather than a sprint. The 11th-year Warsaw boys basketball coach wants his Tigers to be in position for success at the end of the season. The finish line is months away, and until then, patience is going to be a virtue. “The important thing right now is going to be patience,” said Ogle, whose team opens the season Wednesday when it hosts county rival Tippecanoe Valley. “It may take a while for us to play as well as what we’re capable of.” Warsaw was 13-8 overall and 3-4 in the Northern Lakes Conference last season. Gone from that team are Lucas Grose, Jordyn Coon, Rhett Kesler, Jay Holladay, Kevin West and Brock Anson. Grose was the Tigers leading scorer at nearly 17 points per game, as well as the team’s leading rebounder at six boards per game. Coon was second in both categories with 10 points and five rebounds per game. Both Grose and Coon were three-year starters on the varsity team. Ogle doesn’t have that experience to rely on this year. In fact, his current roster returns just 27 starts from last season. Senior Jared Bloom started 19 games last season, averaging close to 10 points per contest, and is the most experienced player returning. Junior Jordan Stookey has seven varsity starts to his name and averaged six points per game. Cracking the starting lineup once, senior Taylor Cone is the only other player on this season’s varsity roster to have started a game. “The combination of Jared Bloom and Jordan Stookey is very good,” said Ogle. “Those two guys are capable of scoring points in a variety of ways.” Also on Warsaw’s varsity roster are seniors John Swanson, Jason Ferguson and Quim Romans, and juniors Darren Walcott, Trae Furnivall and Nate Pearl. While the current varsity roster features just nine players, Ogle said he will dress 12 or 13 players per game. Among those expected to dress with the varsity team are sophomores Rashaan Jackson, Jonny Hollar and Jake Mangas. While his team is inexperienced right now, Ogle likes his squad’s potential and is excited about the possibilities. “I don’t think we’re going to be out-athleticed in too many games,” said Ogle. “I think the guys have worked hard to increase their athletic profiles. When you look at the guys we have back, I think we’re strong enough and quick enough to have a good team.” The Tigers will be tested right out of the gate, as they open the season with Tippecanoe Valley, then host Columbia City Saturday and travel to Homestead on Nov. 30. Homestead was 23-3 last season, while Columbia City was 17-8 and Valley was 16-5. All three return virtually their entire team from a year ago. “Our first three opponents are very experienced,” said Ogle. “Those three teams combined were 56-16 last year and they all have a lot of their players back.” After the game with Homestead, the Tigers travel to Huntington North on Dec. 1 and host Rochester Dec. 7. Warsaw will open NLC play Dec. 14 at Wawasee.
