Depth, said coach Doug Ogle, will be a strength of this season’s Warsaw boys basketball team. The Tigers will need that depth against a schedule Ogle described as the toughest since he's been at the helm of the tradition-rich program. “Our schedule is really tough this year,” said Ogle, who takes a record of 175-94 into his 13th varsity season. “We added Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern, LaPorte, a holiday tournament ... this is my 13th year, and this is the toughest schedule since I've been the coach. We could be a pretty good team and still have some losses.” Warsaw, coming off an 11-10 season that included a 2-5 mark in the Northern Lakes Conference, opens the 2014-15 campaign Wednesday when it hosts county rival Tippecanoe Valley. The Tigers’ 10-man varsity roster includes seniors Rashaan Jackson, Jake Mangas, Tim Swanson, Peyton Long and Nick Sands; juniors Paul Marandet, Riley Rhoades and Evan Schmidt; and sophomores Kyle Mangas and Jeremy David. “I feel like we have a good group of seniors,” said Ogle. “All five of them are good basketball players. I like that we have a quality group of seniors.” The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Jackson, who showed off his scoring ability at times during last season, particuarly in a big first quarter against Northridge and in the holiday tournament at Hamilton Heights, headlines Warsaw's list of returners. Playing in 13 games before sitting out the remainder of the season because of a suspension, Jackson started 12 games and averaged 11 points and four rebounds per game. He made 50 percent of his shots from the floor. “In the senior class, we have an explosive athlete in Rashaan Jackson,” said Ogle. “He can do a lot of different things.” Jake Mangas started 20 games last season in the post and averaged 10 points and three boards per game while shooting a team-best 67 percent from the floor. “Jake Mangas is steady and really dependable,” said Ogle. “He's a very smart player.” Expected to join Jackson and Jake Mangas in the starting lineup are Marandet, who started at point guard last season, Kyle Mangas and either Swanson or Sands. Rhoades, who only played in eight games last season because of an injury, will add depth to a group of experienced post players, as will David, while Schmidt and Long will add depth at guard. “We're going to be deeper than we have been in recent years,” said Ogle. “I plan on playing nine guys. We're going to be able to substitute guys in. We have depth at every position.” Following Wednesday's game against Valley, the Tigers host Columbia City Saturday, and then go on the road for the first time on Dec. 5 against Class 4A No. 2 Homestead. Other notable road trips include games at preseason 4A No. 5 Hamilton Southeastern on Feb. 7 and Class 4A No. 1 Carmel on Feb. 21. Hamilton Southeastern has produced two of the last three Indiana Mr. Basketballs, while Carmel has won two of the last three state championships. Carmel's bid for a third-straight state title ended with a sectional loss last season to Hamilton Southeastern. “We strengthened the schedule this year ... we have a really tough schedule,” said Ogle. “We designed our schedule to prepare us for the sectional.”
