SOUTH WHITLEY — The Whitko boys basketball team is going to look quite a bit different this year. The biggest adjustment for Whitko Wildcat fans will be not seeing an Irwin on the court, as coach Rob Irwin left for Huntington North after seven seasons, and his son, Logan Irwin, is currently playing at Division I Stetson University. A four-year starter at Whitko, Logan Irwin was last year's Times-Union Area Player of the Year, averaging 29.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game for the 13-10 Wildcats. Following his decorated prep career, Logan Irwin ranks 12th all-time in the state of Indiana with 2,230 points. “That's a huge loss,” first-year Whitko coach Scott Wessel said. “We're looking for other guys that are going to step up. We're going to find them one way or another.” As of this weekend, Wessel only had six players who had solidified themselves as varsity players, including seniors Alex Stoddard, Trey Weber, Gabe Powell and Stephen Bennett, as well as juniors Seth Patrick and Dylan Cumberland. As for the rest of the roster? “Trying to find them,” Wessel said. Stoddard returns as the team's leading scorer, netting 9.9 points per game last year to go along with 4.9 rebounds. Weber and Powell are also versed in varsity action, with Weber as the team's best three-point threat and Powell playing in the post, but the rest of the returnees are inexperienced. “They obviously have to step up and understand their role and play together as a team,” Wessel said. “That's something we've really talked about. Defensively, we have to play team defense and be able to stop teams on the other end or we can't compete.” Wessel, a 2006 DeKalb High School graduate, comes to Whitko after serving as an assistant at Lafayette Jefferson. “For me coming from (Lafayette Jefferson), the talent level is totally different,” he said. “In the south, the Indianapolis schools have so much Division I talent on almost every team. It's totally different here in this conference. That's good. There's nothing wrong with that.” While talent may be at Whitko, experience is not, which will be most evident at point guard. After watching Logan Irwin play the point the past four seasons, Whitko fans will have a new point guard this year, with Cumberland getting the nod. “He's learning, just like everybody else,” Wessel said of the 5-foot-10 Cumberland. “We're all in the same boat. They're learning what I'm doing and I'm learning what they can do. It's going well.” While they're learning, Wessel anticipates taking things slow. “We're looking to be patient and get stops on the other end,” he said. “Offensively, we'll be as patient as we need to be to get the shot we want.” And if they can do that, Wessel doesn't see why his team can't do well and be in the running for a Three Rivers Conference crown. “I definitely think we can compete,” he said. “That's our goal every year, no matter who's back or who's coming up. Our goal is to compete in the conference every year. “We're going to compete, I don't care who we play,” he said. “If we're playing Columbia City, Norwell or Wabash or Rochester. We're looking to compete and be in every game.” Whitko’s first game is Wednesday at Columbia City, a team Whitko's lost to three straight times. “That's a good game that will test us and see where we're at,” Wessel said. “They're obviously very experienced. Coach (Chris) Benedict is awesome. I grew up in DeKalb, so we played Columbia City and were rivals. I have great respect for Coach Benedict and that program. What his program is about is what we're trying to build here.”
