Recruiting

[valporun]

Apostle, come IHSA regional/sectional play, the varsity head coach brings all of his coaches, varsity assistants, sophomore level, and freshman level coaches to the bench with him. Gives some of them experience coaching in a game that means more than just building up program basics and traditions. Yes, it looks like the end of our bench, with transfers, managers, and eligible players sitting out with injuries, but this happens all over, as a part of program expectations, since so many programs bring up potential sophomores and freshmen to fill a couple more roster spots, so they can get experience being with varsity, even if they don't play at all.

[ValpoHoops]

Apostle, come IHSA regional/sectional play, the varsity head coach brings all of his coaches, varsity assistants, sophomore level, and freshman level coaches to the bench with him. Gives some of them experience coaching in a game that means more than just building up program basics and traditions. Yes, it looks like the end of our bench, with transfers, managers, and eligible players sitting out with injuries, but this happens all over, as a part of program expectations, since so many programs bring up potential sophomores and freshmen to fill a couple more roster spots, so they can get experience being with varsity, even if they don't play at all.

So you're saying a team needs EIGHT assistant coaches? That would mean that their varsity has two assistants, then the JV coach, two JV assistants, a freshman coach and two freshman assistants (assuming that would be the breakdown) To have that many guys on the bench is absurd...how on earth do you actually "use" these coaches during a game? Is each one assigned a player (which would also be absurd)?


Edit: Sorry, that all came across as harsh, but I don't feel like changing it...I certainly didn't mean it that way...I was too busy laughing at the picture and just got going...


I guarantee you that several (most?) of these guys are volunteers (perhaps even parents, uncles, brothers, etc.) who are basically trying to get on their resume that they were an assistant at Simeon and they coached Jabari Parker...and they'll all try to be the one who takes credit for working individually with him (not that I blame them...)

[valporun]

Nope, two or three varsity coaches (one of which is also the head JV coach), two sophomore coaches, two freshmen coaches, and one of the "coaches" may also be the athletic trainer. You may have a volunteer coach or two, but all coaches in the state of Illinois have to be certified by the state athletics association, whether they are a teacher, who is certified with their teaching certifcation, or a coach who took a certification course through the state that teaches coaching philosophy, ethics/morals, and first aid. Schools aren't allowed to have non-certified coaches on their staff, or they lose right to participate in IHSA sanctioned playoffs/championships.

[ValpoHoops]

Certified and volunteer are not mutually exclusive. And, if they're paying that many guys to be coaches, the better have the best damn arts program in Illinois.   I'm not arguing with you, I just think it's ridiculous.

[valporun]

Chicago is its own ballgame when it comes to what they'll spend money on, compared to the rest of the state. You have to be "Certified" through the state, or you can't coach, whether you are paid or not. I was a certified volunteer track and cross country coach at my old high school, and if you weren't certified, you couldn't coach. The team with any uncertified coach would lose the right to play in IHSA-sponsored state championship rounds because the coach wasn't certified by the state. They checked on this regularly.

I know you aren't arguing with me, but each state has different requirements of their coaches, but the certification standards are becoming almost essential everywhere, with so many unethical coaches just looking to pad records and getting ineligible kids on their teams. I know a lot of people in the communities I live around don't like this need to be certified, because all they are wanting is for our programs to be able to compete with Chicago, but a lot of the coaches they are saying we should have coaching are the types that aren't looking out for the best in the student's education and future, but his ego.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Coaches, smoaches.  They can sit behind the bench, can't they?  Think how far that pushes the players into the frickin' hallway.

Ridonk.

[valporun]

Apostle, in Chicago, the gyms are big enough that the players sit in chairs, and there is enough space to sit 8 coaches. Heck, watch a lot of these games, and you'll see each coach from all three levels, sitting on the varsity bench, even if 6 of those coaches are acting as statisticians/advisors/managers, and not actually coaching individual players. It's just an expectation of the system that is Chicago Public School League basketball. It is a completely different basketball brand in CPS, and they are constantly petitioning the IHSA to let them have their own state championship for just CPS because they don't want to have their kids' college recruiting be hindered by playing the smaller suburban schools in regional and sectional play.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Dude, I'm saying that
a) the guy who took it knows all that unless for some reason that's his first postseason game ever
and
b) the fact remains that they have more coaches than Marist had 1st half points.

[zvillehaze]

So you're saying a team needs EIGHT assistant coaches? That would mean that their varsity has two assistants, then the JV coach, two JV assistants, a freshman coach and two freshman assistants (assuming that would be the breakdown) To have that many guys on the bench is absurd...how on earth do you actually "use" these coaches during a game? Is each one assigned a player (which would also be absurd)?

It happens.  Here's the roster from Lawrence North HS in Indy from a few years ago.  http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x409/zvillehaze/LNRoster.jpg  That's 6 varsity coaches, 2 JV coaches and 2 freshman coaches.  Of course, maybe they just figured that every guy 6'5" or over needed their own coach ... who knows?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

MARCH MADNESS®: 
the kind that has less class the more classes it has

Tonight 
--Nick Davidson and Andrean manhandled Hanover Central 69-47 (leading 48-14 at half) for Davidson's fourth sectional title.  Top that, homeboy.  11 pts, 6 assists:
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/high-school/boys-basketball/andrean-boys-win-th-straight-sectional-title/article_a2913859-3095-59c4-9a61-8b15088758b9.html

It doesn't get any better for Andrean.

"It really can't," Davidson said. "This senior class can go out saying that they've never lost a sectional game, and that's pretty impressive.

"We've won four sectionals in a row and it just goes to the credit to the coaching staff and the kid's willingness to work and get better and to never be satisfied. This one is really sweet and we're going to enjoy it, but we know if we keep working hard and keep our heads we can really do some damage."
...
"In the first quarter we got a little rhythm going and that carried over into the second quarter," Davidson said. "It's just so much fun, and that's why you play the game for moments like that. You're having fun out there with your teammates and just enjoying it."

Next: Davidson and Andrean try to finally break their antepenultimate round jinx in the 3A Plymouth regional vs. Gary Wallace

--Clay Yeo ensured that last year's one-point victory over #8 Marquette in the sectional final was repeated, scoring over 2/3 of his team's points in a 47-46 semi-upset.

Clay Yeo won a sectional title for Triton on Saturday night. The Valparaiso-bound senior scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds... The offense revolves around getting him the ball.

That last line got an autobid to the NCOS (National Championship of Obvious Statements).

The game write-up also has some of the nice bitter statements the losing coaches always give when they (feel they)'ve been jobbed and are forced to talk with a reporter within 5 minutes months of the final buzzer.
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/high-school/boys-basketball/triton-squeaks-by-marquette/article_9d54190a-1543-5324-9bfb-2f35ca39df88.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Yeo did pick off a pair of key passes in the final minute, including one on the Blazers' final inbounds play with three seconds left to seal the victory for Triton (17-5).

Next: vs. winner of FW Canterbury vs. Lakewood Park (Monday because FWC girls won state title today).  Triton hosts their own regional, so if Clay was getting the calls at Culver, just imagine...or don't, if you're a Bowman fan.  Triton lost last year but was champion his sophomore year.

[VULB#62]

It happens.  Here's the roster from Lawrence North HS in Indy from a few years ago.  http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x409/zvillehaze/LNRoster.jpg  That's 6 varsity coaches, 2 JV coaches and 2 freshman coaches.  Of course, maybe they just figured that every guy 6'5" or over needed their own coach ... who knows?

Yikes, how does one public HS district that is based on geographic limits and has 'only' 2500 kids, have a roster with: 7-0 (1), 6-10 (1), 6-9 (3) and 6-7 (4)  players   

That runs contrary to the rules of both genetics and probability.  That is, unless there is some recruiting shenanigans and/or surreptitious mid-night moves going on.

But I guess in their defense, there was not a single 6-6 guy on the roster.   

[Kyle321n]

It happens.  Here's the roster from Lawrence North HS in Indy from a few years ago.  http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x409/zvillehaze/LNRoster.jpg  That's 6 varsity coaches, 2 JV coaches and 2 freshman coaches.  Of course, maybe they just figured that every guy 6'5" or over needed their own coach ... who knows?

Yikes, how does one public HS district that is based on geographic limits and has 'only' 2500 kids, have a roster with: 7-0 (1), 6-10 (1), 6-9 (3) and 6-7 (4)  players   

That runs contrary to the rules of both genetics and probability.  That is, unless there is some recruiting shenanigans and/or surreptitious mid-night moves going on.

But I guess in their defense, there was not a single 6-6 guy on the roster.   

When you live in Indy you can choose which HS to go to.

[VULB#62]

Aha!  So Lawrence is sort of a basketball magnet school ?  Similar to a high school that specializes in, say, music and art, or science?

[humbleopinion]

IHSAA officially would have a problem with a student choosing a school to play basketball.  However, it's hard to make the case.  The IHSAA may rule that the transfer would be for athletic purpose (when any reasonable person in the state could figure out what was going on), but when it gets to court, you'd practically need to have a video of the kid saying that he was transferring for athletic purposes to make the IHSAA ruling stick.

[bbtds]

It happens.  Here's the roster from Lawrence North HS in Indy from a few years ago.  http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x409/zvillehaze/LNRoster.jpg  That's 6 varsity coaches, 2 JV coaches and 2 freshman coaches.  Of course, maybe they just figured that every guy 6'5" or over needed their own coach ... who knows?

Yikes, how does one public HS district that is based on geographic limits and has 'only' 2500 kids, have a roster with: 7-0 (1), 6-10 (1), 6-9 (3) and 6-7 (4)  players   

That runs contrary to the rules of both genetics and probability.  That is, unless there is some recruiting shenanigans and/or surreptitious mid-night moves going on.

But I guess in their defense, there was not a single 6-6 guy on the roster.   

When you live in Indy you can choose which HS to go to.

Where did you hear this?

Within Marion County there are 10 school districts. I don't believe you can switch school districts unless going to a private school. 

Indy Public Schools (IPS) is by far the subpar school district and a lot of their students attend private schools such as Cathedral, Roncalli, Brebeuf Jesuit, Cardinal Ritter, Lutheran, Scecina Memorial, Heritage Christian, Covenant Christian, etc.

Maybe within the IPS district you can choose which of the public high schools you go to. Broad Ripple, Northwest, Arsenal Tech, Shortridge, Crispus Attucks, Washington. Arlington, John Marshall, Manual and Howe. 

Within each school district there is usually only one high school......Franklin Township(southeast)=Franklin Central, Decatur Township(southwest)=Decatur Central, Warren Township(east central)=Warren Central, Washington Township(north central)=North Central, Pike Township(northwest)-Pike, Wayne Township(west central)=Ben Davis.

There are some school districts with 2 high schools......Perry Township (south central)=Perry Meridian and Southport, Lawrence Township (northeast)=Lawrence Central and Lawrence North. Along with some independent suburbs that have their own schools outside of the township school districts......Beech Grove(in Perry Township but independent school district), Speedway(in Wayne Township but independent school district).

Within the suburb of Lawrence, in Lawrence Township which includes the area of the former Ft. Harrison, which is one of the better suburban areas within Marion County, Lawrence North has become known as the basketball school and Lawrence Central has become known as the football school.

Some families have moved into the Lawrence Township school district just so they can play sports. The well known ones are the Conleys, Mike Conley, JR, and Greg Oden and his mother. The Oden's moved from Terre Haute. Mike Conley SR grew up in Chicago and gained employment as an agent in the Indy area. They moved to Lawrence because of LN's basketball coach, Jack Keefer. Another good basketball player on those LN teams was one Brandon McPherson.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Here's the thing, though.  If they don't need that in college or the NBA, where the stakes are higher and the games far more numerous, then they don't need that in high school.

And if you're going to play the "teaching kids" card, then there should be 42 coaches on every middle school bench.

again.  RIDONK.

[swiftmutiny]

From Alec Peters on Twitter:

Mr. Basketball finalist #blessed

[milanmiracle]

Aha!  So Lawrence is sort of a basketball magnet school ?  Similar to a high school that specializes in, say, music and art, or science?

Um, sort of. It's kind of that way all over the city. Not all that long ago Indianapolis Pike had 7 D1 players on it's roster at the same time. There are soo many good players down here it's crazy.

*IF I remember correctly that Lawrence North team didn't win sectionals.

[zvillehaze]

Aha!  So Lawrence is sort of a basketball magnet school ?  Similar to a high school that specializes in, say, music and art, or science?

Um, sort of. It's kind of that way all over the city. Not all that long ago Indianapolis Pike had 7 D1 players on it's roster at the same time. There are soo many good players down here it's crazy.

*IF I remember correctly that Lawrence North team didn't win sectionals.

There were at least 7 DI guys on that Lawrence North team, and you're correct, they lost to North Central in the sectional finals.  North Central lost to eventual state champ Brownsburg the following week.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

MARCH MADNESS®: 
the kind that gets regionals and sectionals in the proper order

Saturday 
--Nick Davidson and Andrean broke their regional jinx in winning two-in-a-day, the way it used to be in days when boys were men, shorts were short, and tattoos were as rare as a small school winning it all.

For the day, Davidson had 30 points, 12 in a 71-56 semifinal win over Gary Lew Wallace and 18 to go along with 10 assists in the 70-60 OT final over host & nemesis Plymouth.

Andrean 71, Lew Wallace 56
Andrean 70, Plymouth 60 (OT)

"We know (6'9" Plymouth forward Mack Mercer) is a good player and scouted by a lot of good teams, but we were able to really attack him coming off of ball screens and stuff like that," Niners senior Nick Davidson said. "We were able to get him into foul trouble in the early stages of the game and that went over.

"When he came out of the game we knew we needed to attack that paint, he made it very difficult. When he came out of the game, you could tell that it really opened up."

Davidson, who scored 10 of his 18 points in the third quarter, secured a double-double with 10 assists. He had eight of those assists in the second half.

Next: Davidson and 22-3 Andrean play Saturday for the 3A semistate title in the afternoon game in Huntington against 22-4 FW Concordia.  Ooh!  A Catholic-Lutheran battle!  BRING IT.

--Clay Yeo led the way for Triton in a similarly successful Saturday, first avenging last year's regional loss to Tab-Gerardot-alma-mater Fort Wayne Canterbury, with 17 points in a Broekhoff-like performance (there I said it).  He shut down his counterpart, holding FWC's star Trent VanHorn, to 11 points on 3 of 17 shooting.

Triton 44, FW Canterbury 41

Much as it did in the win against Culver in the sectional semis, Triton had to navigate a bulk of the third quarter with a foul-ridden Yeo on the bench. And again, a host of Trojans stepped forward to chip in.
..."That's what this team is all about," [Triton coach Jason] Groves said. "They know that Clay is the main man, but they know their role. When he isn't doing things, they know they have to step up. Our kids are unselfish, they don't care who gets the credit. They recognized the situation and saw Clay was in foul trouble, and they all stepped up."

Yeo again set himself apart in the fourth quarter, scoring Triton's last five points and coming up with a pair of big blocks. His 17 points were stacked with just a 3-of-10 conversion from the floor, but Yeo hit all 11 of his free throws. Toss in nine rebounds, five assists and six huge blocks and it was another Yeo-man's effort.

That last line got an autobid to the NCOJIWEM (National Championship of Obvious Jokes I Wouldn't Even Make).

The championship game left Triton on fumes as their opponent Pioneer had won the earlier game (over Gary 21st Century) by a comfortable 63-49 margin.  Nevertheless, playing at home for the last time brought out the best in Our Man In Bourbon, who poured in 35 points on 13 of 17 shooting to restore his 27 ppg average from the earlier game.  Oh, and by the way his team won by 12 too.

Triton 53, Pioneer 41

As he has done all season, and for the second time in the course of Saturday's do-or-die scenarios, Clay Yeo was a class above the rest. Yeo shot an outstanding 13-for-17 from the floor, including three from long-range, to finish with 35 points. In another do-it-all platform for Yeo, each passing opportunity warranted another chance to offer more than just chucking the ball at the hoop and seeing what happens. Yeo added five rebounds, three blocks, two steals, an assist and sent the partisan crowd into hysterics after throwing down his first dunk of the playoffs.

"Oh my God, this is awesome, it's great. Just look at it, people are everywhere," Yeo said, reminding us he is still a kid after performing like someone past his years thus far in the tourney. "I know everybody and I'm going to get a thousand hugs. This is going to be awesome."

Yeo's dunk was actually a key moment in the second half, as the sequence had Yeo flush a steal for two, then come back down a trip later and spin to the hoop for two more. After being fouled on a made bucket, Yeo put Triton up 31-26 and the separation between the Trojans and Panthers had officially begun.

Next: The 19-5 Trojans advance to the 1A semistate in the afternoon game at Lafayette Jeff (too bad they couldn't put them in the same one as Andrean so VU fans could go cheer for both) versus perennial power#6 Lafayette Central Catholic (18-8).

For his career, Yeo has 1,950 points, 615 coming this year.

So far.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

BONUS Clay Yeo twitter fun...
1)  after the sectional championship:

i dunno...maybe it's all the dunking?

2)  shout-out from former teammate and VU walk-on hero-legend:


3) thoughts on the GB game, retweeted from a friend

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Not sure if this affects our recruiting him positively or negatively, but 2015 F/C Matt Holba (who holds a VU offer) is leaving Chesterton and moving with his family to Indianapolis, where he will play for upstart and 3A defending champs Guerin Catholic.  10 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 bpg as a sophomore for the 13-9 Trojans, who lose their latest star big man (Mitch McGary, anyone?)...

NWI:  http://www.nwitimes.com/high-school/chesterton/basketball-football-standout-holba-leaving-chesterton/article_5882540b-52b7-5fea-be43-d676a671561d.html

P-T (login required):  http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/18793428-556/matt-holba-to-transfer-from-chesterton-to-guerin-catholic.html

[FWalum]

Here are some interesting tidbits for the Concordia Andrean game.

• There will be a ton of VU alumni at the game. The high school is more closely affiliated to VU because of a fair amount of alums on the faculty and staff.
• You will be watching 2 VU recruits not just 1. Junior DJ McCall from Concordia visited VU about 3 weeks ago and has been wearing a VU hoodie ever since. As far as I know he has not been offered by anyone other than Chicago State, but there appears to be interest from VU.

McCall is very young 6'6"and still growing and can be compared to Jordan Coleman athletically.  He has good ball handling skills and is sometimes called on to play the point.

Here is a link to a local station that has video of the Concordia Norwell regional championship game and some bonus coverage of Triton vs Canterbury. Concordia Triton video

[FWalum]

For those from "Da Region" interested in watching an extended video of Concordia in a good game against 4A Homestead before the Andrean game here it is.
12-22 Homestead 48 | Concordia 55
Concordia is an interesting team with a lot of experience.  4 of the starting 5 are seniors and all 4 will either play college basketball or football.

[bbtds]

Not sure if this affects our recruiting him positively or negatively, but 2015 F/C Matt Holba (who holds a VU offer) is leaving Chesterton and moving with his family to Indianapolis, where he will play for upstart and 3A defending champs Guerin Catholic.  10 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 bpg as a sophomore for the 13-9 Trojans, who lose their latest star big man (Mitch McGary, anyone?)...

NWI:  http://www.nwitimes.com/high-school/chesterton/basketball-football-standout-holba-leaving-chesterton/article_5882540b-52b7-5fea-be43-d676a671561d.html

P-T (login required):  http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/18793428-556/matt-holba-to-transfer-from-chesterton-to-guerin-catholic.html

Crap! Guerin from Noblesville in Hamilton County is tough enough. They and LCC will be having a battle for the Archbishop's title every year. This will be no altar boy battle. The Knights and the Golden Eagles (Marquette and ORU-imagine) are very tough. Tougher than Andrean and Bishop Noll.

http://www.guerincatholic.org/

http://www.lcss.org/centralcatholic/Home.aspx

With the new IHSAA system for advancing schools that win often LCC will most likely be a 1A in 3A and Guerin will be a 3A in 4A. But when it comes to battling each other class doesn't matter.