CAHOKIA CONFERENCE - KASKASKIA DIVISION

BY JACK BULLOCK The sprint to the finish line in the race for the Black Diamond Conference East Division should come down to three early favorites and a couple of darkhorse’s. It is hard to look at a team that lost ten games in a season as a successful one but when you look at the Eldorado Eagles schedule last winter then a 22-10 mark was pretty good. Coach Greg Goodley’s club won the BDC East title but dropped a 72-54 title game loss to Fairfield at Gallatin Coounty in the Class A Regional. The Mules also lost double-digit games and went on to lose its sectional opener to Vienna at Hamilton County while Carmi-White County dropped a decision to upstart Grayville at the Mount Carmel Class A Regional semis. The Bulldogs also felt the double-digit bite. All three of these teams have quality experience returning and will share the chalk in the East. Difficult schedules – especially against each other tend to make the losses pile up. The darkhorse’s are Hamilton County and Cairo – in styles that are different as night and day but equals in the quality of basketball teams produced in the last thirty years. Longtime head coach Curt Reed is still getting his Foxes motivated into his disciplined offensive style while Larry Baldwin is back in charge at Cairo where he hopes to once again rekindle some of the magic that put his team and town on the statewide basketball map. The longshot in the field resides in Johnston City where head coach Mike Stallings hopes to ambush some good ones in 2007-08. ABV believes that the top three have the tactical speed to hold off any outside closers. The Eldorado/Carmi-White County/Fairfield trifecta won’t pay much at the window – unless you are one of the fans in the seats when these three knock heads in the twelve league games scheduled between them. 1. ELDORADO The Eagles have to replace the teams’ two top scorers who left via graduation. Coby Creamer and Austin Bradley each hit for 12 points a game during a season in which Eldorado was a top seed in its own Class A Regional but couldn’t quite get things rolling in the title game against conference brother Fairfield. Bradley – who was named ABV Carbondale Supersectional Area First Team last winter – will be missed as the team leader at both ends of the floor while Creamer topped the Eagles in points and was even with Bradley with 2.7 assists a game. Despite the BDC East title Eldorado appears even hungrier in 2007-08 with four players back that started at one time or another and played in all 32 games from a season ago. Isaiah Cunningham is back for his junior season and he is qualified in the Goodley way of doing things having spent his entire prep career in a varsity uniform. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 8.4 points a night for the Eagles as a sophomore and added 3.3 rebounds. He is one of the top athletes in the South and can run the floor and handle the ball. As a power forward he plays around the rim but can step out and hit shots facing the basket. ABV believes there is a many more points and rebounds in his immediate future. Although Eldorado lost two fine backcourt players to graduation – there are two more ready to walk into the spotlight. Dallas Robinson – a 5-foot-11 senior – played in a lot of games last season and netted 7.7 points and two assists a game. Cody Lane had an excellent freshman season while learning the ropes at the varsity level. The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard scored 7.6 points a game and is the son of one of the top players ever to wear an Eldorado uniform. His father Eddie Lane is a 1978 graduate who played on two state finals teams. These two form one of the most solid backcourts in the Deep South. Six-foot-six senior Jordan Williams provides some needed size in the middle of the defensive end of the floor. Williams came off the bench most of last season but his role will be much more important in 2007-08. Alex Parker – a 6-foot-2 senior forward – is another player who plays in bit larger than his height. Five-foot-eleven senior Brandon Harner and 6-foot-1 senior Kyler Cook should each see their respective minutes increase this season. Other key members returning include 6-foot sophomore guard Barry Parker and 5-foot-11 junior Dakota Street. According to Coach Goodley (220-144 in 12 years at Eldorado) his top seven kids that will see most of the action are strong in the weight room. ”For the first time since I began coaching I have a group that can all bench 200 lbs.,” said Goodley – an Eldorado grad who became the school’s all-time leading in boy’s basketball wins last season. “We will be big and athletic. I plan to mix in a lot of guys into games. One of our big assets is having Lane and Cunningham both being able to face the basket. Parker plays a lot bigger than he is and can really run the floor. Williams has really improved over the summer. Robinson and Harner will run our offense and the fast break for us. We will look to get up and down the floor this year.” OUTLOOK – Although the Eagles may start out a bit slow they should close on in this field in the Black Diamond East just before the tape. They will also be one of the favorites in the Deep South in Class 2A. Size, quickness and rebounding ability will win a lot of basketball games at any level and Eldorado has all of that. They play a rough and tumble non-conference slate of games with three strong tournaments. Coach Goodley has been a bit snake bit in the postseason as of late but ABV believes the Eagles could be flying toward a special season in 2007-08. 2. CARMI-WHITE COUNTY The Bulldogs from last season are the same this year except they are all a year older and hopefully wiser. Not a senior could be found on the roster last season as head coach Jarrod Newell suited up seven juniors and six sophomores. This underclass group managed a 17-13 overall mark while finishing 5-5 in the BDC-E. Now it is Judgment Day in a basketball sense with no excuses to use. The Dawgs have the experience and the talent to challenge for the league crown, for the titles in each of their three regular season tournaments and while making a long journey into the postseason tourney. The top six players listed by Coach Newell are all athletic enough although they lack the overall height that most of their opponents possess. Topping the list of returnees is Travis Jones – a 6-foot-4 forward – who was nearly unstoppable at times during the 2006-07 season. At 18.7 points a game Jones was one of the top Class A scorers in the South. He also put together solid numbers with 5.2 rebounds and a couple of assists a contest. He earned ABV Carbondale Supersectional Area Honorable Mention honors last season and was on the bubble for the first team. This one could drive to the basket and also shoot the 3-point shot as he hit 37.4 percent from behind the arc. Add his 80.8 percent accuracy from the foul line and Jones is an all-around offensive threat for CWC. Six-foot-three senior Luke Pyle averaged 10.3 points a game for Coach Newell last winter. Most of his work came from his precision around the basket as this forward hit a ‘whopping’ 72 percent of his shots from the field. Pyle was second on the squad with 4.9 rebounds. Another player for the Bulldogs is 6-foot-2 senior Timmy Sneed – a guard/forward type who can rebound and also shoot from downtown. Sneed hit 41.4 percent from 3-point land while also grabbing 3.8 rebounds on a nightly basis. His 8.9 p.p.g. average was fourth on the club. Six-foot-two senior Erik Rice is also back for Carmi-White County towing in a 9.1 scoring average to go with his 2.9 rebounds each time out. Senior Clay Kittinger is a 5-foot-9 guard that will be in charge of distribution of the basketball on the offensive end of the floor. His 92 assists (3.2 a.p.g.) topped the team. One junior that return from a season ago – 5-foot-8 guard Travis Williams – played in all 29 of the Bulldogs’ varsity games in 2006-07. He averaged four points and two rebounds a game. ”We are in a fortunate position in which we return the top six players from last year’s team. Last year is in the past and I feel we have a great group of kids who are willing to play hard, play smart, and play together as a team,” said Coach Newell who has a 38-20 varsity coaching record in two seasons running the CWC program. “These kids understand the effort and work that will be required of them to play their best, and I also feel like they understand what they need to do to continue to improve as a team. We also have some younger players who have improved greatly over the summer that we need to step up and fill some roles.” OUTLOOK – The Bulldogs have everything in place to make a statement this season in 2A boy’s basketball. They played pretty good defense last season – holding the opposition under 50 percent from the field. Because of their lack of overall size – Coach Newell’s team will have to rebound better and continue to shoot the ball well. Jones could make a lot of award lists if he matches or surpasses his numbers from his junior season. The weakness on this team is an unproven bench. Strengthening the schedule by dropping the Grayville Thanksgiving Tournament in favor of the new Harrisburg Tip-Off event is a step in the right direction. Whether or not they are athletic enough to hang with Eldorado will be interesting to see. 3. FAIRFIELD Coach Scott McElravy has the best shot of the others to make it to the top of the Black Diamond East because of some key-returning players from last season’s regional champs. His club went 19-13 against a tough schedule of games and his returning starters and reserves will be ready for another chance to advance deep into the postseason. Jordan Cessna is one of the top-returning players in southern Illinois. His 15.7 points, five rebounds and four assists a game earned him a spot on the First Team ABV Carbondale Supersectional Area squad. That and a marvelous end of season run that allowed the Mules to capture a regional title in an 18-point victory over rival Eldorado on the Eagles home floor help him edge past a few others with better numbers. Fairfield also won the Eldorado Holiday Tournament and with the returning players back in Red and Black the Mules should be right there in the BDC-E. One other starter back is 6-foot-3 guard Lucas Reever (6.3 points, four rebounds) who should help strengthen the backcourt. The key figure in the Fairfield potential success chronicle for 2007-08 is 6-foot-7 senior Micah Vaughn. This kid played a lot of minutes last season but he will be needed fulltime this winter. He provides size that will be essential in a conference that has several good big men. Coach Mac has one other returning letterwinner in 6-foot-3 junior Jacob Carpenter. Three seniors lead the list of the other potential players: 6-foot guard Jaise Dunn, 5-foot-10 guard Alan Atteberry and 6-foot-5 forward/center Ryan Owen. Five-foot-ten juniors’ Cody Greifzu and Zach Xanders should help out. “We should be very similar to last year’s team with two starters returning and a successful JV team that went 12-4 in 2006-07,” said Coach McElravy. “The conference should be very competitive this year so we will need to stay injury free to be competitive.” OUTLOOK – This coach has gotten the message to his kids that to be in the race for hardware you must bring it every night. They made a big move last season brought home a couple of very shinny pieces for the trophy case. For that to happen again Cessna and Co. will need to continue to improve. Three teams in this league look like potential regional champs. Unfortunately even with the shift to four-classes – Eldorado, Carmi-White County and Fairfield will likely be in the same regional again. 4. HAMILTON COUNTY With a bit of size and some veteran guards returning – Coach Curt Reed will have his Foxes in race for the BDC-E title once again. Despite some graduation losses – most notably ABV Honorable Mention Carbondale Supersectional Area choice Jake Welch – Hamilton County will enough on the floor to hang with the best of their very competitive basketball schedule. A pair of first cousins will once again man the backcourt for the Foxes. Bryan Thomas is a 5-foot-11 senior guard who was part of a 14-13 team that lost to Fairfield, 63-54 at the Eldorado Class A Regional last February. Six-foot junior Seth Thomas will likely find himself in the starting lineup as the season begins. Six-foot-one senior Orry Taylor is back after a good junior season. He will probably be the teams’ point guard. In the frontcourt the Foxes have some big bodies surrounding the basket. Shelby Williams has grown into a 6-foot-4 junior forward and he will be joined senior 6-foot-5 Jeff Robinson and 6-foot-2 sophomore Brandon Biggerstaff in the competition for minutes. Some others that could help out Ham Co. this season include 6-foot-4 Jacob Hamson, 5-foot-11 Rhett Vaughn, 6-foot-2 sophomore Kyle Mitchell, 6-foot-4 sophomore Jesse Nevarez and a pair of identical twins; 6-foot-2 Justin and Brandon Webb. OUTLOOK – The Foxes appear to have the athletes in place that could challenge the top ones in this league. This coach will have his team prepared each game. ABV projects no higher than a fourth place finish here. Hamilton County is usually more dangerous in that third week in February. 4. CAIRO The Pilots finished second in the BDC-E and - after just a year away from head coaching - head coach Larry Baldwin is back at the helm. Colorful (even without the royal blue suit he sports during special occasions) this veteran coach will have some good athletes once again to work with. Four seniors and one transfer have left this program with not a lot of experience returning for the 2007-08 season. Russell Mackins came back to Cairo for his senior season and helped lead the Pilots to a regional title win over rival Meridian on the Bobcats home floor. He along with Jeserick Pilgrim (who transferred to Meridian for his senior year) will be sorely missed. The Pilots finished the season 13-17 under Dion Real but with back-to-back losing seasons (9-20 in 2005-06) Coach Baldwin is looking at getting back to the basics and winning some games in what will be the final season as a member of the Black Diamond Conference for Cairo. Coach Baldwin will figure out a way of getting the leftovers ready to play but it will be tough. Heading into the 2007-08 season Coach Baldwin has several question marks. Point guard Danny Brown - a 5-foot-8 senior – has a tear in his ACL and is currently trying to play through the injury according to Baldwin. His status is up in the air heading into the season opener at the Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic. One of the biggest keys to the Pilots’ season will be a sophomore who was a starter as a freshman. Arthur Williams – a 6-foot-6 forward – who was a beast in some games for the Pilots. Another backcourt player expected to contribute is 5-foot-8 junior Marquis Lemmon. Back in the fold for the Pilots is a fine kid that – after taking a year off of basketball – should step in and help at once. Isaiah Crume is a 5-foot-10 senior who is the son of former Pilots’ great Steve Crume. He will likely get one of the starting spots – especially if Brown isn’t ready to go at the beginning of the season. Five-foot-ten senior Josh Baldwin (nephew of Coach Baldwin) also played a lot of basketball for Cairo in 2006-07. Kenny Tucker is a 6-foot-2 forward who is also a question mark heading into the season. As of this writing it isn’t positive that he will be part of the team. Six-foot-four Lee Wright should be in the mix of players Coach Baldwin can use in the early part of the season if the others aren’t ready. You can toss in the names Deloyd Davis – a 5-foot-10 senior – 5-foot-9 sophomore Rodney Watson, 6-foot junior Derrick Thomas and 6-foot-1 junior Tim Brown on the potential Pilot roster. OUTLOOK – This season could be a struggle for the Pilots with the inexperience and the difficult schedule of games on tap. Coach Baldwin is a passionate coach about his kids and this game. Don’t look for them to be someone’s stepping stone this season. They are the only team in the Black Diamond East that is in Class 1A. If they can stay healthy and play together as a unit then the Pilots will have a shot at making a run to the state finals in Peoria. 6. JOHNSTON CITY The Indians got some bad news right off the bat this past summer when one of their top players Tyler Smith transferred to Vienna for his senior season. But head coach Mike Stallings has a good group of kids to work with heading into the 2007-08 season. The Indians stumbled home 8-22 last season with just one conference win. Coach Stallings does have a bit of size to mold into a team this season and with the proper hard work a few extra games in the win column is probable. Six-foot-one sophomore Nick Dean was second on the team in scoring last season with 15 points a game for Johnston City. Three other likely starters were all in the five points per game range in 2006-07. Devin Buckner – a 6-foot-4 senior - had a wrist problem last season and finally shut his season down with 12 games to go. Steven Hastings and Austin Stallings both are 6-foot-1 seniors and should be in the opening night lineup. One junior on the squad is Jake Hewlett – a 6-foot-3 forward that will add some need height up front. One youngster that Coach Stallings believes will push the upper classmen for time is 6-foot-1 freshman Brandon Crider. The rest of the roster will include Nathan Housewirth – a 5-foot-10 senior – along with two sophomores in 6-foot-2 Justin Morneweg and 5-foot-10 Bryar Endrizzi. “Our team will have four players back that have varsity experience,” said Coach Stallings. “The rest of the kids are young and untested.” OUTLOOK – These Indians will scrap for some additional wins this season and will hang with the ones that they play on a very demanding schedule. Coach Stallings has a few kids that can score and overall their size is good. They open with a tough Pyramid Tourney that features some powerhouse teams. They must keep a good attitude about being able to work through early difficulties. Being a 2A school they are going to have a tough road when it comes to regional time.

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