BY JACK BULLOCK In the past few seasons, the Programs Without Partners part of the ABV coverage area, aka, the Independents and Other portion of the preview, has expanded a bit. But as of next season, three of the others are changing leagues. ABV won't bore you with the details about why a certain conference doesn't completely get previewed. It has been written before and doesn't need to be written again. But three of the schools from that league are jumping into a new league next season. East Richland, Newton, and Robinson have accepted an invitation to join the Little Illini Conference. It is win win for ABV. Those three schools join a league of ABV coverage and there are no worries about the rest. One team on this list is still playing football as this is being composed. There is little doubt anyone in Mount Carmel is thinking about round ball when the pigskin championship game is coming up. As for the Independent teams on this list all of them look to be pretty good with two of the teams in 1A having legitimate postseason credentials.

1A INDEPENDENTS 1. OKAWVILLE The Rockets have been aiming for this season for the past two years. Young kids getting better with age and having the experience of going through the wars of a schedule that is unforgiving to the tenth power. Head coach Jon Kraus would have it no other way. The won/loss mark for this Washington County school is never pretty but then again this isn't a beauty pageant. Get the team ready for the long haul and hope when the dust settles Okawville still has games to play. Okawville has won four regionals since Coach Kraus took over for former head coach Dave Luechtefeld back in 2000-01. When the state changed to the four-class system, Okawville made it to back-to-back Carbondale 1A Supersectional's They lost both games (Nokomis, Woodlawn) but made the trip nevertheless. This season could be a flashback to those runs. With only one senior lost from last season (Cameron Obermeier) and the top scorers back from a 19-12 regional semifinalist, Okawville looks the part of a team that could wind up in Peoria. The top two players returning are Taylor Walton and Jeremy Weeke. Both are veteran guards that have been playing well at the varsity level since the ninth grade. Walton edged Weeke for scoring honors last season as this 6-foot-3 senior swingman hit for 14.2 points a game. Weeke tossed home 13.5 p.p.g. Those totals may not have to increase at all with the help that this coach has returning. Five-foot-nine sophomore Jacob Brammeier is back (5.9 p.p.g.) as is 6-foot-1 senior Brandon Buss (4.9 p.p.g.) the only thing lacking with that group is more size but the Rockets have another starter back that can help in that department. Six-foot-three senior Ryan Holtgrave (four points a game) is back as is 6-foot-2 senior Brandon Buss (4.6 p.p.g.). Two other kids earned letters last winter. Conner Obermeier, a 5-foot-10 junior, and 6-foot junior Ryan Burrough. Obermeier averaged nearly three points a contest while Burrough added 4.7 p.p.g. Burrough is sidelined until Christmas break according to Coach Kraus due to injury. The Rockets have one other returning player of note. Five-foot-nine senior Austin Schwankhaus missed all of last season and will return. With all five starters back, the Okawville contengent should feel good about its chances in 2011-12. “We should be deep at all positions this season and, although we have a lack of a pure inside , we have good overall size,”said Coach Kraus. “Defense and rebounding will be the key to how far we go. Very tough schedule will help us for the postseason.” OUTLOOK - This writer has long claimed when addressing the Rockets each season, disregard the wins and losses. Only factor in the teams that they face. The Rockets play the tough schedule for a reason. No one will care if they have double-digit losses when they are warming up to play a game in March. Walton and Weeke are both close to reaching 1,000-points. They have depth, appropriate size and experience. They are one of the teams in the ABV 1A area with a legit shot at a trip to Peoria.

2. GIBAULT CATHOLIC With the changes to the classifications regarding private schools with the IHSA, the Hawks find themselves with a ligitimate shot at getting back to Peoria. Having good size and good athletes and playing a tough schedule will make this team very tough to beat in February. It won't matter which direction this team goes, they are a threat to wade through the teams to get to the “Final Four.” Head coach Dennis Rueter took this school to Peoria in the old system back in 1999 and knows the route well. He has one starter back and three other letter winners from a club that finished 15-13 a season ago after losing to Pinckneyville, 44-39 at the Sparta 2A Regional. John Pratl is a 6-foot-4 senior forward who averaged 8.6 points a game as a junior. The three returning letterwinners from last season are Brendan McFarland, Matt Schreder and Nick Row. Schreder is a 6-foot-2 sophomore who netted 4.5 points a game last season as a freshman. The 6-foot-1 Row is also part of the sophomore group and got into 16 varsity games. McFarland is a 6-foot-3 junior who also played a lot last winter. After those four, the fifth starter is a transfer student from metro-east power Belleville West. Six-foot-three senior Josh Konkel was hurt last season after playing his sophomore season for the Maroons junior varsity. According to Coach Rueter he gives his team some physicality that they will need to battle the tough schedule ahead. The ones that will come out of the Hawks' reserve nest are good ones, too. Six-foot-eight junior Jake Weiler played limited minutes last season but he could be one of the first ones off the bench for Gibault. Jack Herrman, a 6-foot-1 forward, is like the other Hawks. Long on talent but short on experience. That will all change after a few weeks of the season. Coach Rueter also mentioned a couple of other sophomores he believes will come off the bench. Wes Degener is a 6-foot-3 forward and, along with 5-foot-8 guard Mitch Meyer, will provide reserve minutes. “John Pratl will need to step up and be a good player for us because of our lack of experience,” said Coach Rueter, who has won over 500 games and has brought home 11 regional titles in his tenure at Gibault Catholic. “Konkel is a player that could be a factor for us.” OUTLOOK – As the Gibault girl's volleyball team proved, this class drop will make this school a 1A factor in all sports. These Hawks only lack seasoning and they will get it in this schedule of games. They may take some early loses but they will be a major postseason player by the end of the season. Next season they should be dynamite, too.

3. MADISON The Trojans are loaded again, no big story here. This program has been good for decades going back to when the state was one-class. The coaches have changed over the years but the talent is still there. Head coach Jaime Cotto-Rodriguez has recently taken a team to Peoria (2010) and to the Jacksonville Super (2009) since four-class basketball took shape. Each season his teams have to wade through the tough Metro-East schools during the season and play a mixture of small school powers and large school programs that test the Trojans each year. The Trojans finished 19-9 last season before losing to West Central in the sectional last season. Madison will once again have a good group of players back for a extended postseason jaunt. Coach Cotto-Rodriguez is looking at third year starter Corey Hardin, a 6-foot-1 senior, to lead his club. Hardin leads this team by example. He wasn't the top scorer from last season but he is the leader of the club. Hardin averaged 8.7 points a game as a junior. Lanez Gregory is a 5-foot-8 senior guard who is also back along with Torian Wright, a 6-foot-1 senior. Both of those players are quick and play much bigger than their height. One other senior and two juniors also made the list of kids Cotto-Rodriguez is hoping will contribute. Armnel Gines, a 6-foot-4 senior, 6-foot-1 junior Marquis Borney and 6-foot junior Sterling Harrell are in the hunt for playing time. One sophomore who will like play a lot is Demetrius Kirkwood, a 5-foot-9 guard. “I have a different team this year than last year. We were a lightening quick team last year. This year we are very long for a 1A team. It is a more defensive minded team and a better rebounding team. Plus, we still have above average quickness. I am very excited that Kirkwood will play this year. This sophomore point guard has all the qualities you want in a player. He has a special talent and the sky is the limit with this kid. A future all area player and possibly a state type player if he works hard at his craft. Lanez Gregory was a super six man role year averaging 11 points off the bench. Now as a senior, we are hoping that number goes up, the kid can score. Borney, who played few minutes last year at the varsity level, will have a huge impact on the team. Marquis is the best on the ball defender we have. Gines will be a big impact player defensively and rebounding the basketball. Sterling Harrell, who also came off the bench last year, is the most improved player in the program. Overall, I am very excited about this year team and hope to continue the tradition we have at Madison.” OUTLOOK – Madison plays the sort of schedule that will keep them ready for the postseason each season. Athletic, long and skilled, look for the Trojans to play a lot of good teams tough. Like Okawville, pay no attention to the won/loss mark. Just pay attention to seeing their names on a bracket when they are still playing in March. They will be a threat to get back to the sectional.

4. METRO-EAST LUTHERAN This set of Knights plays a bit softer schedule but they are in the same boat in the postseason. They usually will run into someone very tough in what every regional they end up in. Last season MEL ended up in the title game of the Columbia 2A Regional where they lost to the host Eagles. Coach Tim Reeb is in his second season as the Knights' head coach. His club last season finished 13-17 after the Columbia defeat. They graduated two senior starters; 6-foot-6 forward Joseph Bodenbach (9.7 p.p.g.) and 5-foot-11 guard Josh Jump (11.5 p.p.g.) from that club. Three starters are back with 6-foot-3 Jacob Fanshier coming back after averaging 12.8 points a night. He led the team with 7.2 rebounds a game. Nick Hoff is also a 6-foot-3 senior (6.2 p.p.g.) who returns. He also hit the boards with 4.8 rebounds a game. From the looks of the totals last season, the Knights will be able to score. Six-foot-two center Matt Horton is also a returning starter with a 5.2 points per game average from a year ago. Brandon Niemeier, a 6-foot guard, averaged 8.2 points per outing last season while Chase Keirn, a 5-foot-11 guard returns after posting 5.2 points a contest. An impact transfer from Marquette Catholic 6-foot-1 Tyler Moore should help out when the team hosts its annual Thanksgiving Tournament. “The Knights independent regular schedule games include opponents of Columbia, Gibault, Pleasant Plains, Petersburg Porta and Class A powerhouse Madison,” said Coach Reeb. “We hope to improve on our 13-17 mark from last season. OUTLOOK – This program got a boost with the transfer of Moore but they are going to have to get better defensively. With the schedule that they play, outscoring teams isn't going to result in a lot of wins without rebounding and defensive improvement.

5. WALTONVILLE Head coach Chad Harper has a team at Waltonville that isn't in the same category of the teams listed above but they have some talent back that could make this season a bit better than last. The Spartans finished their season last February early, bowing out to rival Sesser-Valier in the 1A Regional at S-V. Coach Harper's club finished 9-18 but that wasn't too back considering that they lost to some very good teams on an independent schedule. Breese Central, Herrin, Woodlawn, all won a lot of games in 2010-11. But this season, the Spartans look to be improved with some youngsters back that survived that gauntlet of games last winter. Waltonville has three starters back, including Trey Witges, a 6-foot-1 junior guard. Jordan Hale, a 6-foot-5 junior, is also back in the lineup as well as 5-foot-11 senior Levi Rapp. Jake Phillips is back on the team after a two year hiatus and this 5-foot-9 senior point guard is expected to pay dividends. One other senior on the squad will get some playing time. Five-foot-ten guard Dan Halleran should get into some early games as will several underclassmen. Four juniors; 5-foot-10 guard Derrick Whisenant and 6-foot-1 Patrick Buza return as well as 5-foot-9 Levi Laird and 5-foot-10 Matt Rogers should see minutes as will a pair of sophomores; 6-foot-2 Austin Zahm and 5-foot-9 Hunter Coggins. Any combination of those kids could end up in the starting lineup when they face New Athens in the first week of the season. “Our kids have been working hard since the end of last season and we will be very deep because of the hard work and the kids getting better,” said Coach Harper. “With that depth it will allow us to push the tempo.” OUTLOOK – Being an Independent hasn't resulted in many wins since they left the Midland Trail Conference after just two seasons there. This coach will get the kids to play hard. Double-digit wins would be a nice finish this season.

6. CAIRO Head coach Larry Baldwin is back running things for the Pilots program that has struggled lately but has talent enough to scare good teams, especially at the 1A level. Coach Baldwin inherits a team he doesn't know that much about other than they are athletic and they will work hard for him. The five main starters that this coach expects to be ready for a trip to Pinckneyville for their first game have experience from last season. Darrell Jackson is a 5-foot-6 point guard who Coach Baldwin hopes will handle the offensive for the Pilots. Corey Williams, a 5-foot-10 senior, is a four-year starter for Cairo. Up front is Donjour McIntosh who is a 6-foot-4 senior who did not play last season. Six-foot-one Jalen Childs is a senior starter and is cousin to former Pilot standout Brandon Childs. The fifth starter is Caldell Johnson, a 6-foot-3 senior. Ironically the Pilots have three other kids on the roster named Johnson. Six-foot senior Nekuma Johnson is a senior who started some last season. His cousin Deavote Johnson is a 5-foot-9 junior. Floyd Johnson returns as a 5-foot-9 junior guard. One other junior and two more seniors round out the Cairo assemblage. Tieron Taylor, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, 6-foot senior Stevion Houston and 6-foot-4 senior Allen Cruthird could all play a lot of minutes. OUTLOOK – The Pilots have their second most successful coach in the school's long history back to roam the sidelines. They will be athletic enough to win some games this season and could be a big obstacle for any of the good teams in 1A in the Deep South.

INDEPENDENTS 2A 1. BREESE MATER DEI The Knights take a class drop as well this season and it should suit them. They can now go back to playing those Clinton County cousins they were used to playing before the state went to four-class basketball. Although dealing with Breese Central, Carlyle and Wesclin each year is no picnic, it is slightly easier than having to face Centralia, Mount Vernon, Carbondale and Marion. The Knights beat Centralia in the last week of the regular season and then fell to the Orphans in the final game of the Centralia 3A Regional. The Orphans went to the championship game in Peoria and Mater Dei was sent home. This season the Knights will have to replace a lot of talent but the top scorer from 2010-11 returns. Cory Arentsen is back for the BMD and this 6-foot-5 senior will probably increase his 14.9 scoring averages this season. The other returning player from last season is Adam Etter (3.1 p.p.g.) a 5-foot-10 junior. The rest of the starting lineup will come from kids that didn't play a lot last season. Coach Brian Perkes will have several kids to choose from. Four seniors from last seasons junior class will probably be called upon this season. Robbie Donnewald, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, should be part of the starting lineup based on last season's contributions. Matt Diekemper, a 6-foot senior guard, should also be in the mix. Both of those seniors played in a lot of the varsity games last season. Five-foot-nine senior Kane Weinberg could also be in the discussion for playing time. Trent Isaak, a 5-foot-9 senior, should help make the Knights a pretty strong 2A team in the South. Joe Kasson is a 6-foot-2 senior forward who is playing this season for Mater Dei. Coach Perkes list several other underclassmen that will make a push for playing time. Bryton Timmermann is a 5-foot-11 junior who could lend a hand in the backcourt as will 6-foot-3 junior Mitchell Langenhorst. Six-foot-seven junior Jared Kampwerth has the potential to get even taller by the time he graduates. Coach Perkes also added Nick Hitpas, a 6-foot-1 sophomore who could sneak in for some PT. “We have a lot of questions this heading into this season, we have no idea how this team will react to actual varsity game situations,” said Coach Perkes. “I think we will be pretty good but we won't know until we actually go up against someone at the varsity, I'm looking forward to this season. Potentially we could be pretty good.” OUTLOOK – The Knights once again appear loaded, only this year the teams that they will face in the postseason will be much more familiar. A healthy Arentsen and some seasoning should help this inexperienced team get ready for the 2A Regional. They will definitely be a threat to make some postseason noise no matter which regional they end up in.

THE OTHERS OLNEY EAST RICHLAND The Tigers last season in the Apollo Conference should be a good one with the talent coming back for Coach Rob Flanagan. This Mount Vernon, Illinois native has made this community his home and he has produced quality basketball players and very good teams since his arrival at the school 13 years ago. The Tigers are coming off an 18-12 war of a season which ended at the hands of St. Anthony last February at the Flora 2A Regional. Coach Flanagan has two double-figure scoring aces returning as Olney will try to get back to winning a regional title, the fourth such title since 2004. Michael Fehrenbacher, a 6-foot-3 senior, returns after lighting up the opposition with 15.6 points a game. He also ripped down 5.3 rebounds a game while nailing 76 percent of his free throw attempts. You better guard him but don't foul him. Brook Pampe, a 6-foot junior guard, nearly matched Fehrenbacher in scoring last season, notching 14.3 p.p.g. Those two have the scoring ability that will be hard for most teams to defend. Olney will also have Joel Eagleson, a 5-foot-11 senior guard back. Eagleson is the nephew of Breese Central head coach Stan Eagleson. If Joel plays as well as Uncle Stan coaches, he will be a huge plus for this team. His numbers are excellent, with a 8.3 points per game average and an 80 percent free throw shooting eye. Perhaps teams shouldn't foul any of the Tigers. Alec St. Pierre is a 5-foot-10 sophomore who is back for Coach Flanagan. Also returning is Tyler Epperheimer, a 6-foot-3 junior center. One other player with varsity experience back is Mason Phillips, a 6-foot senior. The rest of the roster and the ones pushing for minutes, according to Coach Flanagan, are youngsters. Ryan Eagleson, 5-foot-11 sophomore, will make a run at playing next to his older brother when the season begins at the Capital Classic this week. Those two brothers also have a cousin on the team, 6-foot sophomore Evan Eagleson. Two other sophomores will have a shot at minutes; 5-foot-11 Chance Madden and 6-foot-2 Noah Buscher. The freshman class will also have two kids willing to contribute. Coach Flanagan mentioned 6-foot-1 Luke Hahn and 6-foot-1 Tate Nohren. Nohren is the grandson of former Stewardson-Strasburg head coach Monte Nohren. With all of the current and former coaches' bloodlines at Olney, this mentor has some basketball minds to work with. “We will be a small team but we will try to hide our lack of size with good positioning and team defense with quickness,” said Coach Flanagan. “Our strengths are definitely our experience and guar play. Fehrenbacher and Pampe are two of the most athletic players that we have had at Olney.” OUTLOOK – The Tigers will be a postseason threat in which ever regional they end up in. They usually end up with the same group as they have been in the past with T-Town, St. Annthony, Newton and Flora. All four will be loaded again this season. It should be another winning season at East Richland.

NEWTON The Eagles and head coach Doug Mammoser have a high scoring guard returning and several returning underclassmen back from a 18-9 squad that fell to eventual regional winner Teutopolis at the Flora 2A Regional. Peyton Wyatt is a 6-foot-1 senior guard who notched 20.3 points a game last season. His teammates this season will include Dylan Davison, a 6-foot-1 junior, who added 8.1 points a game. Six-foot-four junior Elijah Keeper and 6-foot-3 sophomore Lucas Stone is back as well. Both averaged right around two points a game. Mitch Mammoser and Austin Blair are also returning. Mammoser is a 6-foot-1 senior while Blair is 6-foot and a senior, too. Newton lost six seniors from last season and will rely on new faces this season. “This will be our last season in the Apollo Conference as we switch to the Little Illini Conference next season. We have our two best guard back with Wyatt and Davidson,” said Coach Mammoser. “We should be able to compte with anyone in the area this season and hopefully we will be playing our best ball at the end of the year.” Newton won both the Cumberland Thanksgiving Tournament and the Dieterich Holiday Tournament last season. OUTLOOK – Look for Newton to be one of the postseason threats to Teutopolis and the rest of that very tough regional setup. Wyatt and Davidson are a very good guard tandem and could lead the Eagles a long way into the postseason.

ROBINSON The third member of the soon-to-be-former-Apollo-Conference-teams is Robinson and new head coach Mack Thompson, who takes over for the departed Bob Coffman. Coach Thompson inherits some talent coming off of a 12-17 team that finished just 3-11 in the league. The Maroons lost to Paris in the regional championship game on their home floor last February . Coach Thompson has one of the top players in the area returning in 5-foot-10 junior Aaron Siler. Siler torched some good basketball teams last season with 20.8 points a game. He hit nearly 40 percent of his 3-point shots and canned 81 percent from the foul line. Four other players return that were starters from a season ago. Five-foot-eight junior Cory Blount and 5-foot-11 senior Warren Whithaus were part of that rotation last season as was 6-foot-3 senior Zach Danks and 6-foot-4 junior Derek Nicholas. Nicholas was second on the team with 9.1 points a game while Danks added eight points a contest. “We have decent size for a Class 2A team. Aaron Siler is one of the most electrifying players in southern Illinois. Having 6-foot-6 senior Bryant Scott back in the lineup after missing two seasons due to injury will help our depth. We should be able to dig deep into our bench as needed through out the season,” said Coach Thompson. OUTLOOK – Another of the loaded 2A teams that can make another run at postseason glory. Two seasons ago the Maroons won the state title. The talent is there to make another regional championship happen. CHARLESTON The Trojans are only the second 3A team in this preview (Herrin is the other) and Coach Trevor Doughty lost four starters to graduation from the 16-13 team that lost to Salem in the 3A regional finale. T.J. Bell, Skylar McNeil and Tanner Bartlett are the ones back for this coach. “We have lots of newcomers that are inexperienced but this group is a bunch of real competitors,” said Coach Doughty. STAUNTON Coach Steve Moore continues to send ABV info despite his school leaving the South Central Conference a few seasons ago. Coach Moore has a five year record of 71-47 at Stauton with an 18-11 mark in 2010-11. They were beaten in the regional final last season at Carlinville by Marquette Catholic. Staunton graduated Brett Kinder, a 6-foot-1 senior, but the Bulldogs have two key kids back, 6-foot-1 Devin Gerdes and 6-foot junior Austin Hollaway. “After losing five of our top seven players last season to graduation or transfer, we will be very young this year,” said Coach Moore. “It is possible that only one senior will start, so the younger players will be forced into tough situations from the beginning. However, we do return our top two scorers from last season, and the role players are fresh off an 11-5 JV season last year. After winning 21 games three years ago, we slipped to 18-11 the past two years. I think this group has the potential.” MOUNT CARMEL The Aces are in the IHSA 3A state championship football game coming up this Friday and their basketball team will start the season late. But this school is used to that. First year head coach Tyler Buss takes over for his former coach Ryan Haywood. The Golden Aces were 10-18 last season playing in the Big Eight Conference in Indiana and fell to Benton at the Carmi-White County 2A Regional last February. Coach Buss will turn to some newcomers to replace all five of the starters from that squad. This coach listed six kids with a bit of experience and an incoming freshman that might step right in. Five-foot-nine senior guard Nathaniel Wagner is back for the Aces and this guard will likely be joined by classmate 6-foot senior guard Travis Thompson. Up front the forwards that look to take starting spots are Troycer Dillard, a 6-foot-3 senior, and 6-foot-5 sophomore CJ Diel. Add the name Reese Metcalf to the list. Metcalf is a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard/forward. Six-foot sophomore guard Thomas Allen and 5-foot-9 junior guard Joey Molstad will be in the photo as will promising freshman Levi Laws, a 6-foot-1 guard. “We will be relatively young with three sophomores and one freshman seeing playing time and the majority of the varsity minutes,” said Coach Buss, who played football and basketball at Mount Carmel, graduating in 2004. “We also have senior leadership which will be important early. If we can take care of the ball and the kids buy into playing good defense I think by the end of the year we should be very competitive.” OUTLOOK – This program will always play second fiddle to the football program and there is nothing wrong with that. Another of the teams that plays a tough schedule against teams in Indiana that routinely have Division I talent, Mount Carmel usually limps into the IHSA postseason and makes some noise. They will probably do that again this season. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Golden Aces are playing in the 3A State Football Championship game this weekend. Good Luck to the Aces!!!