Independents 2007-08 Preview

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Mount Carmel, Madison lead strong Indy group
Okawville, Gibault, look impressive; M-E Lutheran, BH, have much to replace

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS INDEPENDENTS
Projected Order of Finish
1. MOUNT CARMEL
2. MADISON
3. OKAWVILLE
4. WATERLOO GIBAULT
5. METRO-EAST LUTHERAN 6. BUNKER HILL

BY JACK BULLOCK
The Mount Carmel Golden Aces made it to the Carbondale Class A Supersectional last season and Coach Ryan Haywood and his talented returning players would love a trip back there. Or at least wherever the IHSA decides the game to get to state will be played.
When the ABV All-South Teams were announced last February – many emails had the subject of Jensen Dardeen and his absence from the Carbondale Supersectional Area team.
Six-foot-seven senior Justin Lewis was on the First Team while his senior teammate Steven Alka was on the Honorable Mention list.
Had the list came out a couple of weeks later – Dardeen would have been included.
No player in the South turned it on more in the postseason than this one.
The 5-foot-9 junior added 11 points a game to his 12 regular season p.p.g. average and carried his talented teammates to within a win of the Elite Eight.
With Dardeen running the show and a good group of returning players the Aces are going to receive some statewide recognition before the season begins.
While playing in an Indiana conference – Mount Carmel is an Indy in the ABV scheme of things.
There is a good story unfolding in the Metro-East St. Louis area a good 150 miles from Mount Carmel.
Madison appears on the verge of getting back to the state finals for the first time since 1997.
Coach Anthony Smith has a loaded squad of scoring personnel topped by two-time ABV Jacksonville Supersectional Area First Team selection Cornelius Chatt who is primed for his senior season. With size and athletes everywhere this coach turns – the Trojans are one of the top Class 1A teams south of Springfield. Depending on the Road to Peoria map – Madison could end up in the Final Four.
Two other mainstays in the small school world are Okawville and Waterloo Gibault. Both have excellent coaches and play physically demanding Indy schedules. Those tough games tend to toughen the good teams and these Rockets and Hawks both have room to soar in 2007-08.
Metro-East Lutheran has been on fantastic roll in the past three years. A kid named Andy Wolff (ABV Jacksonville Supersectional ‘Player of the Year’) had a lot to do with that amazing run.
Bunker Hill heads into the Western Illinois Valley Conference in all sports commencing with the 2008-09 school year. The Minutemen have found a fine mentor in Jason Bauer who has this program cruising down the correct path.
One other team is mentioned here.
Although I rank the ones on this list – it is difficult to rate each club against each other but for the sake of argument here is the rankings.
1. MOUNT CARMEL
With the slight edge over Madison the Golden Aces get that edge by having one of the best point guards in the state.
The afore mentioned Dardeen has some college coaches taking notice. He averaged 23 points a game in the postseason and his assist total for the season (151) averaged out to 4.7 a night. That is a very good total for a kid who can also put the ball in the basketball.
Between his scoring and dishing – when Dardeen has the rock good things happen for Mount Carmel.
Despite some graduation losses that took away starters Lewis and Alka along with reserve Andrew Williams – the Aces may be a better overall team in 2007-08.
Six-foot-four senior Jacob Deisher averaged a robust 10.4 points a game from the wing. He is a tough left-handed kid to defend and ABV suspects he will be even more dangerous as a senior.
The backcourt will be a great strength for this team with Tyler Buss (2.8 points and 3.9 assists a game) and Joe Drone back.
Buss is a 6-foot-1 senior while Drone stands 5-foot-9.
Buss will likely start with Drone as a reserve. These two – along with Dardeen – will give Coach Haywood fewer worries about the ball-handling situation.
Joining Deisher in the frontcourt will be some size with senior Trey Beckerman – a 6-foot-4 power forward.
Junior Dathan Deisher is a 6-foot-3 center that has a lot of muscle in the middle for Mount Carmel.
Two more letterwinners from last season are juniors and having them back will make the Aces even tougher to deal with.
Six-foot-three Ryan Bumpus and 5-foot-11 Tyler Browning each played important roles for Coach Haywood last winter.
Browning played in all 32 games while averaging 4.1 points a game. Bumpus provided some quality play while giving the big guys a rest. His responsibility shouldn’t change much this season.
Six-foot-one senior Joe Vargo, 6-foot-4 junior Jordan Hicks and 6-foot senior Matt Burton will provide a lot of competition for playing time.
“We need to continue to take this program to the next level,” said Coach Haywood – who is 38-23 in two seasons leading the Aces. “We return several key players from last year’s Supersectional team. We are looking for more consistency to improve on a 21-11 record. This is the deepest and most athletic team I have had. We have a lot of scoring to replace with the loss of Lewis and Alka. That is one of our concerns.”
OUTLOOK – One might look at last season’s record and think that eleven losses is a lot. But when you glance at the schedule of games played in Indiana’s Big Eight Conference and then the non-league Illinois games (including the Carmi-White County Invitational) then it is no wonder double-digit defeats came about. Brutal schedules are nothing new to this sports program. Dardeen is the real deal and he will be an All-State pick. MC will be able to run the floor better this year than last. ABV projects a long journey into the Class 2A postseason. This athletic program – despite the glory that the football team has had – has never won three-consecutive regional titles in boy’s basketball. Look for that to change this February. Don’t be too surprised to see them still playing well into March.
2. MADISON
Speaking of playing in March – the Trojans could be doing that as well in Class 1A. There are several programs in the South that will immediately benefit from the four-class system.
Madison is one of them.
If you haven’t heard the name Cornelius Chatt then you need to check out the Independent schedule page and pick a time to see him play.
This one has blossomed into a Division One level offensive threat and his scoring alone will make the Trojans one of the teams to beat to reach Peoria.
But when you add to the equation the amount of talent around him it is easy to see why the fans of this program are ready to see their kids playing in March.
Madison finished the season 17-11 back in February when they lost to eventual sectional champion Breese Central, 48-45, after blowing a 33-16 halftime lead by scoring just 12 second half points.
Chatt – who averaged 18.6 points a game as a junior – scored just nine points in the loss to the Cougars.
This 6-foot-3 guard ripped down 5.3 rebounds while shooting an almost unbelievable 62-of-88 (70.4 percent) of his 3-point attempts in 2006-07.
Fortunately for Coach Smith this isn’t a one-man-band.
Three seniors standing 6-foot-5 return to be rotated in the middle to help clog things up for opponents of a Madison team that plays the kind of schedule mix of large and small schools where styles of play can change game to game. They will need to continue to be strong without getting into foul trouble.
Chas Wallace and Eric Mason are both expected to be starters with Jerrail Johnson coming off the bench.
This trio is athletic enough to keep people from getting much done against them down low.
Wallace tallied 4.8 points a game as a junior while Mason and Johnson pitched in with about two points a night each.
Improvement on just those three stats could be enough to send the Trojans up north in March.
Two 5-foot-10 senior guards return to start for Smith.
Lamon Gregory and Sidney Brown are both expected to operate from the backcourt.
Gregory handled the ball a lot for Madison – getting away with 5.9 points and nearly two assists a game.
Brown tossed home 3.8 points a game.
This starting unit will match up favorably with any Class 1A team in the Land of Lincoln.
Reserve guards are important and Madison has Melvin Emerson – a 5-foot-10 senior - and 5-foot-8 senior Kendall Echols on its list.
Five-foot-nine senior Malcolm Tolliver, 6-foot-1 Jesse Green and 6-foot-1 sophomore Xavier Williams are all quality reserves.
Demarrea Williams - a 5-foot-6 junior guard - 6-foot senior Dexter McClendon and 5-foot-11 sophomore Delandus Farrar will also be part of the bench.
OUTLOOK – The Trojans have skills at all positions and they appear to have the right amount of depth to make a run at the state finals. Chatt is someone to talk about around the office cooler. He has been scoring since he stepped foot on the Madison campus as a freshman. The frontcourt is crucial to the Trojans’ chances on both ends of the floor. A lack of foul trouble and injuries this winter should have Madison ranked in the top five all season long.
3. OKAWVILLE
Another independent team that takes on everyone and anyone is Okawville.
The Rockets – since the days of head coach David Luechtefeld – have always lined up against the best teams in Southern Illinois and in the Metro-East. Large school, small school, and any school – the Rockets back down from no one.
This season is no exception.
And – of course - this tough sledding certainly prepares Coach Jon Kraus’ club for postseason play.
Heading into the 2007-08 season the Rockets (15-15 overall in 2006-07) return three letterwinners to take more of the minutes from four departed seniors.
Lucas Greten, Kyle Meentemeyer, Nick Zapp and Kenneth Wagner have turned in the uniforms and headed out while subtracting 21.1 points a game.
But Okawville has plenty left in the tank.
Kyle Heckert – a 6-foot-2 senior guard – has been playing varsity basketball since his freshman season and is in charge of this club.
He was the Rockets only double-digit scorer in 2006-07 (10.5 p.p.g.) and topped the club with 3.1 assists a game.
Handling the offense and being able to also score is a lot of burden for one kid but so far this one has delivered.
Six-foot-two senior Brandon Brammeier adds scoring punch rebounding to the Rockets cause with 9.9 points and 3.7 boards a night. This one plays bigger than he is - which is necessary in this day and age against the sort of toughies on the slate.
A third letterman from 2006-07 that is back is Bryan Leadendecker – a 5-foot-10 junior guard (3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds).
At least four other Rockets got into action at the varsity level last season who return this winter.
Clark Weeke – a 5-foot-10 junior guard – scored five points a game as a sophomore off the Okawville bench.
Six-foot-two must be the median number in the Rockets’ camp as two other kids standing that tall are in the mix for Coach Kraus.
Devin Clary and Bill Segelhorst both stand 6-foot-2.
Clary is listed as a guard with 1.2 points per game showing from his sophomore season.
Segelhorst is a senior forward with 2.5 points a game coming in.
Coach Kraus also lists Ross Recker – a 5-foot-8 senior guard – for potential minutes.
“We feel like we will be very competitive with the teams on our schedule,” said Coach Kraus – a player at Okawville and McKendree College who has a head coaching mark of 100-125 in seven seasons leading the Rockets. “I would like to think that we will be a threat in the postseason. Keys to our team are that we have three returning starters with a lot of good varsity experience. Heckert and Brammeier will have to play large roles for us. If we can get the other guys playing their roles we should be pretty good.”
OUTLOOK – The Rockets won’t be the prettiest one at the dance but when the games get serious in February a peek at regional winners on this website will likely find the Okawville name. Heckert and Brammeier are the leaders from the backcourt. As Kraus mentioned the role players must not make foolish mistakes against the teams on this schedule. When you look at whom the Rockets play and realize just how much these schools dwarf Okawville in enrollment – it is a wonder this program ever finishes above .500. If you see this club with a solid won/loss mark heading into the postseason then expect a big run. They will be one of the big ducks in the Class 1A pond.
4. WATERLOO GIBAULT
Of the upcoming Gibault roster of players – there is one kid that height-wise stands above the rest.
Six-foot-eight junior Michael Hoffman got his feet wet in varsity waters last season and performed at a pretty good level considering his lack of experience.
His 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds are fine marks for a kid that has seemingly unlimited potential.
If any coach in southern Illinois can coach big men it is Dennis Rueter at Gibault.
He has had some good ones over the years in his program (Chris Braun, John Thomas, etc.) and Hoffman could end being good enough to be mentioned with the other good post players from this school’s rich history of boy’s basketball.
The Hawks did lose a couple of fine athletes to graduation last season in Dakota Schutt and Tyler Beckerle.
Both were multi-talented kids who excelled at soccer and baseball as well as on the hardwood.
Twenty-four points are missing from the offense from these two heading into 2007-08.
Three seniors are ready to step into the lineup.
Jon Kovarik, Taylor Stumpf and Ty Schutt all played important roles last season.
Five-foot-eleven Kovarik is a guard whose numbers showed 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds for the 9-18 Hawks who lost to Madison, 44-38, at the Marissa Class A Regional last February.
Stumpf added two points a game for Gibault. Kovarik and Stumpf played in all 27 games last season with more minutes to come this season.
Schutt got into 21 contests and he also averaged in the two-points per game area.
These three will need to step forward and take on the additional minutes and responsibilities.
There is a list of players that will all contend for the fifth starting spot and minutes off the pine.
Senior Austin Nieman is a 6-foot senior who averaged 3.3 points in 27 games.
Five-foot-eleven Kyle Lane is one of the holdovers who played in 19 games as a junior.
Nathan Kremmel also participated in double-digit varsity contests as a sophomore. This one is 5-foot-8 and a guard.
Juniors Jacob Posey and Nate Pelate are 5-foot-9 juniors with a handful of varsity games under their belts collectively. Classmates 5-foot-8 guard Marty Kovarik and 6-foot-1 forward Derrick Briesacher also were on the Hawks roster in 2006-07 as was sophomore Kyle Prader – a 6-foot-1 forward.
When asked about his club Coach Rueter said simply “Michael Hoffman needs to become a dominant player.”
Hoffman has the good hands and skills to do just that in the next two seasons.
OUTLOOK – A look at a Gibault team photo shows just how much of a discrepancy there is between Hoffman and his vertically challenged teammates. At 6-foot-8 he will be one of the taller kids in the South. Guard play - that will include getting the ball to the big kid - is key. Coach Rueter’s teams always seem to be competitive but last season the won/loss mark was very ugly. So was the 10-16 record from 2005-06. With a 523-239 mark in 27 years as the head coach at Waterloo Gibault – it is obvious that the past two seasons haven’t been the norm. ABV projects a bounce-back season for the Hawks – perhaps switching the 9-18 numbers around.
5. METRO-EAST LUTHERAN
Andy Wolff has taken his points, assists, rebounds and his ABV Jacksonville Supersectional ‘POY’ award to McKendree College after a brilliant career for this Edwardsville private school.
He has some all-time records that may never fall at M-E.
At a school that for a longtime was in the shadows – Wolff helped put the Knights’ program on the basketball landscape.
But this season head coach Chad Ambuehl will look to replace Wolff, Brian Rocca and Adam Robinson – all graduated seniors from a 23-9 team that lost to Madison in the title game at the Marissa Class A Regional, 62-53.
Wolff’s 18.8 points and 8.8 rebounds a game will be missed. His 5.6 assists were ‘eye-popping’ a season ago.
Rocca and Robinson combined for 15.1 p.p.g. in 2006-07.
So let the rebuilding begin for Ambuehl – a Greenville College grad in his sixth season of leading the Knights into the southern Illinois spotlight.
Two starters return for M-E.
Mike Mentz and Brad Rodgers are back after being the fourth and fifth best scorers for the Knights last winter.
Mentz is a 6-foot senior (6.3 p.p.g.) while 6-foot-1 Rodgers (6.9 p.p.g.) is a junior.
Both started for the Knights a year ago.
Two other players started some and earn letters in 2006-07.
Andrew Bodenbach is a 6-foot-1 senior (1.7 points, 2.3 rebounds) who should inherit one of the starting jobs while Bob Schneitz – a 6-foot-3 sophomore – got into the mix as a freshman and scored 6.1 points a contest while grabbing 2.2 rebounds.
Obviously those numbers are solid and may be improved upon this season.
The final piece of the starting puzzle should come from one of three letterwinners left over from last season. All three are juniors and experienced.
Jake Holle – a 6-foot-4 forward – was in the two points a game scope.
Six-foot-three forward Andrew Langendorf and 5-foot-10 Christian Wise played in roughly half the Metro-East Lutheran varsity games as sophomores.
“The 2007-08 team is filled with young players that have a great deal of potential,” said Coach Ambuehl – who has an 87-61 won/loss record in six seasons at the school. “However the loss of three senior leaders will have an impact on this team. We have some experience returning but the loss of Wolff will provide a challenge that will be tough to overcome. The key for this team will be how much they focus on the defensive end and if their confidence will catch up with their abilities. If these keys are met the Knights could experience a successful season.”
OUTLOOK – The Wolff shoes will be hard to fill but the Knights program appears to be here to stay. Like the schools listed above them here – M-E has a schedule of brutality facing them in 2007-08. Three strong Lutheran teams to go with Columbia, Madison, Breese Mater Dei, Waterloo Gibault, Red Bud and Jacksonville Routt will all be good tests. Throw in the Litchfield Invitational and their own Thanksgiving event and there are no nights off for these Knights. Winning is like a flu virus. In most cases is spread from the top to the bottom. Lets hope for this program’s sake it continues to fill the hallways there in Edwardsville.
6. BUNKER HILL
The Minutemen – as mentioned earlier – will be an Indy no more after this school year.
Joining a conference for the first time will ease the scheduling burden that faces the dying breed of independent teams.
Coach Jason Bauer has been – in part – responsible for the resurrection of this program that dropped off the map after the retirement of 700 win head coach Jim Hlafka.
From the time Hlafka stepped down until the time Bauer took over Bunker Hill lost over 50 consecutive games.
The Minutemen have put in the hours of hard work to get better and last season’s 18-9 mark was the culmination.
But some graduation losses – including a pair of three-year starters – will set the program back a bit. But not as much as one might believe as this coach has the next six top players returning.
Brandon Harner and Nathan Ivester have left with thanks for a great run.
Harner was second on the team with 16.1 points a game while Ivester averaged 6.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game.
One player – with a repeat of his junior campaign – will surpass 1,000-points for his career.
David Golike – a 6-foot-1 senior guard – averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 2006-07.
Even if those numbers sit tight – this one will be one of the area’s top stars.
Four other seniors will get first crack at the starting lineup for Coach Bauer.
Five-foot-nine senior guard Brett Huette put together some good numbers a year ago.
Blake Meehan averaged 5.7 points to go with his 4.1 rebounds. At 6-foot-3 this one could improve on those rebounding numbers in his final prep season.
Jake Welch – a 5-foot-11 senior guard – 5-foot-11 Alek Spickerman and 6-foot Billy Reed will be part of the crew either as starters or reserves. Welch and Spickerman formed a mop up duty team while Reed spent the year on the JV squad. All three need to work hard to keep the underclassmen out of the varsity cage.
Next on the scoring list is Terry Petty – 6-foot-2 junior - who plays underneath the basket. He averaged about the same amount of rebounds as he did points last winter (4.3 p.p.g., 4.6 r.p.g.).
Five-foot-eleven junior John Weidner got in some varsity games last season.
The rest of the unit has little to no varsity experience.
Christian Burnett – a 5-foot-11 sophomore – will join three other classmates 6-foot Mike Mook, 5-foot-4 sophomore Emmanuel Williams and Anthony Williams - a 5-foot-8 sophomore – as ones looking for experience.
“We return a good balance of experience with six players back from a year ago,” said Coach Bauer – who is 35-44 in his three seasons running the Bunker Hill show. “We need to continue to be aggressive defensively and hit the boards if we are going to be successful.”
OUTLOOK – The Minutemen have come a long way since being Metro-East doormats a few seasons ago. Coach Bauer started from scratch and got grand results. Whether or not the group returning can take another step up the ladder remains a question that will be answered in the next four months.