BY JACK BULLOCK
The new look Midland Trail Conference – not unlike the Black Diamond Conference - will have a decidedly “one-sided” look to it when it opens up its two-division set up in 2008-09.
With the expansion to include the five remaining teams from the now defunct Mid-South Conference – a total of 12 teams have been split in half by geography.
The Western side – according to ABV – has the four best teams of the lot heading into this winter.
Woodlawn, South Central, Waltonville and Odin all have key personnel returning.
All four of these teams will reside in the Western Division.
Woodlawn head coach Shane Witzel has a big dilemma facing himself this season in finding playing time for all of a veteran kids returning from a squad that posted a 20-win season and a regional championship in the archives from a season ago.
Waltonville boasts two of the top underclassmen in the 1A South returning while Gary Shirley at South Central will retool his Cougar bunch for a run at the West crown.
Odin ended a successful season last winter knowing the future may be even brighter with talent returning for a school that has posted few winning campaigns in its history.
Webber Township has some hard working kids back according to second year mentor Sam Root while as of this writing Sandoval hasn’t named a head coach for a program that didn’t win a contest in 2007-08.
The Eastern part of this league might produce a more interesting race for the title with any of the six members capable of taking home the top spot.
North Clay and Clay City both have talent returning at all positions.
CC Head coach Adam Ellis has six players returning that spent a lot of time on the varsity hardwood in 2007-08 – a campaign which ended in a regional title game loss at Woodlawn to the host Cards. The Wolves finished at 17-11 overall.
The Cardinals also have some key players back including four starters from the 12-14 club that won the consolation title of the MTC Tourney a year ago and finished third in a very competitive Dieterich Holiday Tourney.
Coach Russ Gerlach will begin his second season as the “big chief” in the Wayne City Indian nation with some talent returning from an 8-20 team that finished down the totem pole in the final season of the Mid-South.
However his Tribe might have just enough talent this season to compete with the Eastern part of the MTC for the top spot.
Cisne has had a pretty good recent run and is very familiar with some incoming MSC teams having played at the Wayne City Holiday Tournament since its inception and has some size and talent returning that could make for an interesting four-team East sprint to the finish.
West Richland and Grayville are not without a shot at the East championship despite graduation losses.
Coach Keith Redman has four returning letterwinners from a 5-20 club while head coach Will Knight and his Grayville Bison suffered the most significant graduation losses of these 12 schools with ABV All-South standouts Drew DiMaggio and Taylor Lynn hitting the bricks.
WESTERN DIVISION
1. WOODLAWN
The Cardinals have quality players back at every position and showed improvement in the last month of the 2007-08 season to warrant a spot here at the top of the MTC West Division.
With just one key graduation loss and a returning core of players that all have experience – head coach Shane Witzel’s club should receive some statewide notoriety in 2007-08.
Woodlawn was on the verge of winning a sectional semifinal game last season at Nokomis when the wheels fell off the wagon in the final quarter against the host Redskins – a team that went on to a second place finish in the state.
Building upon that strong finish – including the program’s first regional title in 20 years – look for Woodlawn to have a legitimate chance of taking “IT” to the next level.
Nothing can take the place of experience when it comes to high school basketball and Woodlawn will return four starters and at least five other kids that contributed to the 20-12 finish last season that included a 54-41 win over Clay City to grab the program’s third regional title in its history.
Woodlawn lost its only double-digit scorer (11.6 p.p.g.) to graduation with 6-foot-5 center Ethan Shurtz leaving.
But the four returning seniors all threw in points last season and each total should get a bounce this winter. The underclassmen all showed promise and should push the Class of 2009 for playing time.
Kyle Boldt – a 6-foot-1 senior forward – averaged 8.9 points per contest while grabbing 5.7 rebounds per outing. Both of those numbers top the balance that returns at Woodlawn.
Boldt usually takes on some tough work around the basket and has held his own for three previous varsity seasons. Nothing should change in that regard in 2008-09.
Jase Green has overcome some arm problems and looks ready to go when the season begins in November. Green – a 6-foot-3 senior forward – is also a veteran of these hardwood battles and will be called upon for leadership as well as some additional points and rebounds - nine points, 3.3 boards last season.
Add the names Bronson Verhines and Jesse Hart to the list of returning vets.
The 6-foot-4 senior forward Verhines added 7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior. This one also has battled injuries but he, too, appears ready to roll.
Hart is a 5-foot-9 senior guard that has spent time starting and coming off the bench. He provides a lot of solid minutes and some scoring (6.5 p.p.g.) to an already scoring friendly group.
Those four seniors would make the Woodlawn case for a MTC championship by themselves.
But like a Billy Mays infomercial – “Wait, there’s more!!!”
Casey Hammond – a 5-foot-10 junior guard – like Boldt, Green and Verhines – played in all 32 of the Woodlawn battles in 2007-08 and will bring even more scoring to the lineup.
Hammond averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds as a sophomore.
Perhaps the two most important returning players are from the sophomore class.
Dawson Verhines – a 6-foot backcourt specialist – is Bronson’s younger brother.
He stepped up and played well as a freshman last season as a point guard. The job might be his as the 2008-09 season begins for a squad that needs to shore up some turnover problems that plagued them against quality opposition a year ago.
Six-foot-seven second year prep Josh Wiggs played in just 13 varsity games last season but he has matured into a potential starter in the frontcourt for Coach Witzel.
If this coach can get good minutes from those to sophs – the Cardinals will be deep enough to make a lot of tournament runs.
A pair of seniors – 5-foot-9 Luke Simmons and 6-foot-1 Jordan Wehrheim – will contribute when needed.
“We have several players that have played at the varsity level since their freshman year which makes experience a strength for us,” said Coach Witzel who is 225-114 at his alma mater. “We have also seen significant improvements in our top three underclassmen over the past year. We have a good combination of size and quickness that will help us match up with most teams we will play. It remains to be seen how deep our bench will be but hopefully we can get important contributions from our bench.”
OUTLOOK – Coach Witzel has enough weapons this season to tackle a tough schedule. This winter’s wars should help the Cardinals prepare for the postseason. Woodlawn should be a better overall squad than last season, which is a scary proposition for opponents. For a 1A school in a new conference – there appears to be few cupcakes in this basketball bakery. Non-conference games against Okawville, Breese Mater Dei and Sesser-Valier will force the Cardinals to be ready each evening. Lebanon and Hamilton County won’t be “walks in the park,” either. Circle the date February 13 on the calendar. The Cards will host South Central with the winner likely the Western Division champion. If Woodlawn can keep the turnovers down and continue to shoot the ball well then they will be a threat to make a trip to Peoria. They are definitely in my ABV “Five.”
2. SOUTH CENTRAL
As the 2008-09 season begins the question marks for the Cougars program are centered on replacing some strong backcourt players lost to graduation.
Coach Gary Shirley will look to his roster and see the names Will Crain, Shea Burton, Devin Hall and Broch Thomas missing. Those four seniors have graduated. Aaron Robb – a 6-foot-1 senior – transferred to Salem so there goes another potential replacement guard.
Crain, Burton and Hall anchored a strong backcourt for South Central and provided scoring and defense for a club that finished 21-8 with a loss to Red Hill in the semifinals of the Wayne City 1A Regional semifinals. But their collective assignments were to get the ball to the frontcourt last season and they did a good job. The players that end up replacing those three seniors will key the success of the Cougars in 200809.
This frontcourt looks to be the best in this league with two returning starters - Isaac Grapperhaus and Tanner Bushue.
The 6-foot-5 Grapperhaus should pass the 1,000-point mark this season as he attempts to improve on some stellar stats. He averaged 14.2 points and 9.4 rebounds last season for South Central.
This kid has a big presence in the paint and he should get some recognition for end-of-season awards.
Bushue was second on the club in scoring and rebounding (14.0 points, six rebounds) and - at 6-foot-4 - adds to the frontcourt power of South Central.
Coach Shirley lists three players that he hopes will step into important roles in the varsity show.
Six-foot-one senior Seth Arnold, 5-foot-11 junior Tyler Gillett and 5-foot-11 sophomore Nathan Hill made the list.
Those three are very green in a varsity sense and will get thrown into the deep end from the beginning.
Coach Shirley – 495-196 in 25 previous seasons – has always had a way with guards and he should have this young group ready the time the season gets underway.
”This is the first time I can ever remember having only two lettermen returning,” said Coach Shirley. “Attention young kids – you better grow up in a hurry!”
OUTLOOK – I have little doubt that under the tutelage of this mentor that South Central will have the backcourt straightened out by the time the holiday tournaments begin and these Cougars will be a threat for regional hardware. While the backcourt is a sticky situation the frontcourt is “all good.” Grapperhaus and Bushue should continue to “reek havoc” in the lane on both ends of the court. The Cougars should be right there in the middle of the Midland Trail Conference race from beginning to end and adding another MTC title trophy to the already bulging case shouldn’t surprise anyone.
3. WALTONVILLE
Coach Mike Denault has four returning starters from a regional title squad and some other players ready to step in for a team that also must make the conference transition.
The Spartans stepped up in a big way last season in winning the final Mid-South Conference boy’s basketball title with a 7-1 mark while picking up yet another 20-win season (20-10) before bowing out to Trico at the Mounds Meridian 1A Sectional.
This season Waltonville has experience returning with junior standouts Joseph Lewis and Skyler Witges back after fantastic sophomore seasons.
Both of these young men combined for over 30 points a game and were both threats from long range.
Lewis is a 6-foot-4 guard/forward who canned 42 percent of his 3-point attempts last winter while scoring 15.3 points a contest.
Witges – a 6-foot-3 junior guard – chipped home 15.1 points a night. He, too, could “fill it up” from behind the arc as he hit 46 times from downtown on the season.
These two are as deadly a scoring combo as there is in the 1A South.
Six-foot-four junior Gavin Bassett adds some size and scoring to the lineup (10.6 p.p.g. 5.9 r.p.g.) while teammate 5-foot-10 junior Brock Wheatley chipped in 7.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.
Don’t look for any of these numbers to decrease in 2008-09.
Waltonville will have four additional players – all seniors – who Coach Denault will need to contribute if the Spartans are going to challenge Woodlawn and South Central for the West title.
Three of the players (Devan Lamke, Daniel Kash and Derek Ford) stand 6-foot tall.
Lamke and Kash will spend time in the Waltonville backcourt while Ford will provide support up front.
The other senior in the mix is 5-foot-9 Brock Kabat who is also in consideration for backcourt time.
This coach listed three juniors that have a chance to be a part of a potential 20-win season.”
Luke Stanhouse is a 6-foot junior while Dylan Johnson is also 6-foot. Both of those players could provide minutes along with 6-foot-4 junior forward Coty Compton.
Coach Denault believes that the Spartans have the goods to make a run for hardware once again in 2008-09.
“This season should be an interesting season for us. We return 90 % of our scoring. We won 20 last year but we have again improved our schedule by adding Madison, Nashville, and the Pinckneyville Shootout. The conference will be much more challenging this year with the top 4-5 teams having a chance to win the conference. Our focus this year will be improve defensively and on the glass. If we can get better in those two areas, we should be successful this year,” said Denault – a Trico grad who sports a 104-38 mark at Waltonville (133-92 overall) in eight total years.
OUTLOOK – The question mark for this club is the health of Witges who was involved in an accident in the fall that hurt his right (non-shooting) shoulder. If he is 100 percent then the Spartans could win this division. The schedule – like the ones facing Woodlawn and South Central – will have Waltonville tested by the time February rolls around. Joseph – a second team ABV pick last season – will need to take up some of the slack if Witges isn’t at his best early on. This club will be able to defend and have enough athletically to play the way Coach Denault likes to see. They should be in the 20-win range and be “knocking on the door” for the MTC crown.
4. ODIN
Not many people would realize that there is something special going on at this school.
Head coach Mike Finckbone has some good players back from an unheard of winning season in 2007-08.
The Eagles soared to a level this school hadn’t pictured in many, many years.
Odin ended up with a winning record at 15-13 and finished 4-3 in both the Midland Trail and the Egyptian Illini conferences last winter and they have the players to improve on that overall mark.
Finckbone calls junior Tyler Parrish “the best player the school has ever produced” and few close to this program would take issue with that statement. In fact he might be the best player in a very good West Division?
Parrish is a 6-foot junior guard that drilled home 711 points as a sophomore. That is a career for a lot of very good players in the history of Southern Illinois basketball and this one is still learning the game. His average was 26.3 points a night – head and shoulders above any other mark in the league. Parrish also connected on 75 percent of his free throw attempts and dished out 3.2 assists per outing. He was honorable mention ABV 1A last season and should climb that ladder this year.
He has 1,138-points in two varsity seasons and he could shatter a lot of scoring marks at the school in the next two campaigns.
But like other great players – Parrish is going to need help if the Eagles have any shot at getting a chunk of this MTC cake.
Todd Murray – a 6-foot-1 senior – added 10 points a game for Odin last season and was the teams’ top board man with 10.6 rebounds a night.
Five-foot-eight junior C.J. Spitler added seven points and 3.3 assists a game.
Six-foot-three senior Caleb Mathews (7.9 p.p.g.) is the fourth returning starter for Coach Finckbone this season.
Odin got some good news this season with the return of Ryan Cluck – a 6-foot-3 junior – who was injured last season.
Look for those five to be in the opening night lineup when the Eagles travel to the Mulberry Grove Thanksgiving Tournament to begin the journey.
Coach Finckbone listed six other players with a shot at some playing time.
Six-foot-two sophomore Tyson Minor and 6-foot sophomore Travis Shaffer were on the varsity last season as well as 6-foot-1 sophomore Michael Finley.
Cody Tate is a 6-foot junior who could get in the action a lot.
This coach has no problems talking about Parrish and his lack of respect around the state.
”Tyler Parrish should have been all-state last year,” said Finckbone – an Odin grad who has reshaped this program with the help of a good group of kids the past two seasons. “He (Parrish) is one of the best players in Southern Illinois. We have a deep team and we will be as good as we have been in 20 years. Having Cluck back will be a great addition to our team. Murray and Mathews will be our inside threats and they both jump very well. The other kids will all have a chance to play a lot of minutes as we can go with three or four different lineups. All of our kids can shoot the ball.”
OUTLOOK – This junior dominated squad can look forward to another two seasons to continue the upswing of Eagles’ basketball. Parrish still needs work on his overall game but he has been getting a lot of attention from colleges. His support staff looks to be improved, too which will bode well for a potential 20-win season. Unfortunately for Odin is that their schedule just got much tougher with the addition of Waltonville on the slate. They beat Woodlawn last season before losing to the Cardinals in the semifinals at the Woodlawn 1A Regional. This club isn’t without a shot at this title and if they were in the East Division they would be favored. Parrish – by the time he is finished at Odin – could have 2,000-points. The last time that Odin won any postseason hardware was the 1970-71 season when they won the school’s seventh and last district title. With the shift to four classes last season not expected to change – the Eagles could be gazing at a shiny regional title plaque in the next two seasons.
5. WEBBER TOWNSHIP
Head coach Sam Root has gotten the reconstruction of the Trojans’ program heading in the right direction.
Webber Township failed to win a conference game last season and stumbled home at 4-21 after dropping out of the regional at Woodlawn with a loss to Patoka, 66-48.
Coach Root has some kids back but the bulk of the scoring and varsity minutes left the building last spring as four seniors (John Kiel, Cody Snow, Brandon Brookman and Shane Austin) graduated.
But the good news is that Coach Root likes what he is seeing effort-wise from his team that he has coming back.
Three seniors that return produced offensive varsity numbers and this trio is a good place to start the Webber story.
Keith Catron is a 5-foot-11 senior has the best scoring average (6.9 p.p.g.) returning for the Trojans.
Six-foot senior Paul Beal added 5.8 points a night in just 13 varsity games while classmate 5-foot-10 Andrew Martin added three points a night.
Six-foot junior Bryan Johnson scored 6.1 points per game in 2007-08.
Sophomore Ethan Gowler – a 5-foot-9 guard – should also see some PT after scoring 2.5 points per contest.
All five of those players started games for Webber Township last winter so they should be able to improve their varsity skills this season.
Senior Tyson Bruce – a 5-foot-9 guard – along with juniors Phillip O’Dell and Kyle Langa and sophomore Phillip Beodendieck all were mentioned by this coach as potential reserves.
Stability in the coaching position will have to help the Trojans cause this season as Root enters his second consecutive campaign as the head coach.
“This will be the first time that these seniors will have the same coach for two seasons,” added Root – an Edwards County grad who is trying to build the program back up at Webber Township. “Our numbers will be up which will improve our depth. We will have to improve in three key areas in order to be successful: Rebounding, shooting percentage and turnover margin. We have improved confidence after a strong summer and we feel that we will be improved in those three areas. We should be deeper, faster, more athletic and experie