 Our friends at Webster's define anticipation as the act of looking
forward to eagerly.Now, for those of you out there that are fans
of Harry Potter, like my wife, anticipation for the penultimate film
in the series has been building, reaching its climax this past
Friday upon release of the movie. The same holds true for Railer
Nation. Sure, there are a few more fans of the young boy who grew up
on Privet Drive, but there are none more passionate than those who
sport the Red and the Green.
Another chapter in the saga begins tonight as the 2010-2011
version of the Lincoln Railers take to the court against recent
rival Belleville Althoff on the opening night of the Lincoln/Eaton
Round Robin Thanksgiving Tournament. The Railers will look to
improve on last year's 28-4 season that came to an end in Champaign
at the hands of Springfield Southeast. The defending Central State
Eight champions handed the Railers three of their four defeats. The
only other loss came in the championship game of last year's
Thanksgiving tournament to Champaign Centennial.
Unlike the Harry Potter series, the characters in the story of
the Railers are always changing. Much of the success this team will
achieve will be contingent on how they replace 33 percent of the
scoring from last year as well as almost 40 percent of the
rebounding. The majority of that void was created by the graduation
of Ben Brackney. The Bucknell freshman left the program 12th on the
all-time scoring list, in the top 10 rebounding and sixth in career
3-pointers made. Others to take that walk across the stage into the
world beyond high school were Reuben Bowlby, Cameron Turner and
Steven Green.
Last season, fairly or not, much of the focus on the Railer team
was on "the Big 3." The trio, consisting of Brackney and
then-juniors Jordan Nelson and Nathaniel Smith, were to be the group
that was going to make that team a special team, a team that could
end the season hoisting hardware in Peoria. Obviously, that did not
happen, and the fault does not fall at the feet of those three.
Southeast simply had the Railers' number last year. In fact, some
could say that number was 67, the number of points the Spartans
scored in each win over Lincoln last year.
Well, if the focus last season was on the Big 3, one can only
imagine the pressure being carried by the remaining members of that
trio, Nelson and Smith.
From his time at West Lincoln-Broadwell, Nelson's shooting feats
were already the stuff of legend. Nelson and his long-range
marksmanship would fit right into the groove at Lincoln, and a
championship would be just a formality. As Nelson enters his final
season at LCHS, the numbers are staggering. He will start tonight
tied for sixth all-time in scoring with Geoff Alexander and only 46
3s behind Gregg Alexander for the top spot on the school's all-time
3-point list.
Basketball fans in Lincoln have known of his prowess from his
days at WL-B. Unfortunately, other coaches know it as well. Nelson
averaged 19.5 points a game last year, but to do that this season
will be a testament to his determination and effort. Without
Brackney, Nelson will be looked to do the majority of the scoring,
and any good opposing coach will do anything -- double-team,
box-and-one -- to keep him from getting any good looks. Nelson,
however, is not just an outside shooter. The guard has the quickness
to go by defenders and either get to the basket or find an open
teammate.
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One of those teammates will be his running mate, Nathaniel Smith.
"Smitty" has always had the potential, and now is the time for it to
all fall into place. Smith's size and ballhandling skills will have
him positioned in the offense where Brackney held court last season.
With that responsibility comes the expectation of improving on his
11 points and four rebounds from last year. If Smith, or someone
else, does not become a viable scoring option, it could be a long
season.
Also returning from last year's starting five are Austin Kirby
and Brant Coyne. Coyne, also a senior, will provide a lot of inside
play for the Railers. He also is a threat from 3-point range,
hitting at almost 39 percent from behind the arc last year. For a
big man in the Lincoln offense, Coyne does a great job of finding
the open man for a better shot. Kirby brings that attitude, that
tough-as-nails, not-going-to-back-down demeanor that every team
needs. Although not a scoring threat last year, Kirby has shown the
ability to hit for 3s and can create a lot of havoc defensively.
Railer fans will also get more of a look at returnees Christian
Van Hook -- a player Lincoln coach Neil Alexander has referred to as
"the best athlete I've ever coached" -- Jordan Gesner, Jake Olson,
Will Podbelsek, Matt Hays and Andy Krusz. New to the varsity squad
this season are Max Cook, Dane Eimer, Tommie Harris, Cody Heidbreder
and Edward Bowlby.
One thing stays consistent, and that is -- with all due respect
to Harry Potter -- Lincoln's own Albus Dumbledore, coach Neil
Alexander. Coach Al returns for his 21st season on the bench at Roy
S. Anderson Gymnasium. With 616 wins under his belt, 457 of those at
Lincoln, Alexander has made 20 wins in a season the norm, and this
season should be no different.
As last year, you can find coverage of the Lincoln basketball
here on lincolndailynews.com. It's hard to believe this will be my
third year doing so. I certainly have enjoyed the first two years,
and now I've got a dictionary and a thesaurus, so maybe I might
actually sound like I know what I'm talking about.
Speaking about talking about the games, this is even harder to
believe. Tonight begins my 10th season as the play-by-play voice of
the Railers.
I've have always appreciated your comments, both positive and
constructive, on both the broadcasts and the stories.
With everything, there is always change, and I am excited about
our change in the broadcasts as former Railer star Josh Komnick will
be joining me and Tom Larey this season. Don't know how the
broadcasts will sound, but I do now that we can now take almost all
the other conference broadcast teams in 3-on-3. Just get it to Josh
and get out of the way.
Sometime this season, hopefully early, Lincoln will win game No.
1,600 in their tradition-rich program. We'll be there for that one
and each and every game this season. Could this be a special season?
I never count out a team with this coaching staff and players
willing to make the necessary commitment.
As every Harry Potter fan knows, he became known simply as The
Boy Who Lived. Who knows? Maybe in March, this team will be known as
The Team That Won ... It All.
[By JEFF BENJAMIN]
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