|
 Graduation.
Since the horn
sounded in the 2014 Class 3A state championship game, the Railers
and their fans have watched ten players walk across the stage,
diploma in hand and their futures in front of them. With the
departure of four of those seniors from last year, this year’s team
will be young and, for the most part, inexperienced at the varsity
level. Even though eleven of this year’s roster of thirteen players
spent time during dressed for varsity at times last year, only three
of the returning players have appeared in more than 30 games in
their careers and the leading returning career scorer has totaled
310 points. Just what has graduation taken from the Railers?
Statistically, a lot. The ten graduates, along with one transfer,
left with 857 games played and just shy of 5000 career points.
Those returning this year have played in a total of 164 games with
481 points.
Young and
inexperienced.
Now, please don’t
take this as a gloom and doom critique. You have to remember the
players who left with all those numbers had to practice against
someone. OK, so the players on this year’s roster may not have
“game” experience, and I know that is important, but they have gone
up against the best the Railers have been able to offer in practice
every day. They have seen what it takes to carry on the tradition
of Railer basketball.
Readers know that I
talk a lot about the numbers. Yes, I am a stat geek. But, anyone
who has watched the Railers knows it is not all about the numbers.
There is a toughness that cannot be found in any box score. Hustle
and heart are not found on the scoreboard. The guys and coaches in
the locker room know who has it and tonight, Railer Nation will get
its first glimpse of a team that may be building toward a great
future.
Leading this year’s
squad is Coach Neil Alexander, who is 15 wins away from 600 at
Lincoln alone. Coach Alexander and his coaching staff (Eric Ewald,
Gregg Alexander, Brandon Farmer, Josh McClallen, and Louis
Schonauer), who I would put up against any other coaching staff in a
pick-up game, may be forced to do a bit more coaching this season
due to the youth on the team.
This year’s roster
features four seniors (with games played and scoring average from
last year in parentheses): 5’11” Garett Aeilts (26/0.8), 6’1” Aron
Hopp (32/9.3), 5’11” KJ Fry (15/0.7), and 6’4” David Biggs
(14/1.3). The junior class of three is made up of 6’0” Nolan
Hullinger (4/0.8), 5’11” Bryson Kirby (5/0.0), and 6’4” Alex
O’Donoghue (3/0.0).
Almost half of this
year’s opening night roster consists of sophomores. Simple numbers
tell you one or more of the sophomores will be asked to make
immediate and important contributions that will tell the tale of the
season. The group includes 5’10” Titus Cannon (0/0.0), 5’7” Tate
Sloan (0/0.0), 6’0” Sam Birnbaum (0/0.0), 6’5” Drew Bacon (2/1.5),
6’0” Ben Grunder (0/0.0), and the most experienced of the sophomores
6’1” Isaiah Bowers (32/3.6).
The season schedule
lays out very closely to last year with a couple of exceptions.
After opening the season with the Eaton Electrical Tournament,
Central State Eight opens play again at the Shootout at Prairie
Capital Convention Center in Springfield against Jacksonville.
Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, a new sponsor takes over the
Holiday Classic in Collinsville. Prairie Farms takes over the
naming rights from Schnucks for the three day tournament from
December 28th through the 30th.
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The Central State
Eight Tournament, which last year began a rotation among five of the
six schools in the round robin matchups, changes once again this
season. Lincoln, Decatur MacArthur, and Jacksonville are the
schools that will host games over five nights of the tourney. The
long trip of the season will see the Railers travel to Aurora to
take on Central Catholic in early February.
This team will be
looking to break a pattern the Railers have been in since the
2000-2001 season. Starting with that season, the Railers have gone
three straight seasons with single-digit losses followed by a
double-digit loss season. The pattern has continued since and, for
the past three campaigns, LCHS has suffered single digit losses.
Let’s hope this is the season that comes to an end. Also, the
senior class comes in with 87 wins and a .853 winning percentage
over the past three seasons. Very few senior classes at LCHS have
graduated while posting 100 plus wins over their four years.
It is important to
remember that this year’s team will stand on its own and should not
be compared to last year’s squad just like it was not fair to put
last year’s team against the team that finished second in the state
in 2014. But, in all honesty, there does have to be a mention of
the loss of last year’s seniors. With the graduation of Gavin
Block, who is already enjoying success as a freshman at Ohio
University, Will Cook, Jordan Perry, and Peyton Ebelherr, the four
took with them almost 36 points per game and 186 of the team’s 209
three-pointers from last year. That has to be replaced somehow and
it may take some time for the team to find out how that is going to
happen.
Looking ahead to
this year, it will be one on a learning curve for everyone, players,
coaches, and fans alike. There may be some close losses, or some
games that end in exciting fashion. Some games may seem like they
are over early and there will be some big conference wins that no
one is expecting. With this coaching staff, you know they will get
everything possible out of this roster. This will be a young team,
but a hungry team. Young doesn’t always mean bad. For fans of this
year’s Chicago Cubs team, they saw how youth served them well, all
the way to the playoffs. What is in store for this year’s squad?
We get the first in a series of answers tonight as the Railers take
on the Chargers as LCHS tries to three-peat as champions of the
Eaton Electrical Tournament. The game will be the third of the
night following the opener at 5 with Danville taking on Cahokia,
while the sandwich game at 630 is Morton facing off against
Mahomet-Seymour.
It should be a fun
year and I look forward to bringing you my take on each and every
game. Are you ready? I know I am. Here’s hoping we see lots of
Red and Green at Roy S. Anderson tonight.
See you there!
[Jeff Benjamin] |
