Boys basketball: Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, West Chicago teams set for tipoff

Basketball is a numbers game: Points per game, field goal percentage and total rebounds can all tell the story of a team. With the season about to tip off, take a look at some of the key numbers for area teams.

Numbers to know

2 Categories in which Billy Bair led Glenbard South last season – points per game (12.5) and rebounds per game (5.4). He also shot 46 percent from the field.

37 Team-high number of 3-pointers made for West Chicago’s Mikey Bibbs last season. He was also the team leader in points per game (13.3).

13.1 Average points per game for St. Francis’ Gabe Johnson. He led the Spartans in that category in 27 games of action.

72 Free-throw percentage for Glenbard North’s Nick Lavere last year. In his first season as a starter he led the Panthers in points per game (12.5) and rebounds per game (3.7).

99 Team-high number of assists for Glenbard West’s Alex Passi last season.

867 Miles Glenbard Justin Pierce will travel to play in college at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. He led the Hilltoppers with 16.6 points per game last year.

6-5 Height, in feet and inches, for Wheaton Warrenville South’s Eric Rasch. He is the tallest player on the roster for the Tigers, who average a little over six feet.

19 Number of players on the roster for Wheaton Warrenville South, 10 of which are seniors

36.3


Average points per game Wheaton North lost due to the graduation of Jake Heggeland (8.9), Nick Jordan (12.9) and Nick Traversa (14.5).

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As the high school boys basketball season gets underway, teams from across the state begin a journey that they hope will culminate in a state finals berth. Glenbard South, Glenbard West and St. Francis return key players while Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South will look a little different. Here’s the outlook as teams hit the court.

Glenbard South Raiders

Coach: Wade Hardtke

2014-15 record: 16-13

Top players

Name Year Pos.

Billy Bair sr. C

Kyle Carli sr. F

Johnny LaPonte sr. F

Tim Marks sr. G

Povilas Riauba sr. G

Outlook: A host of returning players, including leading scorer Billy Bair, has the Raiders in a good position as the season tips off. Kyle Carli, Johnny LaPonte, Tim Marks and Povilas Riauba are among an athletic returning group. “We’ve got quite a few guys coming back who got minutes last year,” head coach Wade Hardtke said. “It makes a big difference because the guys know what to expect and they know what to do.” Charlie Bair and Cullen Cuchetto were with the varsity last year, and senior Glenbard East transfer Kennyone Pendleton could slide right into the rotation this year. “I think we’ll be able to shoot it and distribute it,” Hardtke said. “We’ve got a lot of athletic guys who can score so I think we’ll be multi-dimensional.”

Glenbard West Hilltoppers

Coach: Tim Hoder

2014-15 record: 11-17

Top players

Name Year Pos.

Nick Diver sr. G

Brian Cochrane sr. G

Connor O’Shea sr. F

Alex Passi sr. PG

Justin Pierce sr. F

Outlook: Versatile William and Mary recruit Justin Pierce returns this season, but he’s not the only piece of the puzzle. Third-year point guard Alex Passi, three-year varsity Brian Cochrane, Nick Diver and Connor O’Shea are also slated to return. Even with some of the returning talent tied up in the football team’s playoff run, the Hilltoppers are still ahead of where they were last year. “We can install our stuff quicker because it’s the third or fourth year a lot of these guys have been doing it,” head coach Tim Hoder said. Senior Sam Noland and juniors Chris Langan, Connor Mullins and Alex Pihlstrom will contribute to a strong shooting team. “I think our strength is we shoot the ball well,” Hoder said. “We want to get good shots and shoot a high percentage.”

St. Francis Spartans

Coach: Erin Dwyer

2014-15 record: 15-12

Top players

Name Year Pos.

Jon Burke sr. F

Nick Cooney sr. F

Gabe Johnson sr. G/F

Will Purdom sr. G/F

Outlook: A slew of returners, including Jon Burke, Nick Cooney, Gabe Johnson and Will Purdom, comprise a versatile team for new head coach Erin Dwyer, who was head coach at Glenbard North before recently assisting at Hinsdale South.

“At Glenbard North we were a run and trap team, but coaching at the high school level you have to be able to play half court defense,” Dwyer said. “I think this team can do both.”

A senior-heavy team also includes Peter Fassnacht, Nick Kurtyak, Tim Lilly, Mike Rueth, Will Rowen and Shane Walker. If nothing else, Dwyer knows his deep team will give a determined effort every night.

“The kids play very hard and they are very unselfish,” Dwyer said.

West Chicago Wildcats

Coach: Bill Recchia

2014-15 record: 7-18

Top players

Name Year Pos.

Tai Bibbs jr. G

Mikey Bibbs sr. G

Peter Dolan sr. G

Devonte Pascal jr. F

Outlook: West Chicago endured some ups and downs last year, but eight returning players bring high hopes for the Wildcats this season.

Mikey Bibbs averaged 13.2 points per game in an Upstate Eight all-conference season, and Tai Bibbs (9.4), senior guard Quinn Ricci (8.2), Devonte Pascal (7.2) and Peter Dolan (6.8) were also key contributors last year. Seniors Alec Dolan, Jourdan Habecker and Jacob Wiegele also return.

Wheaton Academy Warriors

Coach: David Osborn

2014-15 record: 5-21

Top players

Name Year Pos.

Thomas Blum jr. F

Anthony Polinski sr. G

RW Rienow sr. G

Dan Vasko sr. G

Outlook: The 2014-15 season was a struggle for the Warriors, but head coach David Osborn believes a balanced effort across the board, with returners like Thomas Blum, Anthony Polinski, RW Rienow and Dan Vasko leading the way, could be the difference.

“I’m expecting that we get contributions from a number of different players throughout the season,” Osborn said. “Overall, we expect to be a competitive team that plays good, hard-nosed, sound basketball.”

Junior newcomers like Jameson Teuscher and Sam Scharnowski will add depth.

Wheaton North Falcons

Coach: Dave Brackmann

2014-15 record: 20-6

Top players

Name Year Pos.

Luke Anthony jr. G

Jackson Garner sr. F

Matt Giles sr. F

Rowan McGowan jr. G/F

Outlook: The Falcons were hit hard by graduation, but they have a group of talented returners ready to take on larger roles. Among that group are Luke Anthony, Jackson Garner, Matt Giles and Rowan McGowan.

Newcomers like senior Adam Terrini, who missed last season with injury, and juniors Jack Bennett, Ethan Block and Michael Gehl got some experience over the summer, but much of North’s success will depend on how quickly the players adjust to their roles.

“We need to be a team that plays with pace, rebounds by committee and turns our defense into offense if we are going to have another good year,” head coach Dave Brackmann said.

Wheaton Warrenville South Tigers

Coach: Mike Healy

2014-15 record: 11-18

Top players

Name Year Pos.

Matt Dacy-Seijo sr. G

Eric Rasch sr. F

Ryan Scudder sr. G

Jeran Simpson sr. G

Brian Shallcross sr. G

Outlook: The Tigers don’t have an abundance of size – 6-foot-5 Eric Rasch is the tallest – but several returning guards, including Matt Dacy-Seijo, Ryan Scudder and Brian Shallcross could help the Tigers be competitive in their own way.

“We have a good group of seniors who work extremely hard,” head coach Mike Healy said. “We’re a little undersized so we’re going to have to work for some of the tough stuff inside.”

Guard Owen England and forwards Will Bach and Trace Hernandez add depth, and junior guards Dillon Durrett and Drew Healy figure to be in the mix.

“It’s a group of relatively athletic kids and they run the offense pretty good,” Healy said.