IVCC men’s basketball preview: Eagles have ‘all the pieces to be pretty good’

With a roster full of players who have the ability to start or contribute, Illinois Valley Community College men’s basketball coach Chris Herman will need to spend the early part of the season “seeing who’s going to click together.”

The Eagles return six sophomores, including a pair of All-Arrowhead Conference selections in guards/forwards Roderick “Scooby” Watson-Pearcey and Qu’amar Hobbs, and welcome a freshman class ready to contribute right away.

“We have 11-12 guys who can play, so we’re trying to figure out rotations, who’s going to start and all that,” Herman said. “We’ve got all the pieces to be pretty good, I think.

“They’re all very coachable, good character kids. They all work extremely hard in practice and they all put the work in in the weight room. They’re going to class for the most part and taking care of business academically. They’re doing all the right things. I’ve been really happy.”

Last season, Watson-Pearcey averaged 12.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, two assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game as the Eagles finished 13-18, while Hobbs contributed 12 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, one steal and one block per contest.

“Watson-Pearcey is really capable of playing well,” Herman said. “He’s gotten stronger. He’s jumping a lot better. He’s shooting it better from 3. Hobbs can really shoot it.”

Also back are forwards Roko Jurasovic and Roko Kegalj and guards Kamarr Evans and London Cabrera, a La Salle-Peru graduate.

“Jurasovic has gotten a lot better. He’s gotten a lot stronger and his footwork has really improved,” Herman said. “Kegalj can shoot it. He’s an aggressive kid and a pretty good defender. Evans started our first game. He’s capable of lighting it up. He’s a streaky shooter. Cabrera is eager to play. He played pretty well our first game. I brought him in the second half and felt like he gave us a little bit of a spark. He may see his minutes improve.”

Several newcomers are expected to make an impact as well.

Guard Kahmr Dailey and forward Joshua Clay started the opener, while guard Ayipey Salinas also was slated to start but was unable to play.

“Dailey kind of kept us in the game. He shot it well. He had three 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 11 points. He’s got a little bit of quickness, a good basketball IQ and he’s a little bit more mature [as a 20-year-old],” Herman said. “Clay is a little inexperienced, but he’s a great athlete. He can shoot it a little bit. He’s still developing as a wing player. Right now he’s more of a five. He can play in the post and hit a midrange jump shot. I think he has a bright future.

“Salinas was a two-time all-conference player at Eisenhower. He’s a great student and great kid. He’s kind of quiet. We want him to be a little more vocal. He’s transitioning to point guard. He’s a great shooter and probably our best on-ball defender as far as guards go.”

Marlon Williams is a 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward who Herman said is “like a Dennis Rodman” when it comes to rebounding. He recorded two of the top 15 rebounding games in IHSA history as a senior at Chicago’s Horizon Southwest Science Academy last winter with a 31-rebound game and a 30-rebound game.

Hunter Staton adds local talent to the roster. The Serena graduate helped the Huskers to a 58-13 overall record, 20-0 Little Ten Conference record and back-to-back regional titles over the past two seasons.

“I’m very high on him,” Herman said. “He’s a great shooter. He can light it up. He needs to get a little bit better handling the ball. He’s a great kid.”

The Eagles opened the season with a 65-51 loss to Lake County on Saturday.

“I don’t know if it was first-game jitters, but shot selection-wise, we took shots a little bit quick and settled for too many 3s when we should have been trying to get to the hole,” Herman said. “We did not shoot a very good percentage. Hopefully, we learn from that.

“We just have to bounce back, trust each other and kind of figure out who our go-to guys are.”

Herman said the Eagles want to finish in the top eight in the region in order to open the postseason at home. IVCC was the No. 9 seed last season and lost at Moraine Valley in the region tournament opener.