Boys basketball: LJ Kerr, Burlington Central enjoy busy, productive summer

Burlington Central senior point guard LJ Kerr is spending his summer splitting sports.

A standout on the football field, Kerr showed he’s also pretty good at basketball during his junior season.

Kerr, who is not playing AAU in July, said he focused on improving during the June basketball team season. He said last season’s role for the Rockets was instrumental in his development.

“The varsity practices were intense and challenging,” Kerr said. “The biggest thing I learned or had to figure out was how to translate that onto the court. It taught me the importance of adaptability and strategy.

“I’m playing with more confidence [now]. This offseason I was in the gym working on my midrange and three-point shot whenever I could. In June, I was way more comfortable and confidence in my shot.”

The Rockets had a busy and productive four weeks, playing about 45 games against teams from throughout the upper region of the state. The Rockets, who lost to Marmion in a Class 3A regional semifinal in late February, are aiming to build off last season’s 21-11 record, Burlington Central coach Brett Porto said.

“We have a lot returning from last year but didn’t really get a chance to know a lot about our group because some of our players are multi-sport kids who were not in attendance, and we had a lot of injuries,” Porto said. “That gave some other kids a good opportunity. We saw some good things in spurts individually and we played good consistent basketball. We also had spurts of inconsistency.”

Porto said he anticipates a big leap for some players for the upcoming season, namely Kerr and Patrick Shell.

“We had a young group last year,” Porto said. “Some of our freshmen are now sophomores, so they are already took big strides offensively and showed they can create shots on their own.

“LJ did a wonderful job on both ends of the court, being a point guard and a leader. The game is getting slower for him. He’s playing off two feet. He’s been a stable force. Patrick dealt with some injuries this summer, so he missed a couple of weeks, but he also made big strides.”

Kerr said one of his favorite highlights from June came in a game against Alton at the Riverside-Brookfield shootout. Kerr said Shell played outstanding on both ends against Alton.

Kerr said he plans to extend his shooting range for next season.

“Many people see me as a driver because I do tend to get to the hoop as my main scoring option,” he said. “I want the opposing teams to honor my shot next year to the point where it makes it easier to get to the hoop.”

Shell said the Rockets played well in June.

“I think our wins against Kaneland and Maine South were our highlights because we kept making the right play, and we were unselfish in both of those games,” Shell said. “Playing as a team is the most important thing. When everyone is on the same page and all five guys are playing together that’s when we played our best.”

Shell said he also wants to incorporate a few more options into his game.

“Coming to a jumpstart stop is something I’m working on,” Shell said. “The biggest thing is going to be my pull-up midrange.”