Despite heavy offseason losses, Lincoln-Way East off to red-hot start again

It’s the winter of 2023-24. The Lincoln-Way East boys basketball team is entering the season after losing a lot of senior production from the year before. A full youth movement is on, as sophomore BJ Powell is looking to build off a historic freshman year. Sophomore Karson Thomas and junior Brent Taylor are excited to become a part of the rotation along with sophomore Jacob Alexander.

It’s the winter of 2024-25. The Lincoln-Way East boys basketball team is entering the season coming off a 16-13 year, but they’re back in flux once again. Powell has transferred to Combine Academy and committed to play collegiately for Howard. Taylor has switched to Homewood-Flossmoor, while Thomas is at Marist now. Alexander has left the team to focus on football (he has a dozen Power Four offers).

It’s a few weeks into the season. Yet despite all those losses, the Lincoln-Way East boys basketball team is 5-0 and grooving with another young team in the early going of the year.

Entering Friday night’s contest against Lockport, the Griffins were undefeated. All their wins have been by multiple possessions, including a 53-37 win over Lyons, their largest of the year. It hasn’t always come easy, but this youthful group has been rolling right along.

“We’re a strong team that plays together,” sophomore Evan Riiff said. “If we keep doing that, a lot of wins will come down the stretch.”

Riiff, in his first year of varsity play, has been one of the key contributors this season. His free throws down the stretch against Andrews helped the Griffins seal a 60-55 win. Senior Will Buchanan has been a key scoring cog as well, dropping 17 points in a win over Lincoln-Way Central. Jaymon Hornsby scored 16 in a Morton win.

If there is one leader the Griffins continuously count on, it’d likely be senior Brendan Sanders. The lone returning starter from last year, Sanders dropped 14 points with eight rebounds in the win over Lyons and has been looked upon as a steady presence.

Ask him, though, and he’ll tell you it’s all about the team depth the Griffins emphasize.

“We don’t have those individual players [that we had last year] this year, so we have to all work together to win,” Sanders said. “We need everyone to step up every time.”

As for players stepping up for the first time, they too are just viewing it as an opportunity to help contribute. They have bought into the identity of the team being about multiple contributors and not counting on just one player. Riiff, for example, has taken his breakout year in stride.

“I don’t take it as anything,” Riiff said. “I just go out there, play my game, and the results will come.”

It’s still early, of course. Last year’s group started 14-8 before stumbling to a 2-6 conference record. But that was a group that often relied on Powell or one of the other transfers. This year, there’s no telling who will step up on any given night. Some teams might find that concerning.

For the Griffins, it’s exactly what they’re hoping for.

“It’s going to be a different guy every game,” coach Rich Kolimas said. “I don’t think there’s going to be one guy that will always consistently be the scorer, which makes us a little hard to defend. ... Every night is going to be a different night and a different guy.”