Everyone begins a new season with certain expectations and usually high levels of excitement. This week was the opening week of boys basketball practices as we venture ever closer to games being played to tip off a new season the week of Thanksgiving.
But for the top teams in each conference and those in the area, there are others who are looking to find ways to rise up, maybe even those on the verge of title contendership. So who are the five boys basketball teams that Bounce sees as having something, of some sort, to prove as we get going on this new season.
BLUFFTON TIGERS
The Tigers were 11-12 last season in the first year under legendary coach Craig Teagle and the road that got them to Teagle was an interesting one to say the least. But now that they are established under him, the expectations will rise for them to be a contending team in the ACAC. Teagle has six Sectional titles under his belt in his career and that has to be a bar that Bluffton would like to get to sooner or later. He has some solid athleticism to work with, especially in senior Kaleb Green and sophomore Axton Beste. How he combines that with his well known style is key for the Tigers to get above .500 this season for the first time since 2019-2020.
LEO LIONS
While Leo going through a coaching change has them with “less to prove,” it will be a big season for someone to step up. Leo has always had a bit of a hierarchy with their talent, but the graduation of Jackson McGee leaves a big hole in their offense. Sol Richard and Nolan Hiteshew are the key contributors back and bring a steady hand, while the addition of transfer Jaiyre Sampson helps the scoring punch a lot. But with the balance coach Derek Hinen used at Fairfield, expect him to be pretty steady across the board. It could be a big breakout year for senior Landon Ruoff in the post, while guys like Colton Wallace and Grant Johnson will get to show what they can do after inconsistent at best playing time last season.
NEW HAVEN BULLDOGS
New Haven also has a new coach, but again that coach isn’t really why they have something to prove. Instead, it is the highly touted sophomore class that will be crucial to New Haven’s success this season and into the future. They played well last year as freshmen in a wide variety of roles, but there will be so much more expectation on New Haven’s class of 2027 as sophomores and even the class of 2026 as juniors. The Bulldogs are building but should have success in the process with juniors Jadrien Ezell and Demarcus Wright, as well as sophomores Tarvar Baskerville, Lavell Ledbetter and Marquaylon Johnson all pack a pretty powerful punch on both ends of the court and new coach Brandon Appleton will expect no less from them.
CARROLL CHARGERS
Sticking to the not picking on new coaches note, we have another one at Carroll but the coach does come into play quite a bit here because of the success that Benedict has had in the past everywhere he has gone; he has won postseason titles at three of the five schools he has been at in his career. Benedict has also only had seven losing seasons in 32 years as a varsity head coach and one of those seasons, at Bluffton, he still won a Sectional title. Carroll lost a lot of scoring to graduation and transfer so their ability to buy in with Benedict and his staff is key for the Chargers to once again be a nightly threat in the SAC.
EAST NOBLE KNIGHTS
The Knights made one of the boldest and best coaching hires in a long time in 2021 when they pulled former Homestead standout Brandon Durnell right out of college to take on the program. Bounce applauded the hire then and he will applaud the hire now. Durnell had a solid year one, while the East Noble record dipped in year two in part because of four exciting overtime losses; but it ended with a nice Sectional win over conference rival DeKalb. Last season, the Knights found themselves above .500 for the first time since 2018-19, but injuries plagued them too often. With a stellar starting five, at full health, that rivals most in the area, expectations are high for East Noble to push towards a conference title and perhaps the first Sectional crown in 24 years.
LAKELAND LAKERS
Lakeland returns as much, if not more, depth than anyone else in the NECC let alone the entirety of Northeast Indiana. That alone puts pressure on to come away with key wins and compete for titles. But, gone is one of the area’s most prolific scorers in Nate Keil, so while the depth is back and impressive, Keil’s stature is a lot to try and replace. All eyes within the conference will be on the Lakers to see who provides that steady hand with Kyle Hartsough, Keyan Arroyo, Keegan Merrifield and Justin Carlson all as valuable candidates to step up. And if more than one of them exceeds expectations? Even better for the Lakers’ during the home stretch of the season.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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