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Boys basketball: Scouting the NSC Lake

NORTH SUBURBAN LAKELAKE ZURICH BEARSCoach: Billy Pitcher (5th season)

Last year: 19-12 (7-7 NSC)

Last year's tournament: Lost in the regional final to Fremd, 58-44.

Key players lost: G Brad Kruse (Carthage), G Matt Moon

Key players returning: G Mike Travlos, sr., F Will McClaughry, sr., G Jack O'Neill, sr., G Nick Penny, jr., G Nick McCoy, sr., G Kunal Kothari, sr.

Newcomers: F Nick Meyer, jr., F Tim Spears, jr., G Nate Rathe, jr.

Outlook: Having won six straight games before losing to Fremd in the regional final, Lake Zurich was starting to put together a momentum at the end of last season that could carry into this season. The Bears return three of their top four scorers in Mike Travlos (19.5 ppg), Will McClaughry (9 ppg) and Jack O'Neill 7 ppg). “This is the most talented and experienced team in my five years,” Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher said. “With good guard play and a lot of shooters, we have high goals and expectations for this group.” Travlos, a 6-foot-3 guard who earned a full scholarship to Division II Hillsdale in Michigan, will become one of just six players in school history to join the 1,000-point club. He's already scored 945 points despite being a marked man in the North Suburban Conference. “Mike drew every team's best defender last year and surpassed all of our expectations, scoring-wise in what may be the best conference in the state,” Pitcher said. “He will get a lot of attention again, but I think we have a balanced attack that teams won't be able to just key on one guy.” At 6-foot-6, McClaughry lends balance inside. He and O'Neill are being heavily recruited by most Division III schools in Illinois and Wisconsin. Newcomer Tim Spears, a 6-foot-1 forward has filled the role of lockdown defender, previously held by new alums Brad Kruse and Matt Moon. “We really need to improve our defense,” Pitcher said. “We're looking for that guy who is going to lock down and earn playing time based on his D. Tim Spears is an early candidate, but it would be nice to have more than one guy.”

Opener: Monday vs. Waukegan at the Grant Thanksgiving tournament.

LIBERTYVILLE WILDCATSCoach: Scott Bogumil (11th season)

Last year: 15-13 (4-8 NSC)

Last year's tournament: Lost in the regional semifinal to Highland Park, 60-50.

Key players lost: G Jack Lipp, F Johnny Vernasco (Denison), G Matt Reed, Steven Braun.

Key players returning: C Joe Borcia, sr., F Conor Peterson, sr., F Ben Kimpler, jr., G Cam Chen, jr., F Peter Feely, sr.

Newcomers: G Paul Steinhause, jr., G Jabari Quigley, jr., G Brandon Rule, soph., G Jake Mansfield, sr.

Outlook: Some years, Libertyville has been guard-heavy. This year, the Wildcats have plenty of height. “We'd like to be able to have both (at the same time),” Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil said with a laugh. “The height we have this year is pretty exciting.” Libertyville has arguably the tallest roster in the North Suburban Conference, led by 6-foot-10 center Joe Borcia, who averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds last year as a junior. He'll be joined in the frontcourt by 6-foot-6 football standout Ben Kimpler, a speedy defensive end whose basketball legs might be a bit behind since the Libertyville football team is still playing in the IHSA state semifinals. The Wildcats also boast two tall forwards in Connor Peterson (6-foot-6) and Peter Feely (6-foot-7). “When we've got multiple big guys in there at the same time, like Joe and Ben, it's tough to guard,” Bogumil said. “We did a lot of high/low post stuff over the summer when they were together. We liked that.” The Wildcats are about as short on experience on the perimeter as they are tall in the paint. Junior Cam Chen will likely start at point guard while Paul Steinhause is the top option at shooting guard. Neither got much playing time last year. Jake Mansfield, Jabari Quigley and Brandon Rule will also work themselves into the perimeter rotation. “The guard play in our league (North Suburban) is so good,” Bogumil said. “We're going to have to rely on our guards to grow up quickly.”

Opener: Monday vs. Maine West in the Maine West Thanksgiving tournament (at Libertyville).

MUNDELEIN MUSTANGSCoach: Corey Knigge (2nd season)

Last year: 2-28 (1-11 NSC)

Last year's tournament: Lost in the regional quarterfinal to Libertyville, 91-66.

Key players lost: G Derek Parola, G JT Michalski

Key players returning: G Tyler Olson, sr., F Kevin Marcotte, sr.

Newcomers: G Tommy Marcotte, fr.

Outlook: There were some big highlights for Mundelein last season. Most of them involved guard Derek Parola, who is now on the baseball team at Illinois State. Parola was a machine from 3-point land, nailing a school-record 12 in one game and 127 on the season. Both marks landed him spots in the IHSA record books, at tied for third and No. 11, respectively. But when the Mustangs weren't counting up Parola's 3-pointers, they were counting up losses. They lost 28 of 30 games and could never gain any momentum. “Getting over the feeling of ‘here we go again' from last year is going to be difficult,” Mundelein coach Corey Knigge said. “But I know that we can get there. Obviously, we are looking to improve upon last year. I thought we made some great strides, especially defensively, this summer. This group of guys is a lot like last year as far as their work ethic. They have really worked hard in the summer. I know they will play hard.” Senior Tyler Olson returns as the Mustangs' most experienced veteran. He averaged about 5 points and 3 assists per game. Jake Parmley, who was originally a Freshman B player, will likely be in the starting lineup and Tommy Marcotte is a talented freshman who has been brought up to varsity. “It's going to be a matter of execution and believing we can win,” Knigge said.

Opener: Monday vs. Lake Forest Academy at the Mundelein Thanksgiving tournament.

STEVENSON PATRIOTSCoach: Pat Ambrose (16th season)

Last year: 32-2 (13-1 NSC)

Last year's tournament: Won the Class 4A third place game, defeating Edwardsville, 70-63 (lost to Whitney Young in the state semifinals, 75-68.)

Key players lost: F Matt Morrissey (Michigan State, football)

Key players returning: G Jalen Brunson, sr., G Connor Cashaw, sr., G Matt Johnson, sr., F Parker Nichols, sr.

Newcomers: F Justin Smith, soph., F Ryan Rosenbaum, sr.

Outlook: Will the third time be the charm for powerhouse Stevenson? The Patriots are itching to make one more trip downstate with this talented group, and finally return with the top prize. In each of the past two seasons, Stevenson has fallen just short. Last year, Stevenson lost in the state semifinal to eventual state champion Whitney Young. The Patriots went on to win the third place game against Edwardsville. Two years ago, Stevenson finished as the state runner-up, losing in the state championship game to Simeon. “It's been a huge motivation all during the off-season,” Stevenson senior forward Connor Cashaw said of the Patriots' semifinal loss to Whitney Young. “We've all worked to push ourselves to the limit and we really believe in ourselves that we can have another great season.” Cashaw, Jalen Brunson and Matt Johnson give Stevenson one of the most potent backcourts in the state. Brunson, the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014, is rated the No. 1 point guard in the nation by Scout.com for the Class of 2015. He recently committed to play basketball at Villanova next year after having spent the summer leading the U-18 U.S. national team to the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship. Last season, Brunson averaged 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Patriots. Meanwhile, Cashaw averaged 17.7 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game last season. He also dished out 2.4 assists per game. Johnson was a dangerous 3-point shooter for the Patriots and was at about 10 points per game. He hit 58 3-pointers, second on the team only to Brunson, who knocked down 81 buckets from downtown. Forward Parker Nichols also returns to the starting lineup for Stevenson. The only starter missing from last year's state finals run is forward Matt Morrissey, who is now playing football at Michigan State. “Should be another solid Stevenson team with a lot of veteran leadership,” Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. “We'll be guard-heavy and we'll miss Matt Morrissey.”

Opener: Monday vs. Argo at the Lyons Thanksgiving tournament

WARREN BLUE DEVILSCoach: Ryan Webber (3rd season)

Last year: 17-14 (4-8 NSC)

Last year's tournament: Lost in the regional final to Stevenson, 79-59.

Key players lost: G Eric Gillespie (Triton CC), G Adrian Deere (Emporia), F Greg Swane, G James Betori.

Key players returning: F Jovan Jokic, sr., F CJ Payawal, sr., F Caleb Reams, sr.

Newcomers: F Zack Schultz, jr., F Scottie Gordon, sr., G Jake Falish, sr., G Jon Lewis, sr., G Maurice Chambers, jr., G Corey Ball, jr., G Chris Mathieu, jr., G Jalen Deer, jr., G Matt Moran, sr.

Outlook: When coaches talk about playing possession by possession, this is what they mean. Warren lost six games last season by one possession. “We will need to improve on closing out games,” Warren coach Ryan Webber said. “We will rely heavily on playing together on both ends of the floor.” The Blue Devils will also rely on a lot of new faces. Gone are three double-figure scorers in Eric Gillespie (17 points per game), Adrian Deere (12 ppg) and Greg Swane (10 ppg). Warren will look to veterans Jovan Jokic, CJ Payawal and Caleb Reams to fill the void. All three have nice size (at least 6-foot-3 or taller) and are versatile scorers. Reams will be playing football next year at Illinois. “We have a very inexperienced team that will have to mature quickly as we play a very difficult schedule and play in a such a strong conference,” Webber said. “We will not rely on any one player, but a collective effort offensively and defensively. We will need to understand very quickly how important everyone's effort is on every play.” Warren, which advanced to the regional final last season, adds nine new players to the mix, mostly at the guard position.

Opener: Monday vs. Barrington at the Mundelein Thanksgiving tournament.

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