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Smooth transition for Kougias, Grayslake C.

Sometimes a new coach makes sweeping changes when taking over a program.

Kosta Kougias can think of only one major change at Grayslake Central since he took over the boys basketball team for former coach Brian Moe, now the school's athletic director.

"Well, I guess there's a different look on the sidelines since I'm like 5-foot-8. There's a huge difference in size," laughed Kougias, referring to Moe, who is 6-foot-6.

"But other than that, I don't really think there's been a huge change."

Kougias come up through the ranks under Moe, coaching underlevel teams at Grayslake Central over five of the last six seasons.

"A lot of the philosophies that Brian put in are a huge part of my philosophy on basketball," Kougias said. "We both like to pressure the ball full court. We see a lot of other things the same way, like the importance of academics for our players. I think that's part of the reason I enjoyed coaching here so much over the years.

"Maybe the calls for some of our defenses are different. Maybe our secondary break is a little different but for the most part, we're doing a lot of the same stuff. I think there has been a nice transition because of that."

The Rams have seemed pretty comfortable on the court so far this season, opening with a 3-2 record that included a spot in the championship game of the Buffalo Grove Thanksgiving tournament.

Forward Sam Ruhlmann and guard Joey Mudd have made Kougias' transition even smoother. They are both three-year starters. Ruhlmann, who had a 24-point performance last weekend against Glenbrook South, is averaging about 12 points per game and Mudd is at about 9 points per game.

Kougias coached Ruhlmann a little as a sophomore before he was quickly moved up to the varsity.

"As a new head coach, to have guys like that to lean on makes my job easier," Kougias said. "They've put a lot of time in at the varsity level already and you can tell that. They really do a great job leading the team."

Kougias says he also still leans on Moe quite a bit.

"We talk about basketball almost daily," Kougias said. "I try not to annoy (Moe) too much with trivial questions because I know he's so busy now as AD. But there is so much more that comes with being a head coach and running a program. Even just the paperwork is a lot. For me, I would say that's the biggest change I'm having to get used to."

From the bench:

It's not just the starters who carry a heavy load at Grayslake Central.

The reserves are getting the job done, too. And their play at Thanksgiving was a big reason the Rams got to the championship game of the Buffalo Grove Thanksgiving tournament.

"It's been such a huge and pleasant surprise," first-year Grayslake Central head coach Kosta Kougias said of his bench. "We've had guys coming off the bench, getting significant minutes and giving us offense and defense that we didn't necessarily expect.

"We've had a few times where our starters would get in foul trouble early and we've had to rely on our reserves and it's worked out really well."

With reserves such as David Kienzle, Oronde Fleming, Griffin Shepley and DeJon Goodman playing so well, Kougias says the Rams are at least nine deep and that he feels comfortable using any of the players in that rotation in any situation.

Big ball-handlers:

Most bigs rebound, block shots and make moves in the paint.

At Wauconda, big men Ben Carlson and Ricky Sidlowski can add handling the ball to their list of responsibilities. At least for now.

Carlson and Sidlowski have an extensive amount of varsity experience between them, whereas the Bulldogs' stable of new guards have very little.

Only junior Dylan Latiolais returned with any kind of varsity experience on the perimeter. He was on the squad last year as a sophomore, but an early season ankle injury prevented him from really gaining any kind of momentum.

The rest of the guards on this year's roster are all new juniors, including starters Bryan Nee and Parker Fink. That could explain why Wauconda is having a problem with turnovers this year.

The Bulldogs (4-3) lost two games by a combined 7 points but had 26 turnovers in each game.

That's where Carlson and Sidlowski now come in.

"We're going to be relying on our bigs to bring the ball up the floor," Wauconda coach Scott Luetschwager said. "Leadership-wise, I think they could really help the guards. They also have the size and experience to where the pressure (in the backcourt) probably isn't going to bother them as much.

"Their help should give the guards some more time to feel comfortable handling the ball."

More bigs:

As if starters Ben Carlson (6-foot-7) and Ricky Sidlowski (6-foot-6) didn't give Wauconda one of the biggest front lines in the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division already, there's more size on the roster.

The Bulldogs also boast size in senior forwards Paul Redmann (6-foot-6) and Matt Bulgarelli (6-foot-4).

"Those four complement each other so well," Wauconda coach Scott Luetschwager said of his big men. "We've also had some games where we've had some foul issues with Ben and we can go to Paul and Matt right away and feel good about it.

"I have extreme confidence in all of our post players."

Different Dom:

What earned Dom DiProva a spot on the Grayslake North varsity team as a sophomore two years ago isn't necessarily what's making him a standout there now as a senior.

"He's a different animal all together this year," Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh said. "It's great to see a senior step up and continue to learn and mature and see the rewards come to him early in the year."

DiProva initially caught Grunloh's eye with his ability to knock down the long ball. He loved camping out at the 3-point line.

"He used to be the 3-point shooter, the deep threat," Grunloh said of DiProva. "But he didn't get a ton of minutes, five to 10 minutes a game. We needed more from him. We constantly told him that with his athleticism and quickness that he could get to the basket.

"It took more than a year and a half to convince him, but something clicked late last year and he added that to his game."

DiProva wound up being named to the Fox Valley all-conference team last season and has gotten off to a fast start this season. His versatility makes him tough to take off the floor.

He scored a team-high 15 points against Lakes last Friday, many of which came on drives to the basket.

"I understood that I wasn't always going to get a 3-point shot. Today I got only one," DiProva said after the Lakes game. "And sometimes you're not always hot out there (beyond the arc). Coach is always telling us to get to the basket if we're not hot. That's what I started doing."

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