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Freshmen making their mark in Fox Valley

A varsity basketball coach's decision to play freshmen has its pros and cons.

Sometimes a coach's hand is willfully forced by the sheer athleticism or size of an incoming freshman. For example, anyone in the Fox Valley area who last year witnessed the play of 6-foot-5 Larkin forward Christian Negron, 6-8 Jacobs center Cameron Krutwig or Hampshire 6-3 forward Brennen Woods as freshmen understood those players belonged in their respective lineups from a physical standpoint.

Other times a coach may accept that a 14- or 15-year-old gives up a lot physically when playing against 18-year-olds, but he believes that weakness is offset by good fundamentals and a specialized skill set like ballhandling or 3-point shooting. Plus, the team has a need at that position.

No matter the rationale, the area is again bubbling with talented ninth-graders.

Anthony Lynch of South Elgin had started 10 of 15 games heading into last weekend's Martin Luther King Tournament at Rockford Jefferson. The 6-1 guard was averaging 9.6 ppg - third best on his team - to go with 2.3 rebounds and an acceptable 22 turnovers considering his 19 assists and 15 steals.

Burlington Central guard Zach Schutta (6-0, 145 pounds) has been a key contributor since the season began. The younger brother of 2014 graduate Jacob Schutta, Zach is Central's fourth-leading scorer at 8 points per game. In 19 contests the long-range shooter has connected on 18 of 48 attempts from 3-point range (37.5 percent) and makes 78 percent of his free throws (30 of 38).

"There was a feeling out period with his game early on," Central coach Brett Porto said. "But watching him recently against Richmond-Burton, attacking hard and hitting the glass hard against all their size, he was like 'Here I am, ready to go.'

"You don't think of him as a freshman because of how aggressive he is. In a handful of games he's had the most rebounds for us. That's not necessarily a good sign for us as a team, but it its indicative of how aggressive he is."

Dundee-Crown freshman guard Jack Orndahl has started 4 of the 13 games in which he has played and ranks third in team scoring at 5.2 ppg. The 5-11 shooting guard has drained 13 of 35 attempts from 3-point range (37.1 percent). Orndahl's turnovers (17) are about even with his assists (15).

"I think the biggest thing with Jack is he feels more comfortable around the guys now," Dundee-Crown coach Lance Huber said. "This summer he was nervous and it took awhile for him to fit in and realize he could play at that level. The strength of a 14-year-old is not the same as an 18-year-old in most cases so that's an adjustment, but I think he's doing a great job as a freshman."

Orndahl is a travel teammate of another talented freshman who was called up to his varsity team in December: Huntley guard JJ Flores (6-0). In four games at the Wheaton Warrenville South MLK Tournament last weekend, Flores scored 36 points, including a team high 14 in a loss to Champaign Central. He led the Red Raiders with 16 points in a 60-52 win over Grant on Dec. 26.

Streamwood's tough season has a silver lining in the form of two contributing freshmen whose development bodes well for the program's future: forward Brendon Marton (6-3) and center Phil Cruz (6-2).

Marton (pronounced Mar-tone) is Streamwood's runaway scoring leader at 10.2 ppg. He also averages 6.3 rebounds (2.1 offensive) to go with 24 blocks. His 68 turnovers have to be weighed against 37 assists and 33 steals.

"As the year goes on he gets better and better," Streamwood second-year coach Paul Kowalyszyn said. "We're trying to get him to realize just how athletic he can be and he's really been coming on strong recently. He's making plays around the hoop, dunking the ball once in awhile and gaining confidence."

Cruz is perhaps a bit undersized to be considered a true center at this point, but he makes up for height with strength.

"He's probably our best post defender. He's a load down there," Kowalyszyn said. "Our assistant coach, Chris Oates, played in the post in college and he says he has trouble moving Cruz around in there, which is something for a freshman. He just moves people out of the way and puts the ball in the basket. He's been a pleasant surprise."

Pack the Place for Goebbert: Jake Goebbert Night at Hampshire High School has been rescheduled for "Pack the Place" night against St. Edward on Saturday.

An entire day of five high school basketball contests between the Green Wave and the Whip-Purs will be played in the name of cancer awareness with funds raised benefiting District 300's Relay For Life.

The slate begins with the freshman boys game at 1 p.m., followed by sophomore girls at 2:30, sophomore boys at 4, varsity girls at 5:30 and varsity boys at 7.

A ceremony honoring Goebbert will take place between the girls and boys varsity contests. A three-sport, all-area athlete who was named 2006 Daily Herald Male Athlete of the Year, Goebbert made his Major League Baseball debut with the San Diego Padres last June. His framed Padres jersey will be unveiled in a ceremony before it is displayed above the entrance to Hampshire's main competition gym.

Originally scheduled for early January, the ceremony was postponed due to frigid weather that caused school to be canceled.

Orange zest: Jacobs guard Chrishawn Orange scored 14 points in a 47-43 win at Cary-Grove on Tuesday to tie for game-high honors, leaving him 2 points shy of the 1,000-point milestone.

"We got the win so that's all that matters," he said afterward.

Orange, who began his varsity career as a sophomore under former coach Jim Hinkle, can reach the mark in front of the home crowd when Jacobs hosts Huntley on Friday at 7 p.m.

"I've been playing varsity basketball for three years now so to have a chance at it is pretty cool," he said.

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