Some early take-aways from the Fox Valley boys basketball season
Three weeks into the high school boys basketball season seems like the right time to talk about some of the highs and lows I have seen.
During my early journey across Kane County, I've covered 14 Fox Valley boys basketball teams in 20 days.
The list includes Aurora Central Catholic, Aurora Christian, Batavia, Burlington Central, Crystal Lake South, East Aurora, Geneva, Harvest Christian, Kaneland, Marmion, St. Charles East, St. Charles North, St. Edward, and Westminster Christian.
And I'll see Elgin and West Aurora this weekend.
Up-and-coming underclass
One of the first things to stand out is the hefty amount of freshman and sophomore players who are major contributors for their respective varsity teams.
Six freshmen, including a pair of starters - Will Wolfe of Aurora Christian and Collin Woods of Westminster Christian - have provided offensive support.
Aurora Christian's Taaj Davis, Batavia's Jayden Johnson, Geneva's Nate Santos, and St. Charles North's Luke Scheffers also have stepped right into pressure situations without looking like your usual first-year high school players.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound forward, knocked down four 3-pointers during the Bulldogs' 67-29 victory over Kaneland in their annual Ken Peddy Thanksgiving Tournament.
His looks and build remind me a lot of former Batavia 3-sport standout Jordan Coffey.
Scheffers, a 5-10 guard, drained the first 3-point attempt of his prep career during the North Stars' season-opening 63-51 victory over Plainfield East at the Ron Johnson/St. Charles East Thanksgiving Tournament.
Meanwhile, Santos, a 6-5 guard-forward, scored 5 points and displayed his defensive ability as the team's sixth man during the Vikings' 54-41 triumph over East Aurora last Saturday.
Geneva coach Phil Ralston employed the long-limbed Santos in a box-and-one defense against Tomcats sophomore Traevon Brown midway through the first quarter.
Brown made just 1 more basket the rest of the way.
"We were very concerned early in the game keeping Brown in front of us," said Ralston. "He was getting into the lane too easily so we decided to cut off those angles."
"Going over the (pregame) scouting report, the guys opened their eyes wide every time I said that every other (Geneva) kid was 6-5," said Tomcats coach Wendell Jeffries. "They're very long."
Promising sophomores include Aurora Christian's Colton Schutt, Burlington Central's Patrick Mayfield, East Aurora's Traevon Brown, Geneva's Mitch Mascari and Jack McDonald, Harvest Christian's J.J. Flores, Jack Nohava and Andre White Jr., Marmion's Tommy Surges, St. Charles East's Nate Ortiz, St. Charles North's Tyler Nubin, St. Edward's Liam Jackson, and Westminster Christian's Will Kmieciak.
Buzzer-beaters
St. Charles East junior forward Justin Hardy is fast becoming "Captain Clutch" for the Saints.
In addition to his 30-foot last-second shot that lifted St. Charles East to a dramatic 59-58 victory over St. Charles North in the championship game of its Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Tournament, Hardy helped send last Friday's game against Elgin into overtime with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 36 seconds remaining.
Hardy added another 3-pointer in the extra session during the Saints' 57-53 victory.
Opposing coaches will likely adopt a "don't let Hardy beat you" mantra for upcoming games but that could be easier said than done.
Uneasy in the UEC River
The Upstate Eight Conference River Division should be renamed the Uneasy Conference for River Division coaches.
Although the conference season is just 2 weeks old, a pattern is emerging - plenty of down-to-the-wire finishes.
Five games involving Batavia, Elgin, Geneva, Larkin, St. Charles East and St. Charles North have been decided by 5 points or less.
Honest approach
Marmion team managers keeping track of statistics on iPads noticed a discrepancy in the third-quarter score last Friday against Montini.
After scouring through the book, the official scorer deducted a point from the Broncos, leaving them ahead 68-57 instead of 69-57.
Montini coach Daryl Thomas noticed the subtracted point just prior to the start of the fourth quarter and met with officials at the scorer's table.
After sifting through my notes to make 100 percent sure I was correct, I mentioned to anyone who cared to listen that the changed score was the right one.
At that moment, Thomas, the former Indiana University standout, pointed toward the stage where I was sitting and said, "I trust him - he has no rooting interest in this game - and he has an honest face."
Thanks for your trust, coach Thomas.
Tongue in cheek
Waiting for coaches from Harvest Christian and St. Edward to emerge from their respective locker rooms following their Dec. 1 game, officials walked past me in the hallway on the way to the next game between ACC and Joliet Catholic.
One referee joked, "You could write the story now - about three blind guys."
Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com