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Scouting the North Suburban Conference

NORTH SUBURBAN CONFERENCE

STEVENSON PATRIOTSCoach: Pat Ambrose (21st season)

Last year: 19-9

Last year's tournament finish: Lost in the regional championship to Fremd, 55-41.

Key players lost: F Jackson Qualley (Grinnell), F Samvit Ram (Rose-Hulman), C Nick Bonk (baseball at Northern Illinois)

Key players returning: G Luke Cheing, sr., G Matthew Ambrose, jr., G Trey Baker, soph., F Matt Kaznikov, jr., F Kyrie Lewis, sr.

Newcomers: F Bobby Holmes, jr., F Cameron Bernard, jr., G Jonny Ittunas, jr.

Outlook: Stevenson was young last year in winning a share of the North Suburban Conference championship, and will be relatively young again this season. The Patriots return a core of key players who are still underclassmen: sophomore guard Trey Baker and juniors Matthew Ambrose and Matt Kaznikov. "Our core is still a bit on the young side, but like many teams, we need game experience to really mold us," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. "Our coaches have put in great work to help these young men succeed and we are excited to start." The Patriots do have some experience in seniors Luke Cheing and Kyrie Lewis, and Cheing brings experience in a vital position. Cheing is Stevenson's returning point guard. "Luke has a good head on his shoulders to move us in the right direction," Ambrose said. Another player with a high basketball IQ is Ambrose's own son Matthew, who practically grew up on his father's bench. With a unique knowledge and feel for the game, Matthew Ambrose showed the ability to put up big numbers last year and will now take on the added role of also being more of a leader to his younger teammates.

Opener: vs. Hersey at Palatine, Tuesday

LIBERTYVILLE WILDCATSCoach: Brian Zyrkowski (2nd season)

Last year: 19-10, 9-3 NSC

Last year's tournament finish: Lost in the sectional semifinals to Lake Zurich, 54-50.

Key players lost: G/F Drew Peterson (Rice), F Chase Eyre

Key players returning: G Josh Steinhaus, sr., F Travis Clark, sr., G Brian Wilterdink, sr.

Newcomers: G Jackson Watson, jr., F Will Moore, jr., F Patrick Graham, jr., G Blake Ellingson, soph.

Outlook: It was a historic season for the Wildcats last year. They won their first North Suburban Conference championship since 1990 (shared with Stevenson and Warren) and their first regional championship since 2004. Although the Wildcats will be without their engine in Drew Peterson, who is now playing at Rice, they will still be battle-tested and experienced. "We bring a combination of experienced seniors and a talented junior and sophomore class," Libertyville coach Brian Zyrkowski said. "Josh Steinhaus, Travis Clark and Brian Wilterdink (all seniors) played huge roles in a our success last season and have elevated their games in the off-season." Steinhaus hit major shots in Libertyville's regional championship run last year and was lethal from 3-point range. He hit better than 50 percent of his 3-pointers. Clark was one of the team's leading rebounders last year and can be a force inside and out. And Wilterdink provided valuable minutes off the bench. While Zyrkowski is expecting breakout years by Steinhaus and Clark, he thinks the team can be right back where it was last year. "This team will be a contender in the North Suburban Conference this season," Zyrkowski said. "The Wildcats will be a fun team to watch, a roster full of shooters and scorers and guys that will get after it on the defensive end. I have very high expectations for this team."

Opener: vs. St. Viator at St. Viator Thanksgiving Tournament, 7 p.m., Monday

LAKE ZURICH BEARSCoach: Terry Coughlin (1st season)

Last year: 26-8, 11-5 NSC

Last year's tournament finish: Lost in the supersectional to Evanston, 78-52.

Key players lost: G Ryan Kutsor, F Peter DiCerbo, G Kenny Haynes, F Joe Heffernan

Key players returning: G JR Cison, sr., G Will Tucker, jr.

Newcomers: F Bryan Sanborn, soph., F Dante Lococo, sr., C Adam Hagen, jr., G Joey Lococo, jr., G/F/C Matt McGraw, sr.

Outlook: New head coach Terry Coughlin steps into a very good situation. Lake Zurich was the most successful team in the North Suburban Conference last season, advancing all the way to the supersectional under former coach Billy Pitcher, who moved on to be head coach at Lake Park over the offseason. Two of the top players from that supersectional team, starting guards JR Cison and Will Tucker, return. "Coach Pitcher built a strong foundation during his time at Lake Zurich and I think, although inexperienced with only two players who have seen significant varsity minutes returning, the work ethic and standard of play at Lake Zurich has been passed down from team to team," Coughlin said. "This year's team has worked hard to find our identity and I'm confident that, although young, we will reach our potential by focusing on the process of getting better each day." Coughlin says that Cison and Tucker have expanded their roles from last year to include more leadership responsibilities. "They are two of our hardest workers," Coughlin said of Cison and Tucker. "When your two most experienced players are your hardest workers that sets the tone for the entire program. They have elevated the competition level and helped others get better." The improvement began early in the summer as Coughlin got to know his team through camps and summer league games. "We focused on building relationships and our standards that will drive our development process as a team and program," Coughlin said. "The work ethic has carried itself into the fall and our kids have gotten stronger and are very supportive as a group. I love our togetherness."

Opener: at Richmond Burton, 5:30 p.m., Monday

MUNDELEIN MUSTANGSCoach: Matthew Badgley (2nd season)

Last year: 14-17, 4-10 NSC

Last year's tournament finish: Lost in the regional quarterfinals to Schaumburg, 47-43.

Key players lost: F Jeff Bikus (Hope College), C Andrew Silva (Aurora), G Tommy Marcotte

Key players returning: G Conor Enright, soph., G Andrew Gonzalez, sr., C Scottie Ebube, soph.

Newcomers: G Jack Bikus, soph.

Outlook: Mundelein turned a major corner last season under new head coach Matthew Badgley. The Mustangs had been bringing up the rear for years in the North Suburban Conference, including an 0-14 run through the league in 2016-17. But last season, Badgley guided Mundelein to four NSC wins and 14 wins overall. The Mustangs also finished third at the DeKalb Holiday Tournament. The challenge this year will be to keep the turnaround going while retooling. Mundelein is losing seven seniors, including nearly 90 percent of its rebounding and 85 percent of its scoring. "We are continuing to establish a culture of hard work that was laid as a foundation with last year's seniors," Badgley said. "While we lack experience, we expect a continual upward climb as we gain experience throughout the year as players buy into their roles." Six players who were on last year's roster are back and ready to get their chance at helping the program grow. Conor Enright and Jack Bikus are both sophomores who had brothers on the team last year and will be looking to carry the torch. Enright is the one starter returning to the mix. He averaged nearly 9 points per game last year and was one of the leading playmakers on the team. "We will be looking at a rebuilding season and to many this could appear dire," Badgley said. "However, this is the opportunity that many have been desiring and the team plans to consistently improve throughout the season."

Opener: vs. Lake Forest Academy at the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament, 6:30 p.m. Monday

WARREN BLUE DEVILSCoach: Jon Jasnoch (4th season)

Last year: 19-12, 10-4 NSC

Last year's tournament finish: Lost in the regional championship to Lake Zurich, 62-57.

Key players lost: G Branden Ellis (Lynn University), G Barak Diehl (North Central College), G Ian Schilling

Key players returning: G Tavion McCarthy, sr., G Jordan Johnson, jr., F Adnan Sarancic, jr., G Casey Cobe, sr.

Newcomers: G Josh Turner, F Juan DelaCruz

Outlook: It was quite a turnaround season last year for Warren. The Blue Devils won a piece of the North Suburban Conference championship, winning a late-season battle with Stevenson to clinch it. It was the first league title in seven years for Warren, which shared it with Stevenson and Libertyville. Now, the Blue Devils are looking to hold on to that momentum, and that place among the top teams of the rugged North Suburban Conference. The challenge will be doing that with limited experience returning from last season. Gone is leading scorer Branden Ellis, who averaged 18 points per game and is now playing at Lynn University. The Blue Devils also lost 11 points per game from Barak Diehl. "We will start the season with only a few players with varsity basketball experience," Warren coach Jon Jasnoch said. "But we will be very athletic and competitive. We played well over the summer and I think that will carry over to the season." Jasnoch is hoping that success from the Warren football team, which recently completed a run to the state quarterfinals after an undefeated run through the North Suburban Conference, will also carry over. "We have five players coming off a very successful football season and they'll be jumping right into basketball season," Jasnoch said. One of the football players includes linebacker Juan DelaCruz, the 2018 North Suburban Conference player of the year.

Opener: vs. Fremd at the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament, 5 p.m., Monday

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

CARMEL CORSAIRSCoach: Zack Ryan (5th season)

Last year: 19-12, 4-5 East Suburban Catholic Conference

Last year's tournament finish: Lost in the sectional semifinals to North Chicago, 73-61.

Key players lost: G Zion Kilpatrick

Key players returning: F Johnny Roeser, sr., F Jalen Snell, sr., F Lukas Galdoni, sr., G Kimahri Wilson, soph., F Damone Williams Gray, sr.

Newcomers: G Will Schott, sr., G Mason Schaedel, sr., F Jack Smith, sr., G Kylen Beals, sr., F Julian Speights, sr., F Bryce Moore, fr.

Outlook: Carmel has been making a steady rise. "We have increased our win total each year for the past four years," Carmel coach Zack Ryan said. The Corsairs won 19 games last year, won a regional and gave a fight in the state tournament to North Chicago, which eventually finished fourth in Class 3A. Ryan is confident that this year's team can match or exceed the successes of last season. "This team is deeper than last year and we bring back many players that saw extensive minutes," Ryan said. "We are hoping to go about 10 deep." Leading the way for the Corsairs is senior forward Johnny Roeser, a four-year starter, who has 78 starts under his belt. "Johnny is going to go down as one of the best players in school history," Ryan said. Roeser averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds per game last season. The Corsairs also had two other players average double-figures last year - Damone Williams Gray, a 6-foot-5 forward, also averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds per game and sophomore guard Kimahri Wilson averaged 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game in a special freshman year. "Kimahri Wilson is one of the state's best sophomores," Ryan said. "Damone provides us with size and rebounding." Jalen Snell (6-foot-3) and Lukas Galdoni (6-foot-4) also give Carmel size inside. Some new blood will also figure into the mix. Kylen Beals saw time at the end of last season as a sophomore and started for Carmel for the majority of the summer. Mason Schaedel sat out last season due to transfer rules but looked good over the summer and will provide strong shooting from the perimeter. And Bryce Moore is a freshman who is already turning heads. "Jack Smith, Will Schott and Julian Speights will provide depth and senior leadership," Ryan added.

Opener: vs. Chicago Schurz at the Grant Thanksgiving Tournament, 5:30 p.m., Tuesday

CENTRAL SUBURBAN LEAGUE NORTH

VERNON HILLS COUGARSCoach: Matt McCarty (16th season)

Last year: 7-22, 0-12 CSLN

Last year's tournament finish: Lost in the regional semifinals to Carmel, 60-42.

Key players lost: G Tony Brown, F/C Payton Foster, G/F Luke Perlin

Key players returning: G Joey Levitan, sr., F Mekhi McCarthy, sr., C John Dosmagen, sr.

Newcomers: F Ryan Jacobson, jr., F/C Michael Moore, jr., F Jack Barzcz, jr.

Outlook: To say that Vernon Hills was senior-heavy last season would be a bit of an understatement. "We graduated 11 seniors from last season, which means we will have a lot of new faces on varsity this year," Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. "Obviously with so many newcomers we will be stressing trying to come together as a team but I do like what I have seen with our junior class which has some much needed skill and size. And our seniors are easy to coach. They lead and give great effort which is important for our newcomers as they learn to mature as players." Three seniors who were on last year's varsity are Joey Levitan, Mekhi McCarthy, also a football standout, and John Dosmagen. "Joey is a strong and physical point guard that has put in a ton of hours working on his game," McCarty said. "John and Mekhi give us strength and quickness in the paint. All three give nothing but their best. They are great teammates and we look forward to having them provide our newcomers with excellent leadership." The Cougars will need contributions from players at every position, inside and out. They had a tough time manufacturing offense last season. "We really struggled at times to score last season," McCarty said. "We have some players this season that can put the ball in the hoop but there is still a lot of room for improvement on the defensive end and learning to do the small things correctly on the offensive end."

Opener: vs. Chicago Sullivan at the Northridge Prep Thanksgiving Tournament, 7:30 p.m., Monday

  Warren's Tavion McCarthy passes against Waukegan last season. McCarthy will be one of the leaders for the Blue Devils this season. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
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