1A Preview 2013-2014

  • Tweet
  • Pin It

Graduation carved up much of defending 1A champ Borden, and now they’re not in our pre-season poll, they’ll likely run the table and repeat.  The power is up north this year with 13 of the 15 ranked teams head north during tournament play.  Much of that power is housed in Sectional 49, as no more than one of 21st Century Charter, Kouts, Marquette Catholic and Morgan Township will reach the regional round.

Here is HHR’s 2013-2014 Pre-Season Top 15 for 1A

  1. Carroll (F)
  2. Morgan Township
  3. Arlington
  4. Triton
  5. Lafayette Central Catholic
  6. Monroe Central - Hovering around the .500 mark the last three years, the Golden Bears have a good returning nucleus for the first time since 2011.  Seniors Chase Bly and Jake Combs return a lot of offensive fire power, while sophomore Beau Combs should see his production rise.
  7. Rossville - One of the top shooters in the senior class, Brandon Tonsani, 6’4″ wing, returns for his senior year.  Austin Miller, 5’11″ senior guard, also returns.  Both are returning double-digit scorers, who should see their production go up even more.  If 6’5″ senior forward ET Brenneman can become a consistent scorer, the Hornets will be a tough out.  Brenneman led them in rebounds last year and was second in assists.
  8. Covington - Calling him possibly the best shooter he’s ever coached, Coach Kent Chezum is pinning a great deal of expectations on Chandler Spring.  The 6’4″ junior wing has grown a lot in the last two years, and he combines a excellent outside shot with excellent athleticism and the ability to put the ball on the floor.  Jordan Ahrens, 6’3″ junior, does just about everything for the Trojans, including often serving as their point guard.
  9. Tindley - TJ Henderson, 6’1″ junior guard, might end up leading all of 1A players in scoring.  He’s part of a 1-2 punch with 6’3″ senior forward Jabari Artis, for Coach Wonnell, and with most of the ball handling duties a lot of their offense begins and ends with Henderson.
  10. Blackhawk Christian - the Braves didn’t just get a new coach, as Coach Davidson moves over from Lakewood Christian and brings his two sons Wes, 6’4″ junior forward, and Wil, a 6’2″ freshman, with him.  Wes was productive around lane as a sophomore, 13.1 ppg and 7.4 rpg, while Wil is an excellent shooter.  Both will move into the starting line-up, joining Blackhawk’s top three returning players, Joey Morlan, Riley Reimshisel, and Preston Rippe-all juniors.Morlan, a 6’5″, combines 3pt range (37%) and rebounding, at 12.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg.  Reimshisel returns as the floor leader, while Rippe brings a Jack-of-all-trades mentality to the court.
  11. Gary 21st Century Academy - Last year at this time, not much was known about the Cougars.  Then they won their first sectional in school history, the second year they were eligible for tournament play.  Dantrell Hurt and Akee Porter is much of the offense returning.  Porter at 6’5″ along with David Jernigan at 6’6″ provide size and length.  Jernigan saw a dip in his scoring during his junior with some of the new faces.  He’s capable of bringing that back up.
  12. Kouts - Kouts has won 19 games each of the last three years, and while continuing that pace is difficult in any setting, returning Max Everaert, their top scorer, will help great, along with other seniors Matt Stewart, 6’7″ forward, and Andrew Birky, 6’3″ forward, and Cody Nelson, 5’11″ point guard.
  13. Barr-Reeve -   Three times they’ve reached the finals in the class basketball era, three times defeated.  Addison Wagler, 6’5″ junior, returns for his third year as a varsity starter to get the Vikings over the hump.  Micah Bullock and point guard Logan James are key returning pieces as well, but much revolves around Wagler’s scoring and rebounding, as well as being able to run some of their offense through him.
  14. Liberty Christian - Having reached the regional finals the last two years, this is the most talented Lion team thus far.  Led by dynamic junior guard, Chris Nunn, he returns with Preston Quin, 6’3″ senior wing, and senior guard Ben Bowen.  Franklin Nunn, 6’4″ sophomore forward, is a big key this year, and increased production would go a long way toward getting them to the school’s first semi-state.
  15. Marquette CatholicWith Ryan Fazekas committing to Providence during the fall, the target on his back only gets bigger.  The 6’7″ junior brings versatility to the Blazers’ lineup.  He’s not the only returning starter.  They return all five starters.  Junior guard Braxton Miller lived up to his billing when he transferred in from NorthWood last years.  Nathan Flores and Jovonte Peals also return, but it’s the improvement of point guard Rich Mitchell that could help propel them past their third straight sectional final game and into the regionals.

 

First Team:

Second Team:

Third Team:

 

  • Tweet
  • Pin It

You must be logged in to post a comment Login