The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 44, Milford, Kosciusko County, 16 November 1983 — Page 31

Wawasee should be in NLC title race

By TOM CHARLES Sports Writer Warsaw and Plymouth. Wawasee and North Wood Those are the four most-mentioned schools when it comes to the title race in the Northern Lakes Conference this winter. Os the four front runners, Warsaw has the edge in experience. The Tigers return two of the area’s top performers, 6-1 junior Jeff Grose and 6-6 senior Marty Lehman, to defend their Triton Sectional crown. However, defending champion Wawasee proved last year that projected potential and end results are two entirely different matters. The Warriors are faced with the challenge of replacing stone key players, but they can’t he overlooked. . North Wood may be somewhat of a question mark in the top four. The Panthers suffered a crippling blow when 6-6 senior Todd Crist injured his knee near the end of football season. It remains to be seen whether the Panthers have enough muscle to make a run at the title without his presence. Don’t talk to coach Jack Edison if you want a glowing report about Plymouth’s propects for an NLC crown. Edison, whose past clubs have built an outstanding

tradition, will only say that the Pilgrims “don’t have as good a shot as Wawasee or Warsaw.” Whatever the case, pre-season predictions are but a faint indication of the season to come. The NLC crown will be won on the hardwood and not on the written page. A second consecutive title for Wawasee? Warsaw cruising to the championship? Pick up The Mail-Journal at the end of the season and you’ll have an answer. In brief Here’s what to look for around the conference. Bremen The Lions were 12 : 9 last year and may be fortunate to repeat that record. Coach Dean Foster is faced with only three returning letterwinners and not much height. “I’m not really sure about our shooting,” Foster said. “I had hoped that we were going to be a

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good shooting team, but now I’m not so sure. We have been a bit slow in running our practices due to the football playoffs and I can't really tell a tot at this point.” Greg Adams, a 6-0 senior with a 4.4 average, is the only varsity regular to return. Mike DeSantis and Kevin Hickman, also seniors, were on the varsity last year but did not see extensive action. Foster is counting on two players from the junior varsity to provide some height underneath. Senior John Gingerich, a 6-2 lad, and 6-4 junior Kenny Phillips will need to come along if the Lions are going to be a contending club. Concord New faces both on the floor and on the bench are the story of Concord basketball this winter. First-year coach Jim Hahn tost his top eight scorers from last year’s 5-16 club. Kirt Matthews, a 6-2 senior, is the leading returning scorer. He notched a total of 21 points last season. Hahn’s remaining returners are 6-0 junior Chad Malcom, 5-9 sophomore Dymon Farrer, 6-5 senior Steve Lovejoy and 6-3 senior Greg Duwe. Goshen Coach Jim Welsh is welcoming back two letterwinners from a 14-8 team of a year ago. Like Hahn at Concord, Welsh tost most of his point production through graduation. Brian Doss, a 6-0 senior guard, and Tracey Tredway, a 6-0 senior forward, both averaged less than five points per game last year. They will be joined on the floor by a tall squad of untested talent. Welsh has five players on his roster who check in at 6-1 or better. Among those are Matt Litwiller, a 6-3 transfer from Bethany Christian, and Keith Potter, a 6-5 senior who saw action on the junior varsity last season. North Wood It may be a temptation for North Wood fans to go through this season saying “if only” after the loss of 6-6 senior Todd Crist. Yet, despite the disappointment, coach Phil Lechlitner’s cupboard is far from bare. Senior center Jeff Jones, who stands 6-7, returns inside from a Panther squad that was 12-9 last year. He racked up a total of 103 points in 1982-83.

Two other senior letterwinners, Eric Fields and Jim Mast, will play key roles in the North Wood season. LechHtner is counting on them to provide strong leadership for his club. Plymouth Jack Edison is not very outspoken about his team’s potential this winter, but one can’t help having the feeling that something is brewing in the Pilgrims’ camp. “We are taller than usual,” noted Edison. “But we are not physically big. We don’t have much bulk.” The leading big man to return from last year is 6-5 Jamie Johnson. He will be joined by 6-4 senior Matt Starr, 6-0 senior Scott Holland, 5-6 senior Gregg Gerard and 5-10 senior Scott Lesch to provide Edison with a core of experienced players. “We are not extremely quick,”, Edison said. “We will have to change some things because of that. We will probably be more patient and hang onto the ball longer than in past years.” Rochester The Zebras are hurting for experience and size, according to coach Mike Jones who has only two experienced players back from a 10-11 team. Scott Zent, a 6-1 senior guard, was a regular starter for Jones last season with a 7.3 average. The other returning player, 6-2 senior Bill Muhrling, saw limited starting action. “We have several big question marks,” said Jones. “We won’t really be able to tell anything until we get in a game situation.” “I think we will try to create the fast break in order to compensate for our lack of bright,” he added. The Zebras open their season on Friday at Crafton. Warsaw Like Jack Edison, Al Rhodes is not doing much to stir the excitement around his team. The Tigers have some impressive* returning talent and Rhodes appears to be content to let that speak for itself. “We have good inside play with the combination of Randels and Lehman,” said Rhodes in reference to his 6-3 and 6-6 returning front line players. “And Ithink we will be good around the perimeter, too.”

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The Tigers’ perimeter punch is supplied by 6-1 junior guard Jeff Grose. The hot-shooting junior will be an important key to Warsaw’s success.

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In addition to those three performers, rhodes will be looking to 5-10 senior Scott Long to play an important role over the course of the year.

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