Boys Basketball: P-T Preseason Top 10
November 19, 2012 12:00AM
Lake Central's Tye Wilburn heads to the basket Friday evening, December 2, 2011, at Valparaiso High School. | Michael Gard~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: December 20, 2012 6:16AM
Lake Central
The Indians are a rebooting machine. They lost Glenn Robinson III but they are still the best team in the area because other players like Tyler Wideman, Mike Miklusak and Tye Wilburn (pictured) will flourish in Robinson’s absence. The Indians are big and strong and they have great guards. What more can a coach can ask for?
Munster
It’s just so hard not to have the Mustangs somewhere near the top of our rankings. They have two preseason all-area selections in Nate Bubash and Mike Schlotman, and Drew Hackett, who played a bunch as a freshman, will be even better.
Andrean
Carson Cunningham has been banking on this season for a long time. He has a veteran, all-senior starting lineup anchored by point guard Nick Davidson, who’ll play at VU next year. The only significant loss from last season was Josh James.
Merrillville
The Pirates are another team with five senior starters. They don’t have the size and width of LC, but they have guys who can score. They might start slowly because Jake Raspopovich and BJ Jenkins are on the football team.
Bowman
Typical Eagles team. Marvin Rea has 15 players and he’ll use all of them at some point. Everybody knows about Davon Dillard, a 6-4 sophomore who is getting high major looks. Justin King and Antonio Pipkin are the two best returning players.
Crown Point
The Bulldogs could be as good as any team in the area if they can get some consistent play at point guard. Tommy Bardeson, a 6-4 senior who is getting some college looks, will start there. They have more size than any team in the region.
Valparaiso
The Vikings are always a solid bunch. They have a good point guard, Bret Boetel, a solid inside-outside guy in John Mosser and plenty of guys that can shoot. The other reason they crack the top 10: they’re frequently better than they appear on paper.
Chesterton
The young Trojans pulled off the first-round upset of Crown Point last year in sectionals. They have the potential to sky rocket up the charts — or they could still play young. They have all the parts covered — inside, outside and the middle.
Lew Wallace
The Hornets were closer to beating Marian at the Plymouth Regional than Andrean was in the championship game last season. Charles Cooper is one of the best midrange scorers in the area. The Hornets have decent size and great athleticism.
Marquette
The Blazers burst onto the scene last year with some really good players. Ryan Fazekas, a 6-8 sophomore, is a Division I recruit. Jasmin Biberovic, at 6-8, will play college somewhere, too. How many Class A schools have two starters that size?
