A New Challenge

Those who follow athletics at Christian High School are no doubt familiar with all of the following things: football is on the rise at CHS, both in competition and popularity; the softball program, only a few years old, has won back-to-back district titles and is coached by a former Olympic softball player; the baseball team plays at T.R. Hughes ballpark; the boys' soccer team won its first district title since it entered MSHSAA and so on. The point is, Christian High School has no shortage of news and headlines coming from the athletic department. Every year, the school is putting out competitive teams in nearly every sport. However, within the school there is one part of the sporting year that changes the very atmosphere of CHS. You feel it in the voices of excited students, you feel it in the chill of the winter air and you see it in the players, adrenaline pumping through their bodies.

Folks, that time of the year is basketball season.

No one can deny that there is a rich tradition of basketball at 1145 Tom Ginnever. Names like Scott Grossenbacher, Ryan Kesler and Blake Meers represent generations of great players that have passed through, each generation representing a new step in the development of the program. Trips ranging from North County to Joplin to Clopton hold places in the memories of players and students alike. Up until two years ago, the annual Homecoming festival was centered around basketball rivalries such as North County and Tower Grove. Basketball is a game-changing point of every school year (no pun intended.)

Now why is this? The simple answer is this: basketball and football are the two big high school sports that the Metro area focuses on. And up until three years ago, Christian High didn't have a football team. Therefore, basketball took the place of the main event, the top dog of CHS sports. Even now, the rise of football can't overtake basketball's place of superiority at Christian High. Tradition and history have made basketball the most popular sport at CHS, at least from what I can see.

That being said, with tradition comes expectation. Every year, there are old faces gone and new faces seen. Freshman come and seniors go. Impact players are realized. However, with the constant rotation and graduation that comes with a high school basketball team, the Eagles have managed to put together a competitive team each and every year. And every year the Eagles have been raising expectations for themselves. Perhaps one of the key moments for the program was entering the Missouri State High School Activities Association, the premier association of Missouri high school athletics, three years ago. Even after this monumental leap, the Eagles have surprised. In the '09 season, the Eagles posted a 21-6 record (including 17 consecutive wins) and earned a second place finish in districts. The following year, another 21-6 record was posted, however the season was ended in the semifinal round of districts. Going into last season, the Eagles were the heavy favorite to win their district. They delivered a 19-9 record, including a dominating win over Winfield in the district championship. It was a fitting end to the careers of Blake Meers and Andrew Frank, two of the better players to don the teal, black and white.

However, expectations haven't lowered with the departure of the exit of Meers and Frank. In fact, the team has higher expectations for themselves. They sport a senior heavy team loaded with talent and athleticism. Leading scorer, Adam Glenville, is returning on the heels of a season that saw him average 16.8 points per game. Ben Pickett, probably the most physically dominating player on the team, is back in the paint. He is expected to be a big contributor on the scoreboard and the backboard. Brendan Norwine, makes the transition from quarterback to point guard, leading the team's back court for the third consecutive season. Lance Lehmann figures to be a starting forward for the Eagles. In the past few years, he has shown flashes of being a brilliant scorer and playmaker. Will this be the year that he asserts his dominance and consistency? Not to mention, the Eagles have two benefits going into districts this year: they face the same district that they dominated last year and this year they have home court advantage. That's right. Christian High School will be hosting basketball districts this year. This figures to be a huge advantage, seeing as the Eagles have only lost on their home court twice in three years under coach Dave Meers. This trend of dominance at home doesn't seem to be in danger as Coach Meers preaches dominance at home as a season game plan.

Bringing home our season preview, I want to look at three important factors that could potentially assist the Eagles in making their deepest playoff run in the history of the program:

1) Senior Support
Aside from the self-proclaimed "Triple Threat" of Glenville, Pickett and Norwine, the Eagles have three other seniors on the team: A.J. Wynn, Zach Wetzel and David McNeil and they each serve a different purpose that will be vital in each and every game. Wynn is the teams back up point guard. When Norwine needs a break, Wynn will need to control the ball in a calm fashion. The Eagles game will be dictated by controlling the ball, just as it has in past years. Wetzel is a scorer off the bench. He has the potential to come into a game and put up multiple points in a matter of minutes. His contributions will be a big factor in keeping and building leads. McNeil is a hard-working defensive specialist. Despite his lack of height, you will often see him taking on everyone on the court, even forwards and centers. He's a lot tougher than most players his age and will surprise a lot of opponents.

2) The Younger "Triple Threat"
Even though the "Triple Threat" will see most of the playing time this year, don't count out its sophomore counterpart. Consisting of sophomores Evan Marcks, Jordan Norwine and Deantrell Prince, the younger trio will see significant time this season. All three were called up last year and made big contributions. Prince played shut down defense and shocked Elsberry in the sectional contest, leading what almost turned out to be a big comeback for the Eagles. Jordan, Brendan's younger brother, showed why he is the heir apparent at the point guard position. His ball-handling and passing skills are matched by a knack of finding the basket at big moments. Finally, Marcks has been groomed to become the next Kevin Snow. Marcks has incredible range and can often be found spotting up behind the three-point line, knocking down big shots. However, opponents shouldn't underestimate his ability to drive to the lane and get fouled either.

3) Power in Numbers
Coach Meers has fielded a deep roster this year, consisting of 14 players designed to handle different jobs. Robbie Bone and Kameron Dunlap add some some height to the forward position, while Logan Logsdon and Frank Davis look to keep the guards fresh, all while not missing a beat. Each of the players on the varsity squad this year has played basketball at a very high level. The bench, while always a factor in any teams' success, looks to be deeper and perhaps more prepared to continue the work that is done by the starting line up.

So, Eagle fans, its that time of year. Lace up the high-tops. Bring out your cowbells. Button your jackets and warm up your voices to yell and scream. Pump the Space Jam soundtrack and get ready for another year of CHS Hoops.

It's basketball season, ladies and gentlemen.