With five seconds left, the Jesuit basketball player in-bounds the ball to the point guard, in which full chaos ensues. After a pick by the center, the point guard goes to the upper part of the court. The basketball, in the sweaty hands of Brocke Stepteau ’14, goes up in the air after an acrobatic like shot. The crowd, in desperate anticipation, lifts their arms up straight into air as the ball travels toward the basket. The ball, still riddled with prayers, goes through the net, triggering deafening screams from all of the Jesuit fans. They rush the court and celebrate the buzzer beating shot that wins the game.
The action described above was the pinnacle of the 2012-2013 Jesuit basketball season, a buzzer beater in the playoffs to defeat Lakeview Centennial. Could this year’s team win another playoff game in a dramatic fashion? Could they go past the fourth round of the playoffs? Could they win state? The Jesuit Basketball team, excited and hopeful, will begin their season as key players look to fulfill specific roles, meet goals, and win games.
Key Returning Players:
With any sport at any level, the team needs players with experience and leadership to teach the newcomers their new territory. The Jesuit basketball team is no different with Senior leaders such as Guard Stepteau, Guard Michael Bejarano, Guard Christian Koeijmans, and Forward Matthew Bender. All of these seniors will be playing a key role to aid the success of the team.
Varsity Coach Chris Hill said that “everyone on the roster will have a role,” and later on, specifically stated that Stepteau “will be really important” to help manage the other players on the floor and keep them on the same page. Bender will “have to rebound and stay out of foul trouble” to grab rebounds that the team will need to create fast break chances. Koeijmans will need to run the team and also run the floor, and Bejarano will need to liven up “and bring the energy” to the team every night. The only returning Junior, Forward Michael McReynolds, will also play a big part on the defensive end and on the offensive end, driving in the lane and putting up some jump shots.
Key Newcomers:
There are always new players entering a fresh new season, and this year, Jesuit has a total of seven juniors making the final roster, Guards Christian Chiles, Hank Shotland, Cameron Martin, Tyler Schlapkohl and Forwards Tom Weber, Peter Lynch, and Christian Nwosu. Coach Hill commented that they are “going to need to pick things up. They will need to adjust to the varsity speed, play as hard as they can, make open shots, and play our defense.”
The Main Challenge:
Without delving into the player who is the x-factor, both Coaches Hill and Alexander said that team rebounding will be the most important aspect this year. This is because they “will be playing a lot more defense than in the past,” like switching from man-to-man to a 3-2 zone depending on the certain in-game situation. Also, the style of the offense will directly correlate with rebounding since they play at a high pace, similar to the offenses of Duke and Kentucky in college basketball.
The X-Factor:
Looking forward to rebounding being a key to their success, Matthew Bender will be the X-Factor going into the season. Bender is possibly the only true center on the roster, measuring 6’6 in height with the closest player, Christian Nwosu, at 6’3. This height discrepancy will play a big role if Bender gets into foul trouble early. Rebounding productivity will go down with a natural power forward playing the center position. The other team will have a massive advantage if this foul trouble scenario occurs. Bender will also need to actually rebound as well so the team can go fast and score in transition like they want to do.
Defense and Offensive Styles:
The Jesuit Defense, according to Coach Alexander, will be looking to play “team defense” as well as “packing the paint and contesting all shots.” This is where the athletic and tall players like McReynolds, Weber, and company will be playing a big part; the tall players engaged in rebounding while the team stays with their man or in their zone through being active and aware of what is going on.
Similarly, the offensive style is predicated on the work of the whole team in which they will “try to play fast,” move the ball, “be aggressive and if you’re open, shoot it.” Coach Alexander also added that the fans should “look for a lot of three’s this year.” Fast-break three’s and layups in transition will look to be essential to the team’s success.
Goals of the year:
Setting goals is normal for any team, be it professional, college, or high-school. Jesuit hopes to achieve their goals through Jesuit values and persistence. Some teams have goals just to make the playoffs, to rebound from the failure of a previous season, but Jesuit is looking to win the State Championship. Even though the team is young, McReynolds says that they “will be looking to compete for the championship because if that isn’t our goal, what is the point of even playing.” Personally, he also stated that he is looking to improve his game just like the others on the team and the members are willing to accept each of their responsibilities to play their assigned roles.
I think they have a good chance to go as far as they went last year and maybe even a round or two past that mark, but we, as fans, will have to wait and see where this team will end up
Roster
Number Name Height Position Year
10 Michael Bejarano 5’10 G Sr
11 Christian Chiles 5’10 G Jr
12 Brocke Stepteau 5’10 G Sr
20 Hank Shotland 6’1 G Jr
21 Cameron Martin 6’0 G Jr
22 Tom Weber 6’2 F Jr
24 Peter Lynch 6’3 F Jr
30 Christian Koeijmans 5’10 G Sr
32 Michael McReynolds 6’2 F Jr
34 Christian Nwosu 6’3 F Jr
42 Matthew Bender 6’6 F Sr
50 Tyler Schlapkohl 5’10 G Jr
The Jesuit Basketball team has already played their first game and pulled out a win against Mesquite and is now in anticipation of their first home game this Saturday against South Oak Cliff at 2:30 CST. Come out and support your Jesuit Rangers. If you can’t make the game, make sure to tune into Jesuit Radio for a full play-by-play of the game.
