Sitting at 0-5, the Columbus Christian boys basketball team isn’t off to the kind of start it has enjoyed the past several seasons.
But the Crusaders have played a tough early-season schedule. They were tied with LaPorte LaLumiere Blue at halftime on Friday and were within two points of defending Indiana Christian Schools Athletic Association state champion Victory Christian on Saturday.
“What we did (Friday) night and (Saturday) the first half, I think that we’ll be ready,” Columbus Christian coach Kevin Roth said. “The kids from (Friday) night’s game against LaLumiere, we still had a lot of positive attitudes. We went against a team that was taller than us, and we stayed right with them. With some new guys and trying to get everybody fit into their role the first couple weeks, these last two games that we’ve played have helped us get to where we’ll have better things going forward.”
The Crusaders return four starters from last year’s team that went 14-19. C.J. Reed, a 5-foot-8 senior point guard, and 5-11 senior Josh Jones are in their third year as starters.
Also returning to the lineup are 6-3 sophomore Gabe Ridder and 5-8 junior Garrett Spurgeon. Jacob Conrad, a 6-3 sophomore who played for the Columbus Hawks homeschool team last season, has been the Crusaders’ fifth starter this year.
Contributing off the bench have been 6-0 sophomore Gavin Lustig, 6-0 junior Isaac Carlson, 5-3 freshman Owen Reed and 5-8 senior Evan Graham. Ethan Edwards, a 6-1 senior, also has seen action, along with 6-1 sophomore Drew Robison and 5-9 sophomore Nathan DeFriece.
Jennings County
With a promising freshman in the mix and a couple of talented eighth-graders in the pipeline, the Panthers might be a year or two away from being a major player.
“We’re a good mix of young and old,” Jennings coach Josh Land said. “I think we have a chance to be decent this year, and then the next couple of years, I think we’re going to be pretty good.”
Aaron Martin, a 6-3 senior, is the lone full-time returning starter from a team that went 8-16. Joe Kelley, a 6-4 senior, and 6-8 sophomore Jacob Vogel also saw plenty of varsity action.
Carson McNulty, a 6-0 sophomore, and 6-3 junior Trey Wilson will play bigger roles this season. Keegan Manowitz, a 5-8 freshman, steps in to the point guard spot.
“We shoot the ball well,” Land said. “We’re a pretty big team, and we progressed really well this summer. I think we’re a little bit ahead of the game, compared to where we were last year. We have to do some work on the defensive end.”
Brown County
The Eagles will look to make a big improvement after going 3-18 last season.
“Summer program was excellent,” Brown County coach John Berning said. “The varsity group played around 25 games and made some major strides forward, not just from last winter, but throughout the summer — major developments in team chemistry and program culture.”
Caleb Yager, a 5-11 senior point guard, led the Eagles with 11.1 points a game last season. Aaron McCann, a 6-3 senior, and 6-6 senior Peyton Proctor also return as starters.
Travis Ely, a 5-7 junior, saw plenty of playing time last season, as did 6-0 junior Ricky Stanley and 5-10 sophomore Kody Walsh. Carter Kelly, a 5-9 senior, saw a little varsity action.
Nick Huls, a 6-3 senior, is back after sitting out last season. He will vie for playing time, along with junior Dalton Hedrick and sophomores Seth Oliphant, Eli Sichting and Waylon Patrick.
“We should be very balanced in scoring and could be led by different guys each night,” Berning said. “This could be a really good defensive team — must make this our identity in order to win some games this year.”
Edinburgh
The Lancers will be an inexperienced team with only two seniors and one returning full-time starter from last year’s 10-13 squad.
“We’re a young team,” Edinburgh coach Keith Witty said. “We have a lot of guys kind of getting their feet wet. We’re kind of building as we go this year.”
Darius Bennett, a 5-9 senior point guard who averaged 7.5 points and led the Lancers with 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals a game, is the lone returning starter. Travis Jones, a 6-4 sophomore, started some games in second half of last season.
Tyson Sackman, a 6-5 senior, and 5-11 junior Noah Detling also played varsity last year, while 5-10 junior Isaac Roberts split time between varsity and JV. Caleb Dewey, a 6-1 freshman, figures to see immediate action.
Parker Neumann, a 6-0 junior, moves up from the JV. Landon Burton, a 6-4 sophomore Landon Burton also could contribute.
“We lost a couple of good players from last year, but have some guys that can fill the gaps,” Witty said. “It just may take us awhile to get that varsity experience.”
South Decatur
The Cougars have high hopes for a big season after returning their top two players and adding a couple of key newcomers.
“There’s no doubt we’re better,” South Decatur coach Kendall Wildey said. “We have some players with some experience now. We’re going to be good if we stay healthy.”
Lane Lauderbaugh, a 6-5 junior, is receiving interest from low-to-mid-major Division I schools. He averaged 21.4 points a game as a freshman and 21.7 last season for a team that went 7-17.
Hunter Johnson, a 6-1 sophomore, also returns from last year’s 7-17 team. Tyler Sporleder, a 6-1 junior was a part-time starter.
The other starting spots likely will be filled by players who were relegated to JV action last season after transferring from Jennings County. Gage Walters, 6-0 senior, started for the Panthers as a sophomore and will take over the Cougars’ point-guard duties. Chase Boswell, a 6-1 junior, also likely will move into the starting lineup.
Evan Wullenweber, a 6-1 sophomore will see plenty of action. Zach Luttel, a 6-3 senior and 6-1 senior Connor Bower currently are out with injuries, but figure to contribute when they return. Brogan Howard, a 5-10 senior, and 6-4 senior Grant Owens also could see action.
“We’ve worked so hard,” Wildey said. “We had a great summer, and as a nucleus of kids, I’m just impressed with their work ethic. They’re constantly wanting to work on their game. I’m a believer in, ‘Hard work pays off,’ so I certainly hope it will.”
Trinity Lutheran
The Cougars have a new coach in former Central Middle School coach Michael McBride. He takes over a team that went 6-18 last season.
“They only won 21 games in the last three years, so it’s trying to change the culture a little bit,” McBride said. “But they believe it. They see how good they can be. We just continuously get better. We kept getting better as the summer progressed.”
Trinity has three full-time returning starters in 5-11 junior Tyler Goecker (10.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.7 spg), 6-4 senior Josh Rowe, 6-3 junior Jack Marksberry. Mitchell Hackman, a 6-2 sophomore, also started at times last season.
Hudson Horton, a 5-11 freshman, will step into a starting role. Providing depth will be 6-4 sophomore Jacob Sabotin, 5-10 junior Lawson Woods and 5-6 senior Noah Voelker.
“Right now, we’re only about seven deep, and that’s going to be one of the things that hurts us,” McBride said. “Our JV is going to be really good, but until we get those guys some experience, it’s basically going to be a seven-man rotation.”
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The remaining 2019-20 Columbus Christian boys basketball schedule:
Tuesday;Indiana Christian;7 p.m.
Friday;at Dugger Union;7 p.m.
Saturday;at Brown County;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 6-7;at Southern Roads Conference Tournament
Dec. 10;Martinsville Tabernacle;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 13;Horizon Christian;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 21;at Pleasant View Christian;11:30 a.m.
Dec. 21;at Washington Catholic;4 p.m.
Dec. 27;at Medora;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 3-4;Columbus Christian Tournament;TBA
Jan. 7;Bethesda Christian;6 p.m.
Jan. 10;Madison Christian;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11;Cannelton;6 p.m.
Jan. 14;Bloomington Lighthouse;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17;at Hauser;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18;Madison Shawe;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21;Christel House Academy;6 p.m.
Jan. 24;at Evansville Christian;6:30 p.m.
Feb. 1;Crothersville;7;30 p.m.
Feb. 4;Southside Christian;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 7;at Horizon Christianl7:30 p.m.
Feb. 8;Legacy Christian;5 p.m.
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