Patriot boys are short on experience

Ask almost any question about returning players for the Jay County High School boys basketball team and the answer is the same: Eric Homan.

Top scorer? Homan.

No. 1 rebounder? Homan.

Best shooter, from the field and the foul line? Homan.

The Patriots mostly used a seven-man rotation last season, and six of those players were seniors. The only one back this year is Homan, who led the team in rebounding (5.8 per game) and field-goal percentage (58) as a junior.

He also averaged 9.2 points per game and shot 79 percent from the free-throw line.

"Eric's a guy we relied on a lot, especially late last season, for scoring inside," said JCHS coach Craig Teagle, whose team starts its season at home Saturday against Lakewood Park Christian. "He also has the ability ... to step out and hit the three. But we definitely want to establish him in the post area to start with ... We'll need him ... to be one of our leading scorers and our leading rebounder."

At 6-feet, 2-inches, Homan will be the Patriots' tallest player on a team that again lacks much overall height. Teagle said he expects work during the offseason to help the senior when he's in the paint this year.

"He's a lot stronger," Teagle said. "He's a young man who really worked at it hard to gain strength and to put some weight on because he knows he has to be an inside threat for us. He likes the weight room."

Two other Patriots, junior Garrett Krieg and senior Brad Horn, got into more than half of the varsity games last season, but played most of their minutes at the JV level.

Krieg, the point guard, played in 15 varsity games and totaled 16 points and seven assists. In 12 varsity games Horn score nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.

"Garrett could have played quite a bit of varsity last year," said Teagle. "He did a great job running the (junior varsity) team. ... He's real solid and steady. He's not about spectacular plays, he's just about making plays.

"Brad Horn almost plays like the Energizer bunny when he's on the floor. He's all over the place. ... He's got to be an outside threat for us."

Josh Beaty, a senior who played in six varsity games last season, and freshman Brock McFarland round out the JCHS starting five.

Senior Adam Daniels, sophomores Dillon Ainsworth, Austin Cowan and Andy Haffner, and freshman Kegan Comer will round out the rotation.

Teagle said he believes his team's work during June and July will help overcome the inexperience.

"I think that's the place the summer helps you because they allow you to play games in the summer now," he said. "We played Indianapolis North Central. We played Lawrence North. We played some really good basketball schools in the summer, so that helps these kids prepare."

North Central and Lawrence North went a combined 48-5 last season.

With the departure of seniors Adam Garringer (13.3 points per game), Billy Wellman (11) and Kyle Simmons (8.9), the Patriots are making an even greater commitment on the defensive end.

Teagle said his practice schedule generally includes defensive practice on Monday, offensive practice on Tuesday, a mix on Wednesday and scouting reports and game preparation Thursday. During the first week of practice this year it was defense Monday, defense Tuesday and defense yet again on Wednesday.

"We will have to be a great defensive basketball team," said Teagle, "because we're not going to be near as explosive scoring as we have been. I thought one thing that was a strength this year was our chemistry - making the extra pass and playing through your teammates ... And then we're going to have to rebound.

"We'd like to push the ball. As small as we are, a lot of our opportunities might be in transition trying to get to the hole. ... We're not going to be run, fun and gun, but we'd like to push it."

The Patriots are hoping for yet another winning season after going 14-7 last year. They had won at least 15 games in each of the previous six seasons.

They're also looking to return to the sectional championship game after having their run of six straight appearances broken in 2009.

"If we could (go .500 or better), it would be nine years in a row, which I think says something about the program, the type of kids we have coming through," said Teagle "That is our goal to start out with."

"We know the sectional is very difficult, but we want to compete for a sectional championship. We want to at least get to the sectional game and you never know what might happen on that one night.

"We'd like to try to get there again and compete. ... We know we have some youth and inexperience, but we're going to have a great group to coach."[[In-content Ad]]