Good news for the rest of the Class A basketball world: Lowell Hamilton and Fernando Bunch are gone.
Bad news: Providence-St. Mel, the defending state champion, is still the team to beat as the Class A state tournament series gets underway Monday.
With a new coach and some different styles of play, the Knights roll into Monday`s opening game of the St. Benedict regional against Chicago Latin with a 20-5 record and a lot of impressive credentials.
St. Mel has won 28 consecutive times against Class A competition since losing to Mt. Pulaski 76-74 in the state semifinals two years ago. First-year coach Bill Ociepka has molded a solid, confident team around Illya McGee, a sophomore starter last year.
Unlike last year, when the Knights dominated the rankings all year and rode roughshod tournament foes, there are more barriers in the Knights` path. ”Last year, we could just outhorse the other team,” said Ociepka.
”This year, we don`t have an intimidator like Hamilton or a super-quick guard like Bunch. We can`t have a bad game and expect to win. We`ve got to shoot better than 40 percent, we`ve got to get something like 35 rebounds and our defense must force turnovers.”
Only one school, Lawrenceville, has won back-to-back Class A titles, and only two other Class A state champions made it back to Assembly Hall. That hasn`t kept Ociepka from insisting, ”getting back to the state tournament is our big goal this year.”
The tournament begins with 64 regionals this week and ends March 8 at the Assembly Hall in Champaign.
St. Mel is the lone Chicago-area school ranked in wire-service polls. But the Knights could get their first test as early as Friday if they wind up playing St. Gregory. The Greyhounds (19-6), paced by Kevin Footes and Brian Houston, lost to St. Mel by seven and nine points during the season–the closest games the Knights have had against Class A schools.
”I don`t care if we win by 5 or 35 points,” said Ociepka. ”A win is a win. Our scores show the fourth quarter is the closest all season. That`s because we use a lot of players by then.”
St. Mel has lost games to St. Francis de Sales, Leo, Alton, Mendel and Argo–all AA schools that have won at least 15 games this year. Those losses keep the Knights from the No. 1 ranking in the state polls, a spot reserved for the undefeated Wooden Shoes from Teutopolis, who feature standout center Bob Zerrusen (18 points a game).
Teutopolis (25-0) will have a tougher challenge just getting out of the regional, where it will probably bang heads with host Flora (21-2) in Friday`s finals. If Teutopolis wins its first sectional and supersectional, its quarterfinal foe Downstate could be St. Mel.
Ten of the 16 teams in the latest AP poll are funneled into the bottom half of the tournament bracket. No. 5 Princeville, No. 8 Kewanee and No. 14 Woodhull Alwood all could end up in the Aledo sectional. No. 4 Carlyle, No. 9 Pinckneyville and No. 15 Du Quoin are expected to end up in the Nashville sectional.
Unbeaten Newark, led by 6-8 Larry Hilt, could be matched against Ohio
(enrollment 69) in the Princeton sectional. Ohio has an impressive 1-2 punch in Lance Harris (27 points a game) and Brad Bickett (25 points, 13 rebounds a game).
Hoopeston-East Lynn, which ”limited” St. Mel to an 83-72 victory in the state semifinals last year, could return to Champaign. Hoopeston is led by 6-11 Dave Busch, who is averaging 18.9 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks a game. Outside of St. Mel, the top Chicago-area hopeful is Westmont (22-3), led by Tim Porter and his 22-point average. Westmont is home for a regional, but the visiting teams won`t make it easy. Nazareth Academy (18-6), which has a victory over Westmont this year, could meet Hales Franciscan in the semifinals. Hales (7-16)is the only Class A school in the Chicago Catholic League and last year stunned highly regarded Chicago Christian in the finals of the Illiana Christian regional. Hales upset St. Laurence 65-62 Friday.
St. Mel is again in the spotlight, but Ociepka, who was assistant coach to Tom Shields the last few years, denies there is any pressure.
”I don`t feel I`m on the spot,” he said. ”We`re quick or even quicker than we have been in the past, but we do a lot more pressing.”
The Knights throw various presses at the opposition. ”We`ll trap all over the place,” said Ociepka. ”Sure, we`ll get burned some times, but we`ll keep on doing it.”
Like last year`s team, St. Mel can score in bunches. Quigley North tried to hold the ball on the Knights and held the score to 2-2 after the first four minutes. St. Mel then moved from a zone to a press and wound up scoring 80 points in the final 28 minutes, winning 82-38.
The top scorer for the Knights is 6-5 Albert Jones, who is averaging 19 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game. McGee, who has improved his outside shooting, is scoring at a 17.9 clip, and Curtis Jackson has a 14.7 average. Ociepka rounds out a starting five with 6-3 defensive specialist Julian Eison and 6-1 1/2 point guard LaShaun Brooks.
Jones, McGee, Eison and Brooks are all juniors. ”That means we`ll be better next year,” Ociepka said. ”Right now, the team has a kind of chemistry, but has to learn how to win. They need to have the confidence that they could go out and win any game they play. That`s what last year`s team was able to do.
”We are still a well-rounded team. We throw a lot of offenses and defenses at the other team and we can go 10 deep and not get hurt.”
