Underclassmen on men’s basketball team gain valuable experience
March 24, 2010
More than two weeks after the Greyhounds’ season ended at the hands of Westfield, the dust has final settled around one of the most chaotic seasons in Carmel men’s basketball history.
The Hounds ended their season with a record of 15-7, not a great indicator of the team that beat number-two North Central and took number-one Bloomington South into overtime. Nor is it a glimpse at a team that got beaten badly by Center Grove and stumbled through the end of the season amid controversy. No, 15-7 is purely a number that will go down in line with a string of unsatisfying seasons from this decade.
However, 15-7 refers to the team from the 2009-2010 season that had five seniors on the roster. By the end of the season, the team basically played with one-half of a senior, an injured Alex Payne.
And that fact alone makes this 15-7 season different from previous seasons. Mainly because it allowed fans to see an early glimpse not of next year’s team, but of the promise of success two years down the road. Minus Payne and juniors Josh Baldridge and Alec Peterson, the team on the floor at the end of the season was composed almost entirely of sophomores.
It’s amazing to think about that pool of talent with another season of playing together under its belt. Hammons had a breakout year, averaging around eight points per game, eight rebounds per game, and more than five blocks per game. With two more years of playing against the best teams in Indiana, we could be looking at one of the most dominant centers in recent memory.
So while the incident involving the men’s basketball team was, for lack of a better word, unfortunate, fans of the game and of Carmel can still find that elusive silver lining. The fact that key seniors didn’t get to play in big games at the end of the season allowed underclassmen to get incredibly valuable experience.
Look at Gardner, who developed into the de facto point guard for Carmel’s squad. A typical season wouldn’t yield that type of experience, and Gardner showed that he is more than ready to lead the Hounds. And other players took advantage of the playing time when the team needed them most. Curts certainly did when he came into the huge Sectional game against Fishers, icing the game with two crucial three-pointers in the clutch.
I would hope that as a school we can choose to focus not on the conflict from the year, but instead on how the team handled that conflict despite massive pressure from the media and students. Carmel emerged from the season as a better team, not only gaining valuable experience for younger players, but also learning how to respond to discord with class and dignity.
When you think of 15-7, give that a thought.
“The Play” was discretionary; let it go!
December 3, 2009
By now, we’re all sick and tired of hearing about “the play.”
So I’m not going to talk about it. It’s been almost a week since it happened, and I’ve seen enough to make me sick.
However, here’s the thing. The play was called a touchdown. After that, Warren Central rode their momentum through the end of the game. Final score, 42-36, a Warrior victory. No amount of protest or calls to the IHSAA will get that changed.
The point I want to drive home is that we lost. By playing in the State Championship, both Carmel and Warren Central agreed to abide by the rules of the game, right? Official discretion is included in that rulebook. Read more
Greyhound kicker Babcock provides consistency, clutch
October 20, 2009
I’ve always found it ironic how a football game, in a sport ruled by the fastest and the strongest, can come down to one of the smallest players on the team.
The role of kicker on your average football team is usually not desirable. The moment a kicker puts his hallowed foot on the field, the pressure is enormous. Make the kick, and you did what was expected. Miss it, and you are the most hated player on the field.
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Greyhounds utilitize two-halfback system
October 1, 2009
I’ve come to find out that two is not always better than one.
Two running backs, specifically. The concept of having two starting running backs on one team is great in theory, but rarely plays out well. The running back is one of the flashy positions, where a great run almost always makes ESPN’s Top 10 Plays.
As a result, having two talented players filling one position is a tense situation. Locker rooms become divided over support of one back or another. The combination of two starting backs rarely results in doubled production as expected; rather, the single production is often cut in half.
Many great running backs have faded into obscurity as a result of being “doubled up.” Nonetheless, a split-back system is one that no opposing defense wants to face.
Just ask any team that squared off against the Carolina Panthers in the NFL last year. Not only did they have to contend with one of the fastest receivers in NFL history in Steve Smith, they had to account for DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart. The pair carved up the NFC last year for 2,351 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Ask any Colts fan with short-term memory. In 2006, the Jacksonville Jaguars absolutely annihilated the Colt’s flimsy run defense, gaining 375 yards and FOUR touchdowns. The memory will still run a chill down the spine of any Colt’s fan.
This system has been one of the keys to the Greyhounds’ 5-1 record thus far in the season. Running backs Devin Brinson and Jesse Hollander have been nothing short of phenomenal.
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‘Pick six’ energizes defense, flips momentum
September 17, 2009
I have never seen a game decided this quickly.
Believe it or not, Carmel’s offense was outplayed by its defense during the Sept. 11 game against Terre Haute South. The defense that has carried the Greyhounds all year long was absolutely brilliant on that Friday night. In particular, junior Matt Seward was phenomenal.
In the game, Seward had not only two interceptions (out of three on the season for the team), but had two defensive touchdowns. In the first quarter. On the first two defensive series.
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Greyhounds not wasting a ‘rebuilding’ season
September 9, 2009
Let’s face it. Carmel football is not what it was a year ago.
You can attribute most of the team’s recent success to Morgan Newton ’09. Easily one of the most athletic quarterbacks that Carmel has ever had, Newton not only brought an explosive asset to the Greyhound’s offense, but he also brought wins.
(Quick note that you might find interesting; Newton’s dominance extends beyond real football, where he nows plays for the University of Kentucky. NCAA Football 2010, a football video game, has the CHS graduate stacked with an 88 speed rating out of a possible 99.)
But Newton wasn’t the only part of Carmel’s team that was so successful. Last year, Newton, Kurt Freytag ‘09 and Eric Ardaiolo ‘09 combined for 57 percent of Carmel’s total offense.
If these names look out of place with an alumni number next to them, it’s because they are out of place. The Greyhounds have been 38-6 during the last three-year span, excluding playoffs.
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