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11/16/05


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Lawrence North unanimous preseason No. 1 in AP poll

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS



INDIANAPOLIS -- Lawrence North, returning 7-footer Greg Oden and guard Mike Conley from a team that won its second straight championship last spring, was the unanimous pick for No. 1 in The Associated Press Class 4A preseason basketball poll.
Central, which lost to Lawrence North in the 4A title game last season, is ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll. Pike is second.

The Wildcats were 24-2 last season and return an experienced squad led by Oden and Conley, both Ohio State recruits, along with 6-3 Brandon McDonald, who started more than half the games last season, plus three juniors up from an 18-2 JV team.


"This group of kids are great defensive players, so we will try to capitalize on this strength, plus the rebounding ability of our junior class," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said.

Lawrence North will begin the season Nov. 23 against Lawrence Central in the inaugural KeyBank Tipoff Classic at Conseco Fieldhouse. It will be the final game of a tripleheader that also includes Hamilton Southeastern against Anderson and defending Class A champion Lapel against Wapahani.
Anderson was ranked eighth in the 4A preseason poll, while Lapel was ranked No. 1 in Class A.

North Central, which lost in the regionals, was voted fourth; and Indianapolis Arlington, which was the No. 1-ranked team last season but lost to Lawrence North in the sectionals, was picked fifth in the preseason voting.

Andrean, which returns Luke Harangody, a 6-8 Notre Dame recruit, was voted No. 1 in the preseason 3A poll.

New Castle was voted second, and Lakeland was picked third. Defending 3A champion Washington, which was ranked No. 1 last season, lost Mr. Basketball Luke Zeller to Notre Dame and was ranked fourth.

Plymouth, which lost in overtime to Washington in the 3A championship game on Zeller's 3-pointer at the buzzer, was voted fifth, and Vincennes, which lost to Washington in the sectionals, was picked sixth.

In Class 2A, Forest Park has eight returning lettermen, including 6-7 Brandon Hopf, the tourney Most Valuable Player and a Southern Indiana recruit. Knightstown, which lost to Forest Park in the semistate, was picked second.

Providence, which was 19-1 and ranked second but was barred from the tournament because of an IHSAA penalty, returned its top two scorers and was picked third in the preseason poll. Lapel was picked No. 1 in Class A despite the loss of three starters, while Loogootee, which was the tourney runner-up to Lapel, was voted second. Tri-Central, which was No. 1 last season, suffered its only loss to Lapel in the regionals and was picked third in the preseason voting.