Lawrence North Wildcats (Indianapolis, IN)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Players of Interest:

Greg Oden
Mike Conley

Here is a link to their schedule........LINK


indystar

11/15/05


Quote:

Wildcats No. 5 in nation

Lawrence North is No. 5 in the USA Today boys' basketball national rankings that are to be released today. The Wildcats, led by national high school Player of the Year Greg Oden and point guard Mike Conley, were ranked No. 1 in the nation by SchoolSports magazine and in Student Sports' Fab 50.

In the USA Today ranking, Lawrence North was behind top-ranked Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), No. 2 Oak Hill (a prep school in Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 3 Fairfax (Los Angeles) and No. 4 Saint Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.).

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/16/05


Quote:

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.

[HilmerJ]

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvl...ime=1900&B1=Go

just confirming what everyone knows

Thursday, December 8th.
< Quite Frankly With Stephen A. Smith

Old Spice High School Showcase: Dunbar (OH) vs Lawrence North (IN)

Big East Conference Basketball: Massachusetts vs. Connecticut >

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/22/05

Who's fabbest of them all? Lawrence North Wildcats

Considering the Lawrence North boys basketball team is ranked first in some national polls and first in The Associated Press' preseason Class 4A poll, it is only logical the Wildcats are first in The Star's inaugural Fab 15 for 2005-06.

But even coach Jack Keefer realizes this team will need contributions from those around standout seniors Greg Oden and Mike Conley. A key complementary player is senior Brandon McDonald, who, like Oden and Conley, is entering his fourth year as a varsity regular.

"I'm sure we'll bring the best out of (our opponents)," said Keefer, whose squad went 24-2 last season in claiming its second consecutive 4A state title. "We have three veterans, and they have to help us withstand the pressure."

Others such as junior Damian Windham, junior Qadr Owen and senior Evar Jones, a transfer from Marion, figure to be in important support roles for the Wildcats.

Should Lawrence North stumble, a veteran Pike squad and a highly talented North Central unit are among several teams that could rise to the top.
Seventy-one area schools field varsity boys basketball teams and are eligible for the Fab 15. Subsequent rankings are planned weekly through the basketball season.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/22/05

Wildcats seek 3rd title in row

By Pat McKee
pat.mckee@indystar.com


With an excellent nucleus, complementary players with potential and an effort level that has been pleasing, Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer is optimistic his Wildcats have a good chance for a third consecutive Class 4A state championship.

But even starting with 7-foot Greg Oden and point guard Mike Conley, Ohio State-bound stars who averaged 20.3 and 10.2 points respectively, Keefer concedes an evolution must occur before Lawrence North is ready to confront the end-of-season tournament.

"We're not as good right now as the rankings say we are," said Keefer, whose squad went 24-2 overall and 7-0 in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference play last season. "But with the guidance of our three seniors, we hope to get to where we need to be."

Senior Brandon McDonald is the third returnee with significant experience, and Keefer said to look for him to join Conley, junior Qadr "Q." Owen and Marion transfer Evar Jones as keys on the perimeter. Two freshmen, 6-6 Chris Read and 6-8 Stephen VanTreese, figure to complement Oden on the inside, while 6-4 junior Damian Windham also fits in.

"By the time we're done, we may be a better defensive team than we were last year," Keefer said. "Defense and rebounding will be a big part of this team."

LAWRENCE NORTH WILDCATS
• Colors: Forest green and scarlet.
• Class: 4A. Sectional: 10.
• Last year's record: 24-2.
• Coach: Jack Keefer (493-201 at Lawrence North, 554-227 overall).
• Postseason titles: 13 sectionals (1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005); 5 regionals (1985, 1989, 2001, 2004, 2005); 3 semistates (1989, 2004, 2005); 3 states (1989, 2004, 2005).
• Returning starters: C Greg Oden (7-0, Sr.); G Mike Conley (6-1, Sr.); G Brandon McDonald (6-3, Sr.).
• Other letterwinners: F Damian Windham (6-4, Jr.).
• Top prospects: G Evar Jones (5-11, Sr.); G Qadr "Q." Owens (6-0, Jr.); C Stephen VanTreese (6-8, Fr.); F Chris Read (6-6, Fr.); F Wesley Smith (6-3, Jr.); G Larry Smith (6-3, Fr.); G Kamal Thomas (5-10, Jr.); G Terron Bibbs (6-4, Jr.); G Jason Weigel (6-2, Sr.).

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/22/05

HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS 2005-06 PREVIEW

4A threepeat no sure thing

Lawrence North is team to beat, and many schools think they can do it

By David Woods
david.woods@indystar.com


Heading into another high school boys basketball season, the question in Class 4A is -- should there be a season?

Or should Lawrence North just stop by 9150 N. Meridian St. and pick up another trophy from the Indiana High School Athletic Association?

Center Greg Oden and guard Mike Conley have already helped the Wildcats win two state titles.

"When you have the best center in the country, and maybe the best high school point guard in the country, you don't need a whole lot," Bloomington South coach J.R. Holmes said. "You just need three other guys at the start so you don't have to forfeit."

Yet don't suggest to Lawrence North's rivals that they forfeit. Especially not those in Marion County.

Pike, a champion three times since 1998, has ambitions of winning the state title. So does North Central, which handed Lawrence North one of its two losses last season. Lawrence North's other loss was to Arlington.

"I think there's a handful of teams in Central Indiana that can beat LN on any given night," Arlington coach Larry Nicks said.

Winning a state championship game might be the least of Lawrence North's worries. The tournament path is bumpiest through the sectional and regional.

The Wildcats' sectional grouping includes Arlington (23-1 last year), Cathedral (13-9), Lawrence Central (12-9) and Warren Central (10-11).
Arlington lost all five starters from a deep team that was rated No. 1 most of last season.

Because the Golden Knights lost to Lawrence North 60-45 in the sectional final, Nicks said, "we probably don't get any love." But he said Arlington is used to that. "We're going to surprise some people."

Lawrence North had to overcome Cathedral's ball control to win the sectional 39-30 last season. Lawrence Central is a township rival.

Warren Central returns 94 percent of its scoring. The Warriors feature Walter Offutt, the state's top-rated sophomore who has already committed to Ohio State, and top scorer David Smith.

"We're really excited about what we're doing," Warren Central coach Scott Heady said. "We're not really thinking about Lawrence North yet."

Regional foes

Teams feeding into the Hinkle Regional have won the state title in eight of the past 11 seasons (Ben Davis 1995-96, Pike 1998, 2001, '03, North Central 1999, Lawrence North 2004-05).

Lawrence North's potential opposition includes Pike (22-3), North Central (17-9), Ben Davis (9-14), Carmel (21-4), Hamilton Southeastern (12-9), Franklin Central (16-5) and Northwest (17-7).

Coincidentally, the two teams given the best shot of derailing Lawrence North have players who were travel teammates of Oden and Conley. Pike's Curtis White and North Central's Eric Gordon joined the Wildcats' duo on Spiece Indy Heat.

"I wouldn't necessarily say you're going to give them the state title because everyone is going to be coming at LN hard," White said.

None harder than Pike, which must compensate for its lack of size with quickness, depth, length and chemistry. The Red Devils trailed Lawrence North 50-46 with less than 30 seconds left in last season's 54-46 regional defeat.

Pike was 29-0 in 2000-01 under coach Larry Bullington, who said winning "was a chore each and every game out." That will apply to Lawrence North, too, he said.

"Any time you play in Marion County and play the schedule they're playing, there are teams capable of knocking them off," Bullington said.

North Central's season ended in a 56-42 regional loss to Lawrence North.

That followed a victory over the Wildcats in the Marion County Tournament.

"We know we can beat them," North Central coach Doug Mitchell said. "We're 10 times better than we were last year because we can defend and rebound."

Carmel no longer has 6-10 All-American Josh McRoberts but is not bracing for a decline. The Greyhounds have some returnees plus newcomer Jake Kelly, a 6-5 junior who was an all-state guard at Marshall, Ill.

State concerns

Elsewhere, teams won't have to survive the Indianapolis-area gauntlet. Lawrence North is not of imminent concern to Bloomington South, which meets the Wildcats in a nonconference game Feb. 17.

"I don't have to worry about that until the next-to-last week of the season," Holmes said.

In the postseason, Bloomington South (22-3) or Terre Haute North (15-8) could not meet Lawrence North until the semistate. Bloomington South has point guard Cole Holmstrom, an Indiana State signee, and football quarterback Ben Chappell.

"We're not very big," Holmes said. "We'd be really good if there were a 6-3-and-under state tournament somewhere."

Gary West (19-5), East Chicago Central (13-8), Valparaiso (22-3), Anderson (19-3) and Fort Wayne Snider (18-4) can go all the way to the championship game without facing Oden.

Gary West has 6-9 Jamil Tucker, a Virginia recruit, and 6-7 Michael Patton on a tall roster. Coach John Boyd said the Cougars felt snubbed to be No. 7 in The Associated Press preseason poll.

"We're used to being disrespected by the state of Indiana because we're not down in Southern Indiana," Boyd said. "We think we're very capable of defeating Lawrence North."

The strategy

There is no unanimity on the best strategy against Lawrence North.

There is agreement that both good outside shooting and pressure on Conley are necessary. Coaches suggested everything else from triple-teaming Oden to slowing tempo to getting Oden or Conley in foul trouble.

"And then you just pray a lot," Warren Central's Heady said. "That's probably your best bet."

Bullington said changing defenses might affect Lawrence North but Pike does that anyway.

Play your own game, Mitchell said, "and I think we do. I think any time you get caught up in changing what you've done for 27 games, your chances are minimal."

Call Star reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195.