February Madness

I like the close competition. I like the rivalries. I like the passion. I like the desire. I like the unpredictability. College does it a solid in March, but High School does it up right in this very month. Sure the state tourney is the 2nd week in March, but the road to the Well starts here. My wife wonders why I care so much. I don't have a kid playing (yet), don't have a close relative playing, don't have anybody I really know playing. She'll maybe never understand. I don't have a dog in the fight, but am a sucker for talent and competition. When Harrison was lighting up gyms all over central Iowa last year, I was there. I was actually there when he was a soph, playing at Waukee High School... when he grabbed a rebound off a missed shot and dunked it home in one motion. As often as possible from that point forward, I went to see him play. Not because I knew him personally or he knew me personally, but because I knew he might be a once-in-a-lifetime talent. I followed him as a soph, junior, and senior and saw his game progress, grow, mature, and blossom.

Now that he's wearing Carolina Blue, I wasn't sure if the high school game would capture me as deeply this year, or if at all. But then I thought about Hoover. If you're wondering what I mean by Hoover, I'm talking about Herbert Hoover High School in Des Moines. It's located a few blocks east of the Merle Hay Mall on Aurora. It's not the worst part of town, but it's not the best part either. When I saw them win the 4A title in '06, I think it was probably the first time I saw them play. They had a style and swagger that you don't always see. Growing in small town SE Iowa, this was a trip. When Barnes was a junior a couple of years ago, Ames had a late-season game at Hoover. I went to see Barnes, but came away more impressed with the young talent Hoover had. They were raw, but talented - and gave Barnes & Co one of the biggest challenges they had all year. They had a frosh PG that was smaller (but also quicker) than any frosh I had ever seen (Dwight Sistrunk Jr), had a sometimes erratic, but talented 6'6 soph PF/C (Reggie White), and a couple of other sophs that had good size & quickness (Onterier Brown & Kelly Madison). They made it to sub state that year, so I went to see them play (Urbandale). Although they maybe had more talent, you could tell in the first 2 mins they weren't going to win. The zebras were calling the game extremely tight, and that's just not Hoover's style. They're up in your grill on defense... constantly poking and prodding... harassing... until either the ref's blow the whistle or you make a mental mistake. A couple of them had 3 fouls before the first quarter was even over and barely played the first half. They dug a hole and it was game over.

One year later and it was the same kids, another year wiser (you would hope) - and they again advanced to sub state. This time playing SE Polk, and their star SG Kody Ingle. Madison did his best to stay in Ingle's jock all night long, but he still got his points. The real difference was White, and his inability to avoid the "stupid foul". The over-the-back when the other team clearly had the board... or the senseless reach in the back court. He had 'em all and had to sit during key portions of the game. SE Polk's team was Ingle... and if Hoover was able to keep the ball out of his hands and pound the ball inside with White, I think they could've won. As it was, they still had a shot to win it at the buzzer with a 3 from Madison. So close... yet so far.

Fast-forward to this year. The same frosh and sophs are now junior and seniors. It's now or never time for these guys that have showed so much promise. The past 3 years they have been to sub state, and 3 years come up short. Can they do it this year? Of course I think they can, but there are just as many reasons why I think they won't. Positively thinking, the best reason they'll make it to state is that they have the best defense in the state. They only give up 35 points per game as a team, and all the credit goes to their stifling man-to-man pressure and the athleticism of the kids on the floor. Four of the starting five are 6'4 or taller, and they're all long, quick, and fast. Translation: very hard to score on! The next best reason they'll make it to state is that you can't key on just one guy. If you try to shut down Madison (as teams have), Kortlin Jackson has shown that he will knock down the corner jumper and kill you. White has become more controlled and less prone to commit the stupid foul, a better free-throw shooter, and is the inside presence they need to open things up outside for Madison. The most improved player might be at the point though. Sistrunk Jr. is still as quick as we was as a frosh, and will drive your point guard bonkers with his twitchy lightning-fast quickness on defense and drive your head coach nuts with his ability to penetrate the defense when he has the ball in his hands.

That all sounds great -- so how could this senior-laden team with so much talent not make it to state?? The #1 reason is the unpredictability with officiating. The refs did a pretty good job last year in their games... but if they get a trio of refs like they had at sub state 2 years ago who decide that any little hand-check is going to be a foul, they'll have to adjust. And I honestly don't know if they can. They also like to hold the ball too much (for my shot-clock seeking soul). Example: in the Waukee game this year there was 1:04 left on the clock in the 1st quarter, and they held it for the last shot. It would be great if they got a good look at the basket for that final shot, but they ended up throwing up a contested shot that they could've taken at any point in the possession. They are bigger and faster and quicker... so why not just try to outrun 'em?? The other thing that might trip them up is the level of their competition. They'll likely play an experienced Dowling team right off the bat on Friday in the district semi, which will be tough. Dowling went to state last year, so knows what it takes. If they make it past Dowling, Urbandale/Roosevelt are lurking on the bottom of the bracket. Hoover doesn't want Roosevelt, as they are their rival and have a future star in soph Peter Jok. So it won't be easy. But they can do it. I've seen what they can do... seen what they have gone through... so it would be a feel-good story if they made it. The beauty of the madness though is that you can't just stamp 8 teams as being the best in the state and usher them in. Hopefully Hoover's got what it takes this year.