Boys basketball preview: Oshkosh North
There's no such thing as rebuilding when it comes to the Oshkosh North boys basketball team.
Despite losing its top two scorers and unanimous first-team all-Fox Valley Association selections from a year ago in Cooper Radtke and Nate Neveau on a team that went 20-4, North looks ready to once again be playing deep into March.
Seniors Seth Taylor and Blake Marquardt return for the Spartans after averaging double figures in scoring a year ago. Taylor was a second-team FVA pick after scoring 11 points per game while Marquardt was an honorable mention FVA selection scoring 10.8 points per contest.
Nick Bauer — a four-year starter— and fellow senior Majok Madut also return, as this year's Spartans total nine seniors on the roster.
"I've been very pleased. Nick Bauer, Blake Marquardt and Seth Taylor are our captains and they've been through the wars and they've experienced quite a bit," coach Frank Schade said. "They've really given us good senior leadership which is good to see."
Austin Trochinski returns to the varsity club for his junior year. As a freshman, he played a pivotal role during the Spartans' postseason run to the state tournament when injuries depleted their roster, but played on the junior varsity last year as a sophomore.
Freshman Tyrese Haliburton will be brought onto the varsity club this year, as he and Bauer will share point guard duties.
Trochinski and Haliburton aren't the biggest additions to the Spartans basketball team, however. That would be sophomore standout Philip Flory.
Flory, ranked as the top high school sophomore in the state, transferred over the summer from Wisconsin Rapids and has jumped right into the fold.
"He's a self-made player in my opinion, and that just really adds to what we believe in," Schade said. "We believe in a lot of work ethic and good attitude and he has that and really brings that to the gym every day. Whether that be practice or game competitions, he's a pretty serious basketball player."
Flory averaged 13.5 points per game for Wisconsin Rapids to lead the team as a freshman, then moved to the city of Oshkosh over the summer.
The trust between he and his teammates was forged on his moving day, when the entire team met him at his house to help him move into his new home.
Since that day, Flory said the transition off the court was as smooth as he could have hoped for.
"It's been really exciting for me and my family, I think ever since I moved here that first day when I moved into the house and my teammates were there waiting for me to help me it's just been great," Flory said. "Coach Schade was there too. I love coach Schade and this program, it's been good since day one."
On the court, Flory's still had to get used to the different style that Oshkosh North plays on both ends of the floor.
"It's taken quite a while, with the 1-3-1 (defense) it's a lot different than just running a man defense and it took me about a month to start getting really good at it and start knowing what to do and what positions I should be in and what area I should be on the court when the ball is on the opposite wing," Flory said. "I'm getting pretty good at it, but I've still got to work on it."
He may not be at his peak yet, but his teammates have already seen the type of explosive player the 6-foot-4 inch sophomore can be when he finally gets comfortable.
"He's a huge weapon. He's the top of his class in Wisconsin and he's another weapon outside and inside," Taylor said of Flory. "He can get to the basket or he can create for others. He's got a high IQ for the game so it's definitely a huge plus for us."
North averaged 64.6 points per game a season ago, and while scoring was never an issue, getting five players on the court at once who could all be scoring threats was.
This year they don't believe that will be an issue, and much of that has to do with the steady improvement of Madut.
The 6-6 forward was dynamic for the Spartans over the summer, averaging double figures in scoring and becoming the post-presence North had been waiting for him to become.
North believes double-figure scoring from Madut should continue this winter, taking pressure off Marquardt, Taylor and Flory and keeping the floor balanced.
"Of all our players, I would say he's improved the most over the offseason," Schade said of Madut. "We still have to fine-tune some things but all of a sudden he's a scoring threat inside. All summer long he was a double-figure scorer so we're pretty pleased with his progress."
Defensively, the Spartans will still have their patented 1-3-1 trap defense to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, but with their added length this season (Madut, Marquardt, and Flory are all 6-4 or taller) they plan on utilizing more man defense and not be so dependent on the zone.
As successful as the basketball team has been over the past three seasons, last year's abrupt ending in the regional finals was humbling for the Spartans.
North's 92-75 loss to Stevens Point was an eye opener for Schade's club, and he told his squad at the first practice that their mentality had to change this season if they wanted to make another deep run in March.
"You know, for us the biggest thing was we were at state two years in a row with quality kids coming back and I think we let our guard down a little bit, and we became the hunted instead of hunting and we need to get back to hunting (teams)," Schade said. "That's what we've been talking about since day one; don't get satisfied, we need to be the hunters and that's how we're looking at things."
Jake Van Camp: (920) 426-6661 or jvancamp@ thenorthwestern.com
2014-15 Schedule
Nov.: 28, vs. Milwaukee Madison, 6 p.m.; 29, vs. Plymouth, 7:45 p.m.
Dec.: 5, at Kimberly, 7:15 p.m.; 12, at Fond du Lac, 7:15 p.m.; 16, vs. Appleton North, 7:15 p.m.; 19, vs. Neenah. 7:15 p.m.; 23, at Appleton East, 7:15 p.m.; 30, vs. Mukwonago at WBY Tournament, 9 p.m.; 31, vs. Stevens Point at WBY Tournament, 1:30 p.m.
Jan.: 6, vs. Hortonville, 7:15 p.m.; 9, vs. Oshkosh West, 7:45 p.m.; 16, at Appleton North, 7:35 p.m.; 20, at Kaukauna, 7:15 p.m.; 23, vs. Appleton West, 7:15 p.m.; 27, vs. Kimberly, 7:15 p.m.; 30, vs. Fond du Lac, 7:15 p.m.
Feb.: 3, at Neenah, 7:15 p.m.; 6, vs. Appleton East, 7:15 p.m.; 10, at Hortonville, 7:15 p.m.; 13, at Oshkosh West, 7:45 p.m.; 20, vs. Kaukauna, 7:15 p.m.; 26, at Appleton West, 7:15 p.m.
2014-15 Roster
No. Name Yr.
3 Shane Wissink So.
10 Nick Bauer Sr.
12 Cole Ellestad Sr.
14 Tyrese Haliburton Fr.
15 Ben Leib Sr.
20 Hayden Gabrilska Jr.
22 Austin Trochinski Jr.
23 Mikaal Geenen Jr.
24 Seth Taylor Sr.
30 Josh Hassman Jr.
32 Majok Madut Sr.
33 Phillip Flory So.
35 Zac Hassman Sr.
40 Mitch Sundstrom Jr.
44 Blake Marquardt Sr.