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| Shakamak guard John Smith (right) takes the ball to the basket in a boys basketball game against Sullivan at the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic Monday. (By Travis David/Greene County Daily World). [Order this photo] |
TERRE HAUTE -- Sullivan erupted for 27 points in the second quarter as they turned a five points lead after the first quarter into a 26 point rout at intermission as the Golden Arrows eliminated the Shakamak Lakers from the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic with a 69-45 blowout win here Monday.
Dalton Hiatt had the hot hand for the Arrows as he connected on four of his six treys in the second quarter. Hiatt finished with a game-high 22 points.
"The scouting report was that Sullivan is a good shooting team from distance when they have time to get their feet set," Lakers coach Steve Brett said "We did not make them move at all and they really made us pay, especially Hiatt."
Sullivan drained eight shots from behind the arc for the game.
"We just need to do a better job of moving our feet and learning how to fight through screens," Brett added.
Jarred VanHorn got the Lakers offense started early as he scored eight of his nine points during the first eight minutes of play. Jordan Langford provided the other first quarter bucket for the Lakers.
"Jordan and Jarred were really active on the offensive end in the first quarter but they just kind of disappeared after that," Brett said.
Leading scorer was held to single digits for the second time in three games in the Classic as he only managed six points -- more than 14 below his season average. Newton scored 28 points in the Lakers win over the Arrows earlier in the season.
The Lakers offense showed a little fight in them in the third period as they outscored the Golden Arrows 18-12 in the first eight minutes after intermission. But it would be too little too late, as Sullivan finished off the game with a 15-11 edge in the final period for the 24-point win.
"Sullivan did a good job of finding holes and they took advantage of our mistakes tonight," Brett said. "We just did not do anything well defensively."
Brett also pointed out that he feels his squad need to focus more on a team standpoint rather than personal stats.
"We have too many excuses," Brett said. "We need to learn to put out personal agendas aside and play more together as a team."
Tyler Richardson was the only Lakers to reach double figures as he scored 16 points, connecting on four shots from distance.
John Smith, Ethan Stanifer, and Langford each posted four points, while Gerard Lynch added two points off the bench in the losing effort.
"Sullivan played a physical game, and we kind of shied away from them," Brett mentioned. "When the game gets physical like that it should play in our favor. Hopefully this will be a good lesson for us."
The Lakers, who was an early pick as one of the favorites to win the ninth annual classic, will try and regroup when they open up the Green County Tournament on Jan. 6 against North Central.
SHAKAMAK (45) -- Tyler Richardson 6-15 0-0 16, Jordan Crowe 0-1 0-0 0, John Smith 2-8 0-2 4, Jarred Vanhorn 4-8 1-2 9, Billy Newton 2-11 1-2 6, Ethan Stanifer 2-6 0-0 4, Jordan Langford 2-5 0-0 4, Gerard Lynch 1-2 0-0 2, Tyler Sparks 0-0 0-0 0, Jacob Stevenson 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Borders 0-0 0-0 0, Erick Keller 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-60 2-6 45.
SULLIVAN (69) -- Dreyson Boyd 3-6 0-0 7, Rhett Smith 5-12 0-0 10, David Bedwell 0-3 0-0 0, Dalton Hiatt 8-12 0-0 22, Caleb Turner 0-0 3-4 3, Jake Smith 2-2 0-0 4, Jordan Turner 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Nash 1-1 0-0 3, Thad Thompson 9-10 2-3 20. Totals 28-46 5-7 69.
Shakamak 10 6 18 11 -- 45
Sullivan 15 27 12 15 -- 69
3-Pointers -- Shakamak 5 (Richardson 4, Newton), Sullivan 8 (Hiatt 6, Nash, Boyd). Rebounds -- Shakamak 25 (Langford 6), Sullivan 27 (Thompson 12). Steals -- Shakamak 7 (Stanifer 2), Sullivan 3 (Thompson 3). Turnovers -- Shakamak 9, Sullivan 14. Fouls -- Shakamak 7, Sullivan 8. Fouled out -- None.
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Stewie, i just want to let you know how dumb your making yourself sound.. if you say we dont have "talent" your are so wrong.. Newton as a Sophomore took part of indianas top 100 workout which means he is the 100 best players in indiana. ALSO stanifer started on the number one AAU team in the indiana "speice".. as a freshman and sophomore.. he averaged 12 points a game i dont know about you but im sure both of these players will go somewhere.
Wow, some people are really naive and clueless. I suppose college coaches just check the box scores and immediately offer a player a scholarship. Crazy! As for D1 athletes, they don't have any D1 basketball players...they might have a D1 athlete, but he is going to have to work on his ballhandling and shooting(scoring 30 points on the block isn't that impressive if you will need to be a guard at the next level.
It is the parents...at least a few. They are easy to find. They are yelling at their sons to shoot each time they touch the ball...scary! Maesch was probably a better fit for this group, but that didn't stop the same parents from complaining about him as well.
As for the Brett comment, He won a couple sectionals and made a trip to the state finals in the last few years at Loogootee...with the exception of last year...each team had a winning record. Seymour is the only stop that was unsuccessful. Wow, you are really showing you lack of knowledge there.
Everyone has known from the get-go this group would have a hard time sharing their toys. They routinely make the Laker faithful shake their heads until the GCT...when they finally realize they need each other to be a great team.
Thanks for enlightening us, Stewie. My dad always said it takes an idiot to argue with one, so I'll pass!
Thank you instigator.
I agree with Stewie. Summer basketball is when most scholarships are earned.
I agree with Stewie? Did I really type that twice?
Well, at least someone gets it.
And hey uneducated opinion. There is a time and place to show off individual skills with college coaches watching. It's called AAU competition, and it takes place in the summer. Not in the middle of the season, costing the team games! Read 'em and weep. Keep talking, I dare you.
It wouldn't matter if Bobby Knight himself came and coached. It's the same thing year after year. The coach. Nobody liked Ernie either. It sounds like an on going pattern to me. Maybe it's not the players or the coach. Maybe it's the parents.
To Stewie- How do college coaches first find out about players? I believe it is through sports stories and personal stats. If you have some other knowledge base, please enlighten all of us.
Also, please reflect on when the majority of this coach's wins took place. I believe it was during the early part of his career. If he doesn't start coaching these boys from the sideline, things probably aren't going to change. He can't sit on the bench the whole game and expect too many results on the floor. If he doesn't show an interest in them, then they're probably not going to show much of an interest in him.
I have been to every game and have seen how bad it has been and how the coaching appears to be. Not many time outs and not much coaching from that sideline. These boys do have talent and have shown previously that they do know the fundamantals. So what is different this year? The coach.
Exactly my point. Someone brings up ISTEP and that is babble. Yes this is sports, but kinda sad. Shakamak is consistenly last in academics. Has anyone ever posted a comment on here asking our school board why, even on under the front page? I highly doubt it. But lose a couple of games and it generates 20 comments. My orginal post was about quit asking the school board about the coach and how ridicoulas that was to do. Let the school board worry about real things and let the coach worry about games. And yeah, your right, basketball is great in Indiana. Make that used to be. That comment about sectionals was before class basketball.
Who in their right mind thinks that college coaches don't look at more than just personal stats? You show your true intelligence with that comment.
And last time I looked, this was the "sports" section of the website. Which is why we are talking about basketball and D1 basketball and what not. Some of you need to look for the next "Front Page" story on the latest Shakamak school board meeting, and post your babble there.
And if you don't think basketball is a big deal in this state, then where have you been for the past 80 or so years? Jasonville is a baseball town in the middle of a basketball state. So we've always got something to discuss. This isn't Illinois basketball or Nevada basketball, this is Indiana basketball. A coach once said, "Winning the sectional in Indiana is better than winning the state championship in Iowa." THAT is why Indiana basketball is what it is, sit back and enjoy it! That is why some of us think that the effort and attitude that these kids have put forth so far is pathetic. Maybe instead of arguing and going against a coach that has won 399 games, maybe they should try to listen to him for a change.
I think Greeneman is on to something. Has anyone thought to ask a school board member why they could afford to pay top dollar for a new coach but had to drop Spanish (leaving 2 years worth of kids in a bad situation) or not replace the lost math or science teachers? I agree that basketball might lead to some help for a couple of boys but dropping Spanish, not replacing math and science teachers hurts many many more. Check out where Shakamak stands in academics, last in Greene county. Basketball is a sport, it should be something these boys can just enjoy.
and people wander why coaches do not stick around at one place very long. when you have cry baby parents going and running to the higher ups all the time just because their child isnt getting the playing time they think they deserve.
GET OVER IT, that is life. the coach was hired by the board to coach so let the man do his job!
he also plays a vital role in their everyday school life as well.
and my previous comment about the regular season games not meaning anything, i need to retract on that. you are right the conference games do mean something. i was referring to games like the pizza hut classic and the south knox games. against non conference and higher class teams. but as long as the team takes a plus out of each game it will only make them better come sectional time.
and you are also right about them needing to play as a team and maybe some time on the pine will make them realize they are not as talented as what they think they are and they need to continue to work hard. you can not just show up and expect the other team to lay down and i really think that is what happened in the south knox game, the second sullivan game and even in the linton game.
wake up boys and listen to what coach is trying to instill in you all. the sky is the limit, its your choice on where you go, but you have to want it and want to work for it!
Rambler---that is why I said that the school board has little to no control over this. The school board has much more to deal with such as ISTEP, hiring of teachers, lack of discipline, lack of enforcement of rules.
As for personal stats, yes, they are important for some of these players; however, working as a team is just as important. If you have one player whom you depend on and he has a horrible night due to illness, etc. what will happen to the team then? What if that game just happens to be sectional time? Get them to work as a team ALL the time...the stats will come. This team HAS potential. It will be nice to see THEM show it.
I would hope that people fresh off the bench would have more hustle in them than the ones who had been running up and down the court the whole game. Plus, it doesn't help us one bit that two of our main players had been sick for about a week. Unfortunately, games don't stop when players are sick.
As far as playing D1 ball, thank goodness the two main plyers have higher ambitions than playing ball forever. They have true interest in going to college for an education. Basketball may be the way that helps them pay for it though. That is why personal stats matter!
Just wondering when was the last time someone stopped a school board member and asked about the ISTEP scores? Its basketball and yes this is Indiana, but come on, playing time to the school board? I just hope they can manage the budget and hire quality teachers, not quality coaches. I could go on, but what use would it do.
"the school board has little to no control over this"
When it comes to playing time, the school board (or parents) shouldn't have any control over it. That's what they hired the coach to do.
I wanted to write and tell all of you that its faily simple to sit here on the computer and voice your opinions of these boys and the coach. Its a complete different story to be on that court coaching or playing. Those players whether on the bench or not all have talent and heart to be playing. Dont be so judgemental! Are any of you aware of the fact that when they played Sullivan 3 of the starters had the flu and yet were still out on that court?? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but please when your writing those opinion think of the players! Yes they may not be the NBA but they are doing what they love and trying to have fun doing it.
Just because a student is on the freshman team does not guarantee he will dress on JV. If your child is not dressing for the freshman games, then that is a different story. That is a sad fact that you just have to deal with---it used to be a student played JV OR freshman, not both. When I was a freshman, our best player played JV/Varsity, so our season suffered because he couldn't play on the freshman team.
As for speaking up at the school board to get more play time? HA! One of the players on the Varsity squad has a parent who IS a school board member----he plays very little at all...the school board has little to no control over this.
Talent is a relative term. Sure, the Shakamak boys don't have the talent that the men you are talking about had or have. Just as Jason Gardner, Chris Thomas, Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Eric Gordon, Jarred Jefferies, Sean May are no Kobe, Lebron or Garnett. We are talking about Greene County, Indiana here. And anyone that follows local basketball will have to admit, from top to bottom, Shakamak has the most talent of any team. Maybe not the best team right now, but the most talent.
And Mom-If you think complaining to the school board will get your son more playing time, I hope your wrong. Everyone thinks their kid deserves to play. A lot of kids work hard and don't get to play. But then again that brings up that ugly word again, "Talent" or lack there of.
The only point I was trying to make about talent and fundamentals are that if you lack true "talent", you HAVE to do the fundamental things to succeed. EVERYTIME down the floor. You can take a possession off because that's when you will get beat. Players with true talent, can afford sometimes to make a mistake fundamentally because they can do things to make up for it. Then again, as i said before, what "talent" are we really talking about with this team? None of these guys are going to play Division 1 basketball in college. In my lifetime I've watched players like Jason Gardner, Chris Thomas, Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Eric Gordon, Jarred Jefferies, Sean May, etc....the list goes on. That is talent. We don't even have anyone on Shakamak that could compare to A.J. Graves. No one that could even BEGIN to compare. So I pose the question again, what "talent" is everyone talking about? I do agree that they need to come together as a team soon, or I think WRV and N.C. will have their way with us come sectional time. There are teams out there alot more hungry than we are right now, I know that.
These entries just have to make me shake my head .....funny how when I consulted with a few school board members, I was blown off about issues with the new magical coach Brett.......people get upset because some kids sit the bench, how about if your kid busts butt but doesnt even get to DRESS????? Seems like people are finally beginning to see that maybe thte school board didnt make the right decision afterall; but we all know that they will never admit it or do anything about it unless it affects their own kids.....how sad.
I have to agree with instigator on one point: bench those players who are either having a bad evening, just aren't putting forth the effort, or refusing to do what the coach says. Many of the players showed very LITTLE hustle or enthusiasm against Sullivan. There is NO excuse for Shakamak losing that game. Sullivan didn't beat the Lakers---the Lakers beat themselves. There are some seniors on the bench who want to play and HUSTLE when they are on the floor. Unlike the other "bench" players, they don't get the opportunity to play in JV games. When they have been put in the game, they have shown a lot more hustle than some of the players who "know" they have play time guaranteed---give them a wake up call! Not only will the bench get experience against players (not team mates at a practice), but it will also promote more teamwork and push those "stars" to want to work harder. I'll take team of boys who work AS a team over a team with a couple stars with the occasional attitude ANYDAY!
Borders, Lynch, & Keller have size and can use it. Stevenson has speed and good defensive skills. Marlow is out due to an injury I hear. These boys have what it takes if given the opportunity. Above all, they play with heart and play as a team.
Hey Stewie, you contradict yourself a little bit there. Talent and fundamentals are very separate. A good coach can teach a kid with limited talent how to block out. I'll take a kid with limited talent and a desire to rebound over a kid that can't wait to go play offense anytime.
I'm rooting for Coach Brett. But it will be very hard for him to do what he needs to to bring this team together. Bench any player and I mean ANY player off that team and he still is the favorite in the sectional. Maybe even a better team as a whole.
So what if someone threatens to quit. The best players are juniors. They can't transfer unless their parents move.
Oh I forgot, some of those playes have mailboxs that can move at will.
Good luck Coach.
it all comes down to team chemistry...if they can get that, along with buying in to what coach brett wants they will win.
I agree with you about playing too soft. These big guys need to play a little harder, because talent wise, they lack the ability to make up for fundamental errors like not blocking out.
As far as not being a team in class a that can go toe to toe with Shakamak, I think you need to do some research. Did you mean locally? Because if we continue to play like we have been, I don't think we will get out of the regional. Lutheran will take us apart. I'm sure that there are southern teams such as Tecumseh and Barr-Reeve that would have their way with the Lakers right now. As would a couple of the northern teams like LCC or FW Blackhawk. We have the potential to beat anybody, but they need to correct these problems in order to do so. I don't really agree with your assessment that the regular season games do not matter. It is still nice to win conference games and compete for the two conferences. Hopefully they have a better showing at the GC Invitational.
here is the way i look at it....as long as there is still class basketball, which i think it should go back to single class, there is not a class a team around that can play with this team. and it is only the fist of january there is still a lot of time for coach brett to get the boys in line and make them realize just how good they can be if they ALL play together as a team. the boys really should be undefeated if only they do the little things and play to their potential but as long as they learn from these games, its ok, most veteran coaches consider the regular season as a preseason leading up to the state tournament, sectional and beyond is when the REAL season starts and I am sure coach brett will make sure everything is lined up straight by then.
and its not just the point guard opting not to shoot either. we have two guys that are 6-8 or 6-9 and they do not use their size to their advantage, if they do not play so soft that will make them better as well. its a long season and there is a lot of time to get all the little things corrected. i am sure both the coaching staff and kids are still trying to get a feel for one another.
Well, I don't know if Steve Brett is the problem or not, but he's probably only going to be there for two seasons anyway. I really don't know why Shakamak didn't hire someone that might be there a little longer. I can't see Brett staying after this junior class graduates. This team should have beaten Terre Haute North. North is a 4A school, but they really aren't that good of a team. Bloomington South beat them by what, 30? As far as I can tell, all of our talent is in the backcourt. I know Newton is kind of a "in-between" player, but as far as our true, bona-fide frontcourt kids, they seem to try, but there is no room for error there. They have to do the fundamental things EVERYTIME because they lack the true "talent" to make up for error. And really, what talent are we truly talking about anyway? It's not like we have Greg Oden and Eric Gordon on this team. I seriously doubt anyone on this team plays D1 basketball. However, they are good enough that they shouldn't have lost 2 out of the 3 games they have lost. I wasn't at the Sullivan game the other day, but the North game came down to fundamental things that the Lakers didn't execute. Block out and you win the game plain and simple. Oh and if the point guard wants to help the team, it would be nice if he could step up and hit a shot when the other team is leaving him wide open. Everytime he got the ball against North, they sagged off and tightened up inside, and he would pass it. If you knock down a couple of those shots and make the other team come out and guard you it can only open up the entire floor to help other people get open.
quit wining people you wanted this coach i hope you eat your words now. i can tell you one thing he isnt a coach if he cant win with that talent and also if they dont want to listen or play hard bench them there is always someone who will play harder. i have coached before and a team who gives effort is better than a team with talent.
Lots of potential and even more excuses. You are what your record says you are. Time on the pine might help a few of the people who are worried about personal stats.
Talent doesn't win ballgames.
Well Lakers, When are you going to start playing to your potential? You have SO much talent! Start using it!!!