NBC boys basketball capsules (11-18-13)

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Eastwood Boy’s returning letterman (Back row from left) Tim Hoodlebrink, Grant Peters, Steven
Bradley, Jordan Faykosh, (front row from left) Jacob Rahe, Jake Schmeltz, and Michael Flipse. (Photo: Shane
Hughes/Sentinel-Tribune)

EASTWOODHead coach: Matt
Routson, second season.2012-13 overall record: 8-14.2012-13 league record: 8-6.Returning letter winners:
Jake Schmeltz, senior, 6-1 guard; Steven Bradley, senior, 6-4, post; Grant Peters, senior, 6-4 guard; Tim
Hoodlebrink, junior, 6-1 guard; Michael Flipse, senior, 5-8, guard; Jacob Rahe, senior, 5-10, post; and
Jordan Faykosh, senior, 6-2, guard.Strengths: Schmeltz, experience, depth, size, athleticism and balanced
inside/outside scoring.Keys to the season: Playing well consistently, overcoming a tough early schedule and
catching up after getting a late start in practice with 10 members of the football team also playing
basketball.Outlook: “We’re a little behind, but most of those guys have played varsity basketball before and
they know our system,” Routson said.Of Eastwood’s first five games four are on he road at Rossford,
Northview, Lake and Springfield, after the home-opener against Maumee.“We can’t stress too much early in the
season and we have to realize its full a 22-game season,” Routson said. “How we start doesn’t mean that’s
how we’re going to finish.“We haven’t proven anything yet, but we have guys who had moments last season
where they played well, but we need to become more consistent. We believe we have the talent and the
experience to compete for the league title.”

Returning letter winners for Elmwood boys varsity basketball are (from left) Aaron
Arnold and Sebastian Baxter. (Photos: Shane Hughes/Sentinel-Tribune)

ELMWOODHead coach: Ty Traxler, sixth season.2012-13 overall record: 14-92012-13 league record;
8-6.Returning letter winners: Aaron Arnold, senior, 6-5, wing; and Sebastian Baxter, senior, 5-10,
guard.Strengths: Arnold, Baxter, good youth and overall length.Keys to the season: Finding players to
complement Arnold and Baxter.Outlook: The Royals must replace four starters from last year’s team, most
notably Zach Foster. Foster averaged 15.7 points per game and was first team All-District VII. Also gone are
Austin Hoiles (3.8 ppg), Mica Robinson (6.9 ppg) and Michael Chapman (2.0 ppg).“The toughest thing is going
to be fitting guys into the rotation and figuring out which guys we can count on in a varsity game,” Traxler
said.“We’re not going to say we’re a favorite in the league race, but I would like to think at the end of
the year we’re going to have something to say about who does win that league race,” he added. “And who
knows, if things fall our way, we might be in the hunt. We’re taking every day one day at a time. If we can
focus on the present and focus on each practice and each game as an individual outcome … The sky is the
limit for us at the end of the year.”

Returning letter winners for Lake boys varsity basketball. Front (from left): Jared
Rettig (03), Connor Bowen (32), Cody Witt (15) and Todd Walters (10). (Photo: Enoch
Wu/Sentinel-Tribune)

LAKEHead coach: Ryan Bowen, fourth
season.2012-13 overall record: 19-4.2012-13 league record: 11-3, second placeReturning letter winners:
senior, Cody Witt 5-7; juniors, Connor Bowen, 6-0; Jared Rettig, 6-2; Todd Walters, 6-3.Strengths: Good
group of upperclassmen to be leaders, and two of the better guards in the league with Bowen and Rettig.
Rettig and Bowen combined for 613 points and 249 assists in the regular season.Concerns: Lack of size, and
development of younger players as five sophomores and a freshman could see playing time. Walters (ankle)
will miss the start of the season.Outlook: ‘‘We’ll be way more guard-oriented, and we’ll be a lot faster
than we’ve been,’’ coach Bowen said. ‘‘Last year, we slowed things down, but it worked out great for us.
This year we are going back to pushing the ball a little bit.‘‘We probably have the best core group of
shooters, that we’ve had since I’ve been here, with a good point-guard,’’ he continued. ‘‘You’ll see a
four-guard system out of us this year.’’

Returning letter winners for Otsego boys varsity basketball are (from left) Jalen Myers
(3), John Thomas (44), and Cody Downs (24). (Photo: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)

OTSEGOHead coach: Jim Bostdorff, ninth season.2012-13 overall record:
20-5.2012-13 league record/place: 12-2, first.Returning letter winners: John Thomas, senior, 6-5, post; Cody
Downs, senior, 6-1, point guard; Jalen Myers, senior, 5-11, wing.Strengths: Thomas in the post, team
defense.Keys to the season: Get healthy and develop depth with an inexperienced bench. Making up scoring and
rebounds from last year’s graduating class.Outlook: Otsego is essentially in a rebuilding stage after
graduating four starters, who made up 70 percent of the team’s scoring and 60 percent of the team’s
rebounding.“We’re a work in progress,” Bostdorff said. “Somehow, someway we’ve got to figure out a way to
make up that scoring and those rebounds.”With three letter winners back and an inexperienced bench,
Bostdorff knows that this season could present challenges, but he still expects to be competitive.Thomas
averaged 11.5 points per game last year, along with 7.4 rebounds per game. Myers and Downs combined to
average 7.6 ppg.“With those three back, they’re really a great three to build with and we’ve got some kids
who can fill roles and do their thing. If we can do that we’ll be all right,” Bostdorff said.“I expect that
we’ll be in most of our basketball games with a chance at the end to win them,” he added. “As we start the
season, I really truly believe that we’ve got some learning to do and as the season goes along, we will get
better.”

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