Once again, all eyes are on Ottawa Hills in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference.
The defending champion Green Bears are considered the favorites to again claim the league title.
However, no one is expecting Ottawa Hills to rip through the TAAC the way it did a season ago.
Toledo Christian and Maumee Valley are considered favorites to challenge for the title. In each case, talented returners provide optimism for closing the gap with the Bears.
"I think it will be a very competitive season in the TAAC," Ottawa Hills coach John Lindsay said.
Yet, Ottawa Hills' J.J. Buckey and Andrew Jamieson were two of the key players in last season's perfect run through the conference. Their return to the Bears' starting lineup makes for a formidable one-two punch for opposing defenses. Of course, they're supported by several other returning letter winners, which makes it easy to give the Bears the preseason nod to win the conference.
Here is a look at the teams in predicted order of finish:
OTTAWA HILLS
Coach: John Lindsay, 16th season
Last season: 24-2, 12-0 TAAC
Top players: Seniors J.J. Buckey, 6-1, G; Andrew Jamieson, 6-3, F; Bobby Brunner, 6-1, F. Junior Ian Trickey, 6-0, G. Sophomore Lucas Janowicz, 6-3, G.
Outlook: The defending TAAC champions have plenty of experience returning to the court, starting with Buckey (11.3 ppg) and Jamieson (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg). They represent two of the TAAC's most talented players. Brunner, Trickey, and Janowicz are also players Lindsay feels confident in relying on because of their experience in helping the Bears avoid a single loss in conference play a season ago.
"I like our experience with the returning starters, and I like our overall toughness," Lindsay said. "I like our toughness, but it's going to be a pretty big challenge to try and repeat as TAAC champions."
TOLEDO CHRISTIAN
Coach: Dave McWhinnie, 10th season
Last season: 12-10, 8-4
Top players: Seniors Nick Rightnowar, 5-11, G; Josh Whitlow, 5-9, G; Zach Brumbaugh, 6-0, G; Luke Sims, 6-0, F; David Westmeyer, 6-0, F. Sophomore Dominique Pittman, 5-9, G.
Outlook: The Eagles are expected to push the Green Bears. They have the experience and enough skilled athletes for some to think they're the team to beat this winter.
Rightnowar (8.0 ppg) and Westmeyer (5.0 ppg) are expected to provide early guidance for a team that returns three players who saw time as a starter last season. Rightnowar helped lead the Eagles to a TAAC title in football.
Whitlow, Brumbaugh, and Sims are also experienced with winning, which makes the Eagles a team to be reckoned with.
"We're excited," McWhinnie said. "We have good depth. I have eight kids who will be in our rotation.
"Our goal is to win the league and to keep getting better."
MAUMEE VALLEY
Coach: Jim Robinson, third season
Last season: 14-6, 8-4
Top players: Seniors Omar Hazimah, 5-10, F. Juniors John Krueger, 6-0, JR; Jared Sturt, 6-6, C; Dixon Stoddard, 6-2, F; Ricky Deichert, 5-11, G; Julius Turner, 5-10, F.
Outlook: Robinson, a longtime coach in the area, may have the most talented group he's worked with during his time at Maumee Valley. Besides returning a group of experienced underclassmen (four juniors, one sophomore) from last season's team, the addition of Turner, a transfer student who was a standout at Emmanuel Christian last season, should provide a boost.
"We're excited right now," Robinson said. "We've played well in our scrimmages. We'll have to see if we can do that once the lights come on to start the season."
NORTHWOOD
Coach: John Bryan, first season
Last season: 7-14, 4-8
Top players: Seniors David Green, 6-5, F; John Romstadt, 5-2,10 G; Zack Wielinski, 6-3, G-F. Junior John Willey, 5-8, G.
Outlook: The Rangers will be playing under the direction of their third head coach in as many seasons. The latest coach is approaching the season cautiously optimistic about the team showing progress over the course of the season.
"It is definitely a work in progress, but I think the ending is going to be pretty nice," Bryan said. "We have to work on our fundamentals. We're hoping everything is on the climb for Northwood. We can see where we want to go, but it's going to take some time."
Green (9.0 rpg), Romstadt, and Wielinski figure to serve as anchors for a team looking to rebuild.
EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN
Coach: Dave Regnier, 20th season
Last season: 4-8, 8-15
Top players: Seniors Tony Behan, 5-10, G; Michael Henning, 6-1, G; Caleb Smith, 6-1, F. Sophomore Ryan Creech, 6-1, F.
Outlook: Behan (14.0 ppg, 3.6 apg) and Smith (9.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) give the Warriors two proven scorers to lean on in the early stages of the season. Creech (7.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Henning (3.5 ppg) have shown plenty of promise and figure to make greater contributions this season. Creech could be in position to have a breakout season, which would make it tough on Warriors opponents.
"Team emphasis will be an emphasis on patience and taking care of the ball along with a competitive group of players," Regnier said. "If we can stay healthy and improve rebounding, we could be competitive in the conference."
DANBURY
Coach: Drew Davie, first season
Last season: 6-6, 11-10
Top players: Senior Hunter Stephens, 6-4, C; Dakota Hruby, 6-2, F. Juniors Dalton Chapman, 5-9, G; Caleb Helline, 6-2, F; Lucas Kennedy, 6-1, F.
Outlook: The Lakers head into the season optimistic about showing signs of improvement from last season. Finding success will probably start with Stephens (13.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg) taking charge as the only returning starter. At 270 pounds, he's an obvious presence in the paint for a Danbury team that lacks the depth and playing experience found on some of the front-running teams.
Kennedy and Hruby are the only other players on the roster with any significant playing time.
"This is a group of young men that will work hard night-in and night-out," Davie said. "[We] are looking for big things from senior post Hunter Stephens and are also excited about Lucas Kennedy and Dakota Hruby returning as well."
CARDINAL STRITCH
Coach: Dave Reicker, first season
Last season: 6-15, 6-6
Top players: Senior Justin Staler, G. Junior Michael Blazevich, 6-0, G; Kyle Hatfield, 6-3, C (3.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg). Sophomore Robbie Beiker, 6-4, G. 2.0, 1.0 .
Outlook: The Cardinals are in rebuilding mode and will rely on Staler (15.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and Blazevich (8.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) to lead the way during Reicker's first season. Staler returns as one of the top offensive players in the TAAC. Hatfield and Beiker are also expected to make contributions to help Stritch become more of a contender in the TAAC than in previous seasons.
"The big thing is to get a winning attitude," Reicker said. "I'm hoping to change the attitude. We need to work on our defense and rebounding."
First Published December 3, 2010, 6:56 a.m.
