Ohio City – Taking time out before practice earlier this week, Saint Ignatius head basketball coach Sean O’Toole talked about a Wildcats varsity basketball team that, once totally healthy, will have exceptional depth and an abundance of flexibility.
“We’re a team that has great length and hopefully we can utilize that at both ends of the floor, limit passing lanes, create turnovers and get out and run,” said Coach O’Toole, who enters his sixth season as his alma mater’s head basketball coach with a record of 87-30 at Cleveland’s Jesuit Preparatory School. That mark includes a 21-4 performance last season, an effort that included a Division I District Final appearance, a Saint Ignatius-best 19 regular season victories, the top ranking in The Plain Dealer’s Top 25 seven-county poll and a seventh-place ranking in the Associated Press big-school state poll.
Coach O’Toole was selected as the Division I Coach of the Year by the Greater Cleveland Basketball Coaches Association last season and was the 2012-13 Division I Coach of the Year on the Associated Press All-Northeast Lakes District Team.
Saint Ignatius, which averaged 72.8 points last season and yielded an average of 57.5, will take an area preseason ranking of seventh by cleveland.com into Saturday afternoon’s season opener at Shaw.
“We’ve lost four starters from last year, including Kyle Berger, who is obviously out with the knee injury he suffered in football,” Coach O’Toole continued. “But the kids who are stepping in are seasoned kids who had different roles last year. I think one of our big things this year is that we shoot the ball well. And that hasn’t always been the case with our teams.”
Although the Wildcats have the size and length to match up with just about any team in the area, Coach O’Toole is looking for another demanding schedule to be an “early teacher” in terms of the toughness factor. The Wildcats are young at some positions.
“The youth that we have is awfully skilled and obviously once they get comfortable with how we are playing, that skill will enable us to put the ball in the basket,” said Coach O’Toole. “We’re a team that can score.”
While discussing his returning big-game tested veterans, Coach O’Toole was quick to point to senior twins David and Eric Black, senior point guard Danny Bova and senior forward Isiah Barbra. Those four young men will serve as Coach O’Toole’s captains.
Coach O’Toole, who was a standout power forward at Saint Ignatius in the late 1980s under Coach Larry Arthur, described his senior leadership this season as being “outstanding.”
The selfless and savvy Bova has entered his second season as a varsity captain.
David and Eric Black will lead that versatile and talented length or size that Coach O’Toole refers to.
The 6-foot-6 David Black made his mark on the varsity as just a sophomore and the 6-7 Eric Black put together a solid all-around 2012-13 season.
David and Eric can run the floor, rebound, score inside and outside, pass the ball and reject or alter shots.
Eric Black was the Wildcats’ third highest scorer last year in terms of total points with 217 and he averaged
nine points a game.
Eric and David each shot higher than 50 percent from the field on two-pointers and David led the team with an 86.7 percentage from the free-throw line.
In the rebounding department, Eric and David finished 2-3 in total caroms pulled down last season. Eric had 139 total rebounds, including a team-best 62 offensive rebounds, and David had 86 rebounds.
Bova, a John Carroll University recruit, is coming off a junior season that saw him pull down 63 rebounds and dish out 105 assists, which were second only to the 110 delivered by All-Ohio and All-District guard Francisco Santiago. Danny led the Wildcats in the assist/turnover ratio and had a team-high 41 steals.
Three players who truly add to the flexibility, length and depth that Coach O’Toole and his staff covet are the 6-3 Barbra, 6-7 senior post Jake Strippy and 6-6 junior forward/wing Jaylin McDonald.
Barbra and McDonald each scored 55 points in their key reserve roles last season and Strippy brings to the court many of those same qualities the Black twins possess – the ability to run the floor, alter shots and score in a variety of ways down low and off the glass. Barbra, who plays with a tireless passion, has accepted his captain’s role with open arms.
As for Coach O’Toole’s “young guys,” you have to start with 6-4 sophomore guard Deven Stover.
Described by Coach O’Toole as being extremely skilled, Deven is the son of former St. Joseph High School (now Villa Angela-St. Joseph) standout and former University of Cincinnati mainstay Reggie Stover.
“Deven can score in a variety of ways and is a great competitor,” Coach O’Toole said.
Other key performers from last season’s highly successful junior varsity team are junior wing Andre’ Wolford, a versatile athlete who can score from the perimeter and take it to the basket, and junior wing Dylan Nieto and junior guard Joe Isabella, who both can flat out shoot the ball as well as take care of it.
Coach O’Toole went on to point out the toughness, endless hustle, shooting ability and basketball smarts that senior guard Ryan Napoli brings every day, the talent and leadership qualities of junior Mikal Outcalt in the post, who also happens to be one of the premier soccer goalies in the Midwest, and the power and athletic fluidness of 6-4, 255-pound junior Dre’Mont Jones, who is coming off an outstanding season as a varsity football defensive lineman.
Two sophomores to keep an eye on are point guard Kyle Kalish and 6-4 forward Tim Kiefer. Kyle, the son of former Wildcat great Scott Kalish, impresses the coaches with his skills, effort and basketball IQ. His dad was one of the finest players this old-timer ever had the privilege to cover and report on for The Plain Dealer. Kiefer is also sound fundamentally and leaves everything he has on the floor.
“He has really handled the learning curve well,” Coach O’Toole said of Kyle Kalish.
Two other seniors who will bring an all-out effort every night are guards Jimmy Abraham and Ogo Okolo. Ogo, who is recovering from two knee surgeries, has a heart as big as Sullivan Gymnasium and Coach O’Toole emphasized that Jimmy has done everything that has been asked of him in terms of commitment and effort.
“The goals for us as coaches are to make sure that everyone understands their roles and buys into their roles,” said Coach O’Toole. “We’ve always been a team that likes to run, likes to press and values the basketball. Our scrimmages (that included, among others, state powers St. Vincent-St. Mary, Mentor and Columbus Northland) gave us some identification of where our strengths are and more importantly, where our weaknesses are. Those are the things we are working on.
“We’re a little banged up right now, so for the time being we’re going to keep it simple and try not to beat ourselves,” Coach O’Toole continued. “We definitely have the talent.”
THE CAPTAINS’ CORNER
Here are a few comments on the upcoming season from Wildcats senior captains Danny Bova, Isiah Barbra and David and Eric Black.
David Black: “We have great camaraderie. As for things we have to work on, we have to pick it up defensively, play hard and play smart.”
Eric Black: “Absolutely," Eric responded, when asked if he relishes his role as a captain. “It’s just a title. Anyone can step up and lead. But it’s nice when you are acknowledged as a leader. You lead by example, go hard and help others in any way that they need it.”
Eric emphasized that the 2013-14 Basketball Wildcats shoot the ball very well. “Our bigs can shoot as well as our guards,” he said. “We’ve got fours that can play the three, fives that can play the four and twos that can play the one. But we definitely have to talk. Communication is the key. That will solve all of our problems, as far as getting into the flow offensively and defensively.”
Isiah Barbra: “When the coaches look for guidance, they come to you first,” said Isiah, who is the epitome of the expression ‘a leader on and off the court.’ “It is kind of nice when you have some say in things, when you lead by example and have that extra push that some kids need. Being in the program two and three years, we can go out and help them (the younger players), which takes some stress off the coaches.”
When asked about the strengths of this year’s team, Isiah was quick to point to the overall skill the Wildcats
possess in the frontcourt, the quality depth that Coach O’Toole can turn to and the length and recovery the ‘Cats bring at the defensive end.
Danny Bova: “It’s an honor, a privilege,” said Danny in reference to him becoming a rare two-year captain in the tradition-rich history of Saint Ignatius’ athletic programs. “It’s definitely a responsibility that I am more than willing to fulfill. We have good leaders around my self, which makes my job a heck of a lot easier than other captains in the area. I am a big believer in respect. In order to achieve a team mentality, you have to give respect to the other players. If you want to get respect from another player, you have to be willing to give it.”
Like Eric Black, Danny believes the Wildcats’ ability to shoot the basketball will come to the fore, just as it has in the preseason practices and scrimmages. “We have a lot of younger guys coming up who can really shoot the ball,” Danny said. Despite the impressive shooting, Danny emphasized that the Wildcats must improve their defensive pressure in the full-court situations. As far as the defense in the half court, communication, Bova said, is the key to success there. “Young and ready to go” is how Danny sums up the 2013-14 Wildcats as they prepare for Saturday afternoon’s opener at Shaw.
A GREAT SUPPORT STAFF: Coach O'Toole has welcomed back his basketball-savvy assistant coaches Kirk Culler, Brian Carey ’78, Jerry Porath and Fred DiSanto ’80, along with Wildcats outstanding Head Athletic Trainer, Mr. Hank Gaughan A.T.C., Student Assistant Mike Berry ’15, Video Coordinator Donald Bakaitas and Official Scorekeeper Tom Salopek.
AT A QUICK GLANCE – The Wildcats’ 2013-14 schedule.
As we mentioned in the preview text, Saint Ignatius opens its new season on Saturday afternoon at Shaw High School. The junior varsity game tips off at 12:30, followed by the varsity game at 2.
The Shaw Cardinals, or “The Red Ball Express,” as some of the area’s seasoned gym rats refer to Shaw, look to pressure, trap, steal or block everything the opposing offense throws at them. Shaw fuels its pressure off various forms of the diamond press.
Shaw opened its season with a 74-56 victory over Cleveland John F. Kennedy last Friday. A decisive 23-7 fourth quarter told the tale. The Cardinals were led by three scorers in double figures – Shawn Adams with 18 points, Justin Mitchell with 15 and Zachary Whiteside with a dozen.
Coach O’Toole’s Wildcats will play their home opener on Dec. 14 against the Rebels from John Adams High School. The ‘Cats host John Hay on Dec. 20 and the next night, Dec. 21, the tradition-rich “Pups” from Canton McKinley and their knowledgeable fans will be at West 30th and Lorain Avenue.
The Warren G. Harding Raiders pay a visit to Sullivan Gym on Dec. 28 AND, as we reported on the corner last month, Saint Ignatius and the talent-rich Fighting Irish from St. Vincent-St. Mary will help ring in the New Year when they meet on Dec. 31 at LeBron James Arena. The respective junior varsity teams will match up at 1:30 PM, followed by the varsity tip at 3 PM.
On Jan. 5, the Wildcats will compete in the annual Scholastic Play-By-Play Tournament at Baldwin-Wallace University’s Ursprung Gymnasium. The ‘Cats will face the always capable Ironmen from Cleveland Central Catholic in a 1:15 PM tipoff on Bagley Road in Berea.
The annual home-and-home series with Coach Eric Flannery’s St. Edward Eagles starts with a game in the Eagles Nest on Jan. 18 and wraps up with the rematch at Sullivan Gym on Feb. 8.
Saint Ignatius will make another appearance in the Dunk 4 Diabetes Tournament on Jan. 26 at Walsh University, where it will play Canton Timken, and February brings about two exceptional back-to-back matchups – versus Andy Suttell’s Cleveland Heights Tigers on Valentine’s Day night in Sullivan Gym and a trip to Viking Village the next night to face Coach Babe Kwasniak’s preseason No. 1 Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings.
For a look at the Wildcats’ entire schedule, go to ignatius.edu, click on athletics and click on basketball.
NEW POSTSEASON LOOK
For those loyal Saint Ignatius basketball fans from around the country who inquired about the Wildcats’ new venue for the Division I sectional/district this season, here is the breakdown.
Division I will have blended sectional/districts, whereby a school has a choice between two districts based on its seed at the drawing. Coach O’Toole’s Wildcats will make their choice from the Midview-Brecksville-Broadview Heights blended sectional/district. Yes, it is goodbye to Solon for the Wildcats, a site that is first class in this corner's humble opinion. But then I guess the Midview or Brecksville site will make it a little easier for our devoted West Side fans.
The Midvew-Brecksville “blended” sectional/district will involve 26 schools. They are: Avon; Avon Lake; Berea/Midpark; Brecksville-Broadview Heights; Brunswick; Elyria; Lorain; North Olmsted; North Ridgeville; Olmsted Falls; Amherst Steele; Strongsville; Westlake; John Marshall; Lakewood; Lincoln-West; Max Hayes;
Midview; Nordonia; Normandy; North Royalton; Parma; Rhodes; Saint Ignatius; St. Edward and Valley Forge.
Have a great season and don’t get caught watching the paint dry.