FOR THE RAIDERS, IT ALL STARTS WITH SENIOR GUARD AND LOUISVILLE RECRUIT TERRY ROZIER. BUT FALL ASLEEP ON COACH DANNY YOUNG’S TALENTED AND VERSATILE SUPPORTING CAST, AND IT WILL BE A RESTLESS NIGHT.
BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT MARCH 2012
Although they didn’t match up in the regular season, the Saint Ignatius Wildcats and the Shaker Heights Raiders are very familiar with one another. That’s what the summer scrimmages are all about.
Wednesday night at 7, the fourth-seeded Wildcats (16-5) and the second-seeded Raiders (19-2) will meet in a Division I district-semifinal game at the talent-laden Solon High School district.
Saint Ignatius split its two meetings with Shaker Heights last season, losing by 16 points in the Bob Wonson Classic at the Raider Dome in Dec. 2010 and bouncing back to defeat the Raiders, 64-56, in a sectional final at Solon in March 2011.
In the season of 2009-10, the Wildcats went 2-0 against Shaker Heights, including a 14-point, district-semifinal victory.
However, as the basketball faithful from Aldersyde Drive will be quick to tell you, those scores are in the past and will mean nothing on Wednesday night, when Coach Sean O’Toole’s ‘Cats hope to bring their A game to Inwood Road.
The 2011-12 Raiders, led by one of the premier players in the nation in 6-foot-1 senior point guard and Louisville recruit Terry Rozier, were ranked third in The Plain Dealer’s final Top 25 seven-county poll. Described by Saint Ignatius’ veteran assistant coach Jerry Porath as a player with excellent rang who will also score going to the basket and drawing fouls, Rozier is averaging comfortably over 20 points per game.
Rozier, a three-year varsity mainstay, is also an excellent rebounder (more than 6 per game) and, added Coach Porath, “must be boxed out.”
God blessed Rozier with long arms and quick hands, attributes that make him a major concern in the passing lanes. He is very adept at stealing the ball from behind.
“Their team starts with Terry (Rozier), obviously,” said Coach O’Toole ‘87, whose team was ranked eighth in the final PD poll. “But their other guards are every bit as athletic and capable. They have great depth at the guard position, they’re strong physically and they get out and run.”
The other players in Coach Danny Young’s rotation to take notes on include senior guard Je’Land Head, who can attack a defense from both the 1 and the 2 position; 5-10 junior guard Mel Leach, who was born to play up-tempo; 6-4 senior forward Robert Fomby, a physical and athletic rebounder who can create his shot; 6-5 junior forward Kash Blackwell, who is skilled inside and on the perimeter, runs extremely well and is dangerous trailing plays, and the young and the relentless in the post – 6-6 freshman Esa Ahmad, as good a finisher as you’ll find for such a young player, and 6-5 sophomore Rosel Hurley, who is long and athletic.
“They’ll mix up their defenses, they anticipate well and they’re just quick around the ball,” said Coach O’Toole of a Shaker Heights team that has a number of quality wins, including a triumph over St. Edward and two victories over Warren Harding. “And they’re a very balanced team.
“They can play a fast-paced game, they can execute in the half court and obviously they’re very good in transition,” Coach O’Toole continued. “The thing that’s tough to do is to try to simulate their quickness in practice. They’re awfully quick.
“But we’re excited to play them. They’re a high measure in the area.”
Saint Ignatius and Shaker Heights are coming off tough sectional-final victories, with the Wildcats holding off sixth-seeded Kenston, 41-37, and the Raiders getting by fifth-seeded Cleveland John F. Kennedy by two points. Shaker Heights trailed the Fighting Eagles, 16-5, with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter.
Shaker Heights’ two losses were at Brunswick on Dec. 28, a 56-54 setback to an always well-schooled Joe Mackey team, and a 93-68 loss at Cleveland Heights on Feb. 11, when the then healthy Tigers were playing some of the best basketball in Ohio.
Entering Wednesday night’s game, the Wildcats’ leaders remain pretty much the same, as 6-5 junior forward/post Derek Sloan comes in averaging 12.5 points and 8.7 rebounds, and has 34 blocks; 6-6 junior post Alec Papesch is averaging 12.4 points and 8 rebounds; 6-1 junior guard Francisco Santiago is right near 10 points per game, has 15 blocks and 15 steals; senior point guard Jack Tupa is averaging 6 assists and has 21 steals and senior guard Brian Joseph and Santiago have 27 and 25 3-pointers, respectively.
SIBN, DO IT AGAIN!: With the golden tones of John Fanta ’13 on retreat this week, Saint Ignatius’ Student Broadcasting Network Moderator Jeff McCormick ’83 will join Greg “On The Money” Ziton ’13 in bringing you live audio coverage from beautiful Solon on Wednesday night. Just go to the SIBN site on the Saint Ignatius Athletics page and click on Broadcasts.
See you at the home of the Comets.