More experienced Highland boys hoops team has lofty expectations for 2021-22 season
As Highland boys basketball coach Deryl Cunningham enters his third season leading the Bulldogs, he looks forward to having a competitive club that returns experience and appears hungry to excel on the floor beyond the COVID-shortened 6-6 season last winter.
“I think the kids know from this summer — and I told them that I’ve watched all the teams in the area — and I don’t see anybody we can’t compete with,” Cunningham said. “I think a coach saying that and the players believing that ... as long as they feel that way and they’re willing to go out and prove it, then I think we’ll be fine.”
Highland returns seven players from its 2020-21 squad that will be more upper class-heavy this winter.
Junior guard Cade Altadonna, junior Gunnar Mackey, junior forward Brendan Gelly, junior post player Joe Jansen, sophomore guard Jake Ottensmeier, junior Logan Powers, and junior John Story will help form the team’s nucleus.
“The good part of it (this year) is that we’ve got upper-class kids now,” Cunningham said. “We’ve got experience coming back and experience and numbers now, so I’m very excited about that.”
Among the newcomers, the Bulldogs expect good things from freshman Grant Fleming.
“Grant Fleming has done a really good job in the summer and in preseason running. He’s picking up things at a fast pace and he’s a good athlete and right now ... he’s looking pretty good,” Cunningham said.
Colton Watkins is another newcomer expected to help the bench.
Overall, Highland hopes to capitalize on its versatility this season, which figures to allow Cunningham great flexibility with player rotations during games.
“From what I see so far I think it’s our versatility (that stands out),” Cunningham said. “The guards and Joe Jansen are doing well and we’ve got some different moving and interchangeable parts (we can use). I think that’s going to play to our advantage because we can go small or we can go a little bit bigger or we can press. I think those things will play into how we use guys.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs will look to Ottensmeier, Altadonna, and Jansen to carry the scoring load. Ottensmeier led the club last year averaging 11.9 points per game while Altadonna averaged 10.7 points per game and Jansen scored 7 points per game as a sophomore.
Short prep time a concern, season opens in Effingham
While happy to be on the hardwood, Cunningham admits having a short time to prepare for the season opener represents a major challenge for his club.
“The biggest thing for anybody is you’re opening up in two weeks and you’re not going to be (fully) prepared in two weeks,” Cunningham said. “You prepare your kids the best you can, but we won’t be playing the same in two weeks as we will be later in the season.
“When you’re playing in two weeks you’re just not going to have the whole system but the advantage that we have is we have a lot of returners and they know what to do.”
Highland opens the season Monday, Nov. 22, with a first-round game in the Effingham St. Anthony Tournament.
This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 9:00 AM.