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Like most sports fans, I find myself looking ahead a lot.
It’s a natural prognostication, something that most fans can’t help but embrace — especially after a win. It’s in the bloodline of the die-hards and is the reason why we always look towards the future and rarely back into the past.
By living beyond the present, we can develop a hope that keeps us thriving, even through the bleakest of seasons.
So, in regards to our local teams, I recently began thinking of the two similar, yet different lifelines of the Leavenworth and Lansing boys’ basketball squads.
Last year, both schools made their respective state tournaments and honestly, I would’ve scoffed at that notion if I didn’t witness it with my own two eyes.
No offense to any one, for the squads obviously proved their worthiness, but each had definite flaws a year ago at this exact date that I felt would be too much to overcome. Low and behold, the teams not only conquered those weaknesses, but also excelled in them.
Bring this thought process back to present day, and once again I see flaws in each team that ironically are the exact opposite of one another.
Leavenworth has outstanding guard play with the likes of Grant Greenberg, Preston Padgett and Xavier Young to name just a few. Their backcourt is unbelievably talented and experienced.
Yet, what the Pioneers lack is frontcourt size and depth.
LV will live and die on its shooters offensively, who will need to continue to excel at attacking the basket as well as creating good ball movement to gain open shots.
Defensively, Leavenworth will have to mix and match its coverages — different zones/man-to-man schemes — to make up for its size shortage. A crucial point to all of that will be boxing out, which the team must do in order to survive.
It can be done — look no further then last year’s LV squad that used the same guard-oriented makeup to run through substate and into the 6A state tournament. But, it won't be easy.
For Lansing, the Lions have a myriad of frontcourt weapons. They have size and an arsenal of scorers that make them difficult to defend.
However, the squad is in need of a true point man. Right now, Lucas Mein is doing a swell job and he shoots well, yet the team doesn’t have a true playmaker that gets everyone involved.
Last year, Calvin Schneider was the straw that stirred the Lansing drink and with his ability to not only get others, but himself going offensively, the team finished fourth in 5A.
This season, while the list of weapons like Izaiah Grice, Mein, Mike Miller, Khalil Bailey, Cameron Decker and Clay Young is long and talented, someone is still needed to guide the ship. The team is young and inexperienced in the backcourt and ultimately, that is where this season will be defined.
Ball security is of the upmost importance during a championship run and while it's obvious that Lansing has the firepower to make it to state, does it have someone to setup those shots up?
Much like Leavenworth, only time will tell us these answers.
Brent Lager joined the Leavenworth Times in 2010 after a year and a half of covering high school sports for the Platte County Citizen. Before that, he previously worked for the Columbia Missourian as well as Cumulus Broadcasting in Columbia, Mo.
