Bears Continue to Build Basketball Program
By Dave Montgomery
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After a strong first season, coach Nick Rathmann is optimistic his Blake boys' basketball team can take another step forward this year. The team went from a 7-15 record the year before Rathmann arrived to 16-11 last season, setting a school record for victories in the process.
Like last year, much of the Bears' fortunes depend on senior guard Blake Williams. Williams led the team in scoring, averaging 21 points per game and was the team's best all-around player.
He was able to score the 1,000th point of his career in the team's sectional loss to Breck. He enters this season with 1,001.
Team captains include Williams and fellow seniors Matt Gallivan and Charlie Lannin. Both are post players who came off the bench last season, but will have much bigger roles this season.
Another key player will be junior point guard Stewart Davis. Davis averaged 10.5 points per game and 6.5 assists per game last season. He is the team's top three-point shooter and will control the offense and game tempo.
Other juniors who are expected to contribute include guards Andy Ellwein and Jimmy Yablonski, both of whom are described as "great shooters" by Rathmann.
The team will play in the very tough Tri-Metro Conference. The conference features DeLaSalle, last year's Class 3A champion. It also includes Breck, last year's runner-up in Class 2A, and St. Bernard's, a top four school in Class A.
The Bears are aiming for a finish in the middle to top half of the conference.
"We look at it as year two of a rebuilding project," said Rathmann, "We hope to build on the success we had last season and turn boys' basketball into a tradition here at Blake."
Reprinted with permission LakeShore News
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