By Chris Parker
Joe Cavness enters his second season as head coach of the Wheaton boys basketball program with 10 returning varsity players looking to improve on last year’s three-win campaign.
Jack Mitchell (junior power forward), Zac Leverich (junior small forward), Ricky Miller (senior guard), Kelton Park (sophomore guard), Brody Prewitt (junior small forward), Ty Hudson (junior forward), Zac Leverich (junior small forward), Ricky Miller (senior guard), Kelton Park (sophomore guard), Brody Prewitt (junior small forward), and Ty Hudson (junior forward) are the returning varsity players.
Leverich leads that group after averaging 8.3 points per game last year. He also pulled down 3.8 rebounds per game. Mitchell posted averages of 7.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Park had a productive freshman season averaging 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
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Chad Meyer, a junior transfer from Exeter, along with freshman Junior Nunez will be new players in the mix for varsity playing time.
Experience will be a strength for Wheaton this season.
“We will finally be in a position to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the conference and district. We want to build off of our experienced guards and be more of a threat in the paint and on both sides of the ball,” Cavness said.
Turnovers and rebounding are two areas Wheaton is looking for improvement.
“We have to limit turnovers and win rebounds. With the experience and personnel we will have this year, I think we will make a big leap forward in those two categories,” Cavness said.
Double digit wins are a goal for Wheaton this year.
“We believe we will compete in every matchup on our schedule. We made a goal to be a 10-win team this year, but we know that might mean that we have to beat a few teams that we weren’t supposed to beat on paper. I expect gritty competitors on the floor every night, and our bench will be much deeper this year which allows us to get up and down the floor early and often,” Cavness said.
Wheaton opens the season on Nov. 22 at Bronaugh.
