Majority of team young, coach looking to improve
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The learning continues for the Big Foot boys basketball team.
Big Foot enters 2015-16 after it went 5-19 a year ago, and with a young roster that features just three seniors, there are sure to be a few growing pains as the Chiefs continue to build.
At least that’s the plan, according to coach Mike Dowden.
“We are very inexperienced, so I’m not really sure what we are going to do,” he said. “I think we have better basketball IQ’s than in the past, and I hope that translates onto the floor. I think we will be competitive on a nightly basis.”
Junior Beau Cary, a second-team, All-Rock Valley Conference pick a year ago, returns after he averaged 9 points a game as a sophomore.
Cary is joined by three seniors – Zak Greco (6-0, guard), Michael Heidenreich (6-0, guard) and Mark Schauf (6-1, forward) – as the “experienced” core of the roster.
“Zak and Beau have a lot of varsity experience,” Dowden said. “In addition, Mark Schauf has really improved his game, and I look for him to have a much improved year.”
Heidenreich is back from injury as the fourth player with any varsity minutes under his belt.
Those four will need to lead the way, Dowden said.
“I expect them to really help us compete on a nightly basis,” he said. “It is easy to compete in games, but we really want to improve our work preparation and our nightly input into basketball.”
The rest of the varsity roster includes senior Michael Goralski (5-8, guard); juniors Thallin Baker (5-5, guard), Chucky Rohner (5-8 guard), Nelson Tovar (5-11, guard), Michael Petkoff (6-1, forward), Nathan Eischeid (5-8, guard) and Stephen Greidnaus (5-11, guard); sophomores Jack Heidenreich (5-8, guard), Jackson Enz (5-11, guard) and Heath Dillenbeck (5-8, guard); and freshman Logan Eischeid (6-1, guard).
Turner leads way
Looking at the RVC, Dowden said he expects Turner to lead the race, along with Clinton. In the North Division, Evansville and East Troy appear to have the upper hand, but he added that McFarland could also be in the mix.
As for the Chiefs, the goals remain the same – and that’s just to improve.
“I know it is cliché, but we need to get better each and every night,” Dowden said. “The rest is easy if we just focus on doing the little things correct all the time.
“We have to grow up real fast. We don’t have a lot of experience, and that could haunt us, but at the same time, it could really help us excel if we just go play basketball. I think this is the group that could turn us around.”
Dowden is assisted by his dad, Dan Dowden with the varsity, Jeff Fenrick with the JV1 squad and Tom Schauf with JV2.
Big Foot opens play Saturday when it hosts Williams Bay in a 2:45 p.m. non-conference contest. The Chiefs begin RVC action Dec. 3 at Parkview.
