Big Foot boys have tools, need experience
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
There certainly will be a bit of a learning curve this year for the Big Foot boys basketball team.
But the hope is by the time the season reaches its peak, the Chiefs will have picked up enough knowledge to make a difference.
Big Foot will put a fairly young group on the floor this season for fourth-year head coach Mike Dowden, but he’s been encouraged in the early going by what he’s seen.
“I am hoping this group looks much different in January and February than it does now,” Dowden said. “(Senior) Beau (Cary) is really good, (sophomore) Logan (Eischeid) has taken a huge step forward, and we have some returners to mix with some new guys.
“That will take some time. They are fun to work with and want to get better, but now we have to take that next step in games and practice.”
Dowden also knows there may be some growing pains along the way.
“We are very young, and that is showing up in a lot of situations,” he said. “We need to learn to take care of the ball, and that was a big issue (in an opening loss to Milton). We had at least seven turnovers that led directly to easy baskets, and you have defense to stop that.”
Cary led the Chiefs last year with 342 points (14.9 per game), including 15 3-pointers. He also grabbed 185 rebounds and was named to the Rock Valley Conference South Division first team.
Eischeid returns as Big Foot’s second-leading scorer after he had 181 points as a freshman (7.9 per game). He made 25 3-pointers.
Joining Cary from the senior class are Thallin Baker (5-4, guard), Nelson Tovar (6-0, guard), Michael Petkoff (6-1, forward) and Nathan Eischeid (5-8, forward).
Juniors are Tucker Milligan (5-9, guard), Jack Heidenreich (6-1, guard), Pedro Sierra (6-0, forward), Jackson Enz (6-1, guard) and Heath Dillenbeck (5-10, guard).
Joining Logan Eischeid from the sophomore class are Max Hildebrandt (5-6, guard), Christian Karabas (5-6, guard) and A.J. Courier (6-4, forward).
Dowden said one key to success will be finding the right shots at the right time for his squad.
“We have to know how to get open baskets and who to help get open baskets,” he said. “It will take some time to get chemistry, but we hopefully can find a way to get guys good looks.
“Some guys get good looks for threes and others do it from the paint. It is a matter of getting them their shots where they need to be.”
Finding leadership
Dowden said leadership could come from any number of sources, including Cary, Logan Eischeid and the rest of the senior class.
And so far, that doesn’t seem to be a concern, regardless of who is asked to take the reins at any given time.
“Everyone knows what is expected,” he said. “I expect them to lead on and off the court, and I expect the others to follow them. We have had a good chemistry with this so far, and I’m hoping to not have many issues.”
Looking at the RVC, both Turner and Clinton should be the teams to watch in the South, while Evansville and East Troy are among the contenders in the North.
As far as his team goes, the first goal is to compete every single night.
“We need to take the next step and get a program win against a team that we are the underdog,” he said. “If we keep getting better on a nightly basis, I think that is possible.
“Other than that, we need to show up and play every night or we will be in trouble, but we also can show up to play with anyone on our schedule.”
Assisting Dowden this year is his dad, Dan Dowden, a former head coach, with the varsity and Jeff Fenrick and Tom Schauf with the JV1 and JV2 squads.
