By Adam Knoll
Sports Correspondent
The Whitewater High School boys basketball team is hoping to regain a foothold in the Rock Valley North Conference in 2013. Since moving to the conference in 2008, the Whippets have only one winning season, a 12-9 mark in 2008-09 (5-5 in conference).
Whitewater’s latest season, a 3-20 campaign that included six losses by six points or less, was frustrating for head coach Dan Gnatzi. Considering that the team hoped for much more in the preseason, it was a tough experience.
“We had our best post player, a senior, he was injured for a majority of the year,” Gnatzig explained. “That combined with a tough overall schedule played into things. Along with being on the wrong end of a lot of close games, I think we underachieved last year.”
The Whippets will return only one of their top three scorers from 2012 – Brett Harms, who led the team with 10.3 points per game last year, with a singular high of 21. The slack will need to be made up by players who took on lesser roles; senior forwards Scott Gorsuch and Joe Michaels, who chipped in about 11 points per game on average last season, will need to carry much more of the burden.
The only junior looking to break the opening night starting five is Josh Nast, a player that Gnatzig speaks highly of. Gnatzig is also confident that his bench can lead to some opportunities the team did not have last season.
In describing his team, Gnatzig was mindful that all of the kinks might not yet be worked out. “Harms can be our streaky shooter, teams will look to use their best guy on him. Nast is definitely capable of putting up double figures. I think our bench is going to contribute, we might not have our best starting five out there early in the season.”
In looking at the Rock Valley North Conference as a whole, it’s difficult not to begin with East Troy, who blazed through last season with a 16-0 record in conference. This included beating Whitewater 68-30 and 76-53 en route to a conference title.
The Whippets were 3-13 in the Rock Valley last season, defeating Evansville, Brodhead and Parkview by an average of six points. Things did not go easy for Whitewater at all as it was six weeks before the team earned its first victory.
In the second half of the year, the games became much closer affairs, mostly due to the time it took for the squad to adjust after facing injuries and overcoming the disappointment that comes with wondering what could have been. Gnatzig is convinced that the division is more wide open this season, though he admits overall the teams are better than they were last year.
“I think the conference is going to be more balanced this year.” Gnatzig said. “East Troy was a bit ahead of everyone last year, and I think this year there is a number of teams looking at the top of the conference.”
Overall, this Whitewater team likes where it is right now. The team is healthy and full of senior players looking to make one more run toward a playoff berth. They hope to be buoyed by a junior class that may have enough moxie and bench talent to make things interesting against conference opponents.
“I think that all these teams in the conference are very good but we have a senior class that have been successful throughout the time they have been in the program. The junior class is pretty strong, so I don’t think that our kids think that they are outmatched by any means,” Gnatzi said.
The Whippets got an early shot at McFarland and walked away with a 53-46 win in last week’s season opener, yet it won’t be until Jan. 9 that Whitewater will be able to try their hand at East Troy. At the very end of the season, Whitewater will play a three game stretch featuring Edgerton, Evansville and East Troy in what might ultimately decide who takes the conference.
Next up the Whippets will travel to Elkhorn Saturday for a non-conference game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
