By MATT CRESS
I’m going to make a confession — I am a fan of class basketball.
Among traditionalists and a bloated flock of sports journalists eagerly awaiting the next Milan so they can win that elusive Pulitzer, this is not a popular admission. It’s sort of like telling people that you like pro wrestling and reality television — not a good idea.
But if I have one problem with class hoops, it’s the fact that conference championships have, by and large, been rendered meaningless.
Now, I’m not implying that a coach would chuck a league title into the Ohio River, or spray paint “NWO” on it like Hulk Hogan did with the WCW championship belt. What I am saying is that most of the area’s sectionals have ultimately become conference tournaments, so what’s the point of emphasizing (or even giving 100 percent toward) the pursuit of a Mid-Southern, Hoosier Hills or Southern Athletic Conference crown?
Look at the breakdown.
Our local Class A sectional features South Central, Henryville, New Washington, Borden and Lanesville (with the additions of Rock Creek Christian and Christian Academy). That’s five of the six SAC teams right there, meaning that you’re going to play at least one, but probably more, of the same teams you already played, only for much bigger stakes. Why even show everything in the first meetings?
Whether it’s fair or not, people tend to forget things like SAC titles. They remember postseason glory.
But fear not, The Matt is here to say that he cares. And he’s here to lend his prognostication skills to local conference races. Also along for the ride is Ron Burgundy, the star of “Anchorman,” probably the greatest comedy of this generation and also in line to be beaten into the ground by TBS for the next 37 weekends.
HOOSIER HILLS CONFERENCE
• THE TEAMS: New Albany, Floyd Central, Seymour, Madison, Columbus East, Jennings County, Bedford North Lawrence, Jeffersonville.
• FAVORITE: New Albany.
• DARK HORSE: Jeffersonville.
• RON BURGUNDY: “Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast.”
The simple truth is that New Albany is the favorite until someone beats them convincingly.
The Bulldogs have reloaded behind center Donnie Hale and TeNale Roland, who are finally in the clear to be the stars they are capable of being. The rest of the squad is pretty tough, too. That’s what happens when you play on such a talented team — all the guys who practiced with Braydon Hobbs, William Barber and Spencer Shannon are far more prepared for the rigors of the regular season.
I also really like Jeff this year. I had a chance to see the Devils in their opener and I can’t really explain how impressed I was. Going into any season, you always assume the returning players will be better than they were last year, and how much they improve is the difference between a team that looks good on paper and one that actually, you know, looks good.
More than one of Jeff’s returnees didn’t just improve, they took a giant leap. Watching Jeff last season wasn’t always easy, as it was too inconsistent on offense. That will not be a problem this winter.
The HHC is off to a rocky start, as only New Albany, Jeff and Madison currently have winning records. Still, it’s not the battle for second it was last season and the showdown between the Bulldogs and the Red Devils on Jan. 9 should be for all the marbles.
MID-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
• THE TEAMS: Scottsburg, Charlestown, Clarksville, North Harrison, Corydon, Austin, Salem, Brownstown, Silver Creek, Pekin Eastern.
• FAVORITES: Brownstown, Scottsburg.
• DARK HORSE: Silver Creek.
• RON BURGUNDY SAYS: “Don’t act like you’re not impressed.”
This one should provide the most drama as the league race unfolds.
Every team in this league is capable of having a say in the final results, but all of them will likely be chasing Brownstown, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.
I don’t know what it is about that town, but it breeds a different class of competitors.
Whatever the sport, Brownstown is there.
Sort of like G.I. Joe, but without the cheesy laser rifles that have all the accuracy of The Matt’s football picks. That is to say, none.
But Brownstown isn’t outclassing anyone by much. Scottsburg appears to be back to its normal self with a 3-0 start in league play. We’ll know a lot more about the Warriors after this week, which pits them against Brownstown and at Providence on back-to-back nights.
That leaves Silver Creek, which has arguably the MSC’s best player in Spencer Robinson, who is one of those kids that just gets it done. You’ll think he is working on 20 points when he really has 30, maybe closer to 40. He’s the sort of quiet gunner who is a pleasure to watch, a throwback to those great guards that Indiana has always produced. The Dragons are for real.
Jury is still out on teams like Charlestown (an 0-3 start could pay dividends down the road), Pekin (maybe the league’s youngest team) and Clarksville, which plays both the Pirates and Musketeers later this week.
Salem, which lost a ton of talent from the team that memorably dueled with Charlestown for the league and sectional crowns last season, finds itself likely out of the MSC race but with the ability to make noise come February. Austin is an intriguing spoiler that played Scottsburg tough and has already beaten Providence, a big-time measuring stick and sectional opponent.
SOUTHERN ATHLETIC
CONFERENCE
• THE TEAMS: Henryville, Borden, South Central, Lanesville, Crothersville, New Washington.
• FAVORITES: Lanesville, Borden.
• DARK HORSE: New Washington.
• RON BURGUNDY: “If you want to throw down in fisticuffs, fine. I’ve got Jack Johnson and Tom O’Leary waiting for you right here.”
Lanesville looks like the best team here, with a talented and experienced bunch that is very well-coached as always. I’ve always liked the Eagles, who put together an amazing run to semistate two years ago with a team that was a joy to watch.
But I was at the Borden-Lanesville clash last week and I’ll be honest, I was scared for my life. I kept plotting the best route to the door (or the one that would require me to stab the least amount of people), and I was prepared for things to erupt at any time like the news team brawl from “Anchorman,” complete with Ben Stiller in a Crothersville sweater and some guy from South Central holding a hand grenade.
Alas, there were no horses or men on fire, and I never had to kill a guy with a trident, but when the Lanesville parents started chanting “We rocked your house” to the Borden faithful, I couldn’t help but think it was a little too much.
Chants should be reserved for students only. Seriously, who were these parents mocking? If it was the Borden team, it seems a little over the edge to taunt high school kids. If it was the Borden student section that seems a little much, considering they are, you know, students.
If it was the Borden parents, that seems a little juvenile. After all, most people who are smug about their kid just use bumper stickers. Basketball success is not the way you measure parenting skills.
Still, the Eagles are a solid club, as is Borden, which should follow the same pattern as last year to be quite formidable by the postseason.
But the real story is at New Wash, which has the best 1-2 punch in the league with Vincent Minton and Devin Freels. Both have had huge games to lift the Mustangs to a 2-0 start, and nonconference and SAC foes alike are going to learn that a trip to New Wash isn’t the easy win it once was.
Contact Matthew Cress at matthew.cress@newsandtribune.com.
