Favorites in the Conference: Manteno and Streator
According to Head Coach Ron Oloffson, last season the Peotone Blue Devils Varsity Basketball Team had some big wins, but were very inconsistent throughout the year. They finished strong in the Regional, playing very good basketball, especially right at the end, even though the team had some key injuries, including senior point guard Wil Graffeo, that kept them from reaching their potential.
This season, the Blue Devils also are without their leading scorer and rebounder from last year – Miles Heflin, who per game averaged 18 points along with 9 rebounds, plus their second best rebounder/inside presence – Lucas Gesswein.
The good news is, even though they lost five seniors, they currently have a ton of experience, with seven lettermen returning. The Devils should reap the benefits of that this coming year and also want to build on their finish at the end of the season.
This year’s team will have several strengths, including a number of experienced players who are coming back, along with having good depth and overall good height. They also have a number of good shooters returning. Coach Oloffson also believes they could be a very good defensive team, once players become accustomed to how we want to play.
As far as returning players, the team begins with junior point guard Brandon Weiss, who averaged 9 points per game, 34 percent from the 3, can handle the ball, and also score. Hunter Becker returns at the forward position, and both should be able to score. Hunter was the team’s Defensive Player of the Year. Colin Emsweller got big minutes last year, is a good 3-point shooter, and a very good defender.
The team also has a number of returning lettermen, who played at various times and now are ready to make their imprint on this team. All can be difference-makers, whether it’s shooting and scoring, rebounding, setting screens, passing, or playing defense.
As far as weaknesses go, the Devils do not have a lot of guards, so their overall quickness will be average. Also, scoring could be a challenge. The team will need a number of players to step up and find ways to score to make up for losing Miles, but it’s nothing they cannot overcome.
According to Coach Oloffson, “I think we will surprise some people before it’s all over and be a very good basketball team. It might take us awhile to find ourselves. Our schedule is very tough, especially at the beginning, but by the end of the year, when things really matter and just like this past year, we will be right where we want to be and will look to compete for a Regional Championship!”