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 Mike HlasHi, I'm Gazette/TheGazette.com sports columnist Mike Hlas. This is the Hlog. We will meet here, discuss things, and then go [...] |
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Marcus Paige, Jarrod Uthoff, Josh Oglesby, Matt Bohannon and more: These are the good old days of boys’ basketball in Cedar Rapids-Marion
Jarrod Uthoff and friends after the J-Hawks game against Linn-Mar Tuesday (Mike Hlas photo)
CEDAR RAPIDS — To these eyes, nothing about what was witnessed at Tuesday night’s boys’ basketball game between Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Jefferson wasn’t good.
The gym was packed on a weeknight, with the student bodies of both schools well-represented at Jefferson. The kids were fired up, but behaved. So were the adults who filled the bleachers on the other side of the gym.
And the basketball was stellar. Linn-Mar won a well-played, entertaining contest between two fine teams, 70-64, to improve to 20-0.
The talent on display? Well, how many prep basketball games in America Tuesday featured four future Division I college players? When Linn-Mar has played Cedar Rapids Washington this season, that number was probably higher since Wash has Iowa recruit Josh Oglesby and another likely D-I player in Wes Washpun.
What those players did at Jeff Tuesday was pretty cool. With frontcourt starters Josh Montague and Ian McBrayer (good for a combined 20 points per game) out with injuries, guards Matt Bohannon and Marcus Paige stepped up and then some. They worked liked dogs in the Lions’ newly minted zone defense, and elevated their offensive games. Also playing an enhanced role for the Lions was Shane Benton, headed to D-I North Dakota.
Both scored 30 points. Paige went coast-to-coast for the game’s first two points. Bohannon swished his first 3-point try, gritting his teeth and gently pumping his fist in a controlled fury. The Lions had 18 points over their first seven possessions and threatened to make it a blowout.
Jefferson didn’t allow it. Its D-I player, Wisconsin signee Jarrod Uthoff, was held to five first-half points, but he and his teammates scrapped and were down by just 32-29 at halftime.
Linn-Mar led the whole second half, but could never get comfortable until the final seconds. The 6-foot-8 Uthoff scored 21 points in the second half, with baskets inside and outside.
“By far, he’s the best big man in the state of Iowa,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson.
Matt Bohannon
But Robertson has the best collection of players, led by junior point guard Paige, a North Carolina commit. If you haven’t seen Paige, believe the hype. He’s calm and explosive, smart and smooth.
“I told my staff we’re watching a future NBA player,” Jefferson Coach Stu Ordman said. “He’s certainly raised his level of game. He seems to be able to do whatever they need him to do.”
Bohannon, a 6-4 guard, is kind of like how Doug McDermott was last year at Ames High. McDermott was eclipsed in attention by superstar teammate Harrison Barnes, now at North Carolina. But McDermott was darn good himself, and is now a starting freshman at Creighton.
Bohannon’s brothers, Jason and Zach, played for state-champions at Linn-Mar. It may be Matt’s turn in a few weeks.
“He’s a winner,” Robertson said. “He wasn’t going to let us lose tonight.
“He’s really, really tough and really, really competitive. I think Jake (Northern Iowa Coach Ben Jacobson) has got a good one coming.”
Uthoff, meanwhile, could become the state’s “Mr. Basketball.” He leads the state in scoring with 26.2 points a game. His main competition for the honor, which always goes to a senior, may be Oglesby.
“Jarrod came to us with a real nice release to his shot,” Ordman said. “He’s added to his game almost every month since he’s been here.
“I think the exciting thing with Jarrod Uthoff is he’s just tapping into his potential. If he stays healthy and develops, he could be a super-valuable player at Wisconsin and maybe have a career in the NBA.”
The last Cedar Rapids-Marion player in major-league pro basketball was Bob Netolicky of the ABA’s Indiana Pacers in the early 1970s. So, two possible future NBA players in our midst? “Possible” is the operative word, and Ordman knows it. But …
“It sure wouldn’t surprise me,” Ordman said. “I’ve been coaching here 14 years, and the other player I saw in that time who I thought really had a chance was Kirk Hinrich (of Sioux City, who is in his eighth NBA season).”
Name a metro area in Iowa that has ever had a collection of talented players at one time to what we have here this winter. I can’t.
Some of us were talking about this the other day. The only time we could remember even coming close was back in the early to mid 80′s when Al Lorenzen was a McD’s All-American and Linn-Mar had Todd Lumsden (Mr. Basketball) and the Andersons who both played at Ohio State. Seems like Regis had a Breitbach in that era who played a little bit at Iowa State as well.
Still, the sheer number of guys in the Valley now who will play D1 is fantastic. Good winter for hoops around here.
I won’t attribute the email because the sender didn’t send it for publication, but I’ll give him his due. Here it is:
. In 1996 when Prairie played Jefferson you had 5 Division one players on the floor and because of a lot higher scores back then a much better supporting cast-1)Justin Wessel-Arizona (who won a National Title the next year, and played in the National Title game in 2001 and the best record in Division one basketball that 5 years, which makes them much better than North Carolina right now) 2) Josh Kimm-Kansas State, 3) Bruce Sain-Northern Illinois 4) Jake Wessel-Western Illinois, 5) Jackson Jones- San Diego State and 5 Division 3 players who had great careers.
During this ‘Time Frame’ the following were Division 1 Players Chad Hook-Hawaii, Jake Jaacks-Iowa, Adam Spanich-Southern Cal, Justin Wessel-Arizona, Ryan Luhersmann-Iowa, Josh Kimm-KSU, Jake Wessel Western Ill., Bruce Sain-Northern Illinois, Jackson Jones-San Diego State, Dusty Waddington-Denver, Aaron Johanns-Drake?? Plus 2 Mr. Basketballs…Countless other great athletes.
And you had a lot more players going Division 3 back then, a lot more. There are certainly some standout individuals now but take Linn-Mar out of the picture and there are only 2 or 3 real good Basketball players on a couple teams with poor supporting casts………..that is why there are so many games in the 40′s and 50′s because there are so few real skilled Basketball Players right now, take Uthoff off of Jefferson and ??????????? Basketball back in that ’94-’98 time frame had a lot more future College Basketball Players and a lot of games in the 80′s and 90′s, so much more ‘Basketball Skill’
I can’t take issue with much of what the e-mailer said. I would, however, maintain CR-Marion has never had a threesome of the caliber of Paige-Oglesby-Uthoff. Two Big Ten and one ACC recruit, and Paige still has another year to add to his Linn-Mar legacy.