Ignatius Basketball

cardzfan1234 said:
That goes to show you how much that series was about Triv/Chico. As Mentor falls off a bit in the years ahead and more opponents are willing to schedule them, I wonder how long the series will continue. Once Kyle and Triv are gone, who knows?
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Cardzfan, what makes you so sure Mentor will fall off? I was very impressed with the little I saw of Snow last year, and Gray didn’t seem to miss a beat. I have a feeling the Cards will be hanging around for years to come.
 
Wildcats1886 said:
Cardzfan, what makes you so sure Mentor will fall off? I was very impressed with the little I saw of Snow last year, and Gray didn’t seem to miss a beat. I have a feeling the Cards will be hanging around for years to come.
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Just like St Ignatius fell off from their 90s pace, Mentor will do the same from what they had over the last two decades. It would be difficult for them to maintain or surpass that. Maybe over the next decade there will be a state title. But I don’t see the kind of prolonged success as they saw from 2011-2020 in which they had top 3/4 teams in D1 seven times in the past ten seasons. They had four All-Ohio QB’s in ten seasons. That pipe is gonna run a little dry eventually, right? Has to. Snow has potential though.

The fall off after Triv will be part of it. The retirement of legendary QB coach is a part of it. The lack of replacing the DC is a big part of it. That side of the ball was the sole reason why Triv didn’t have three or four state titles. When Gray had the opportunity to get a fresh start, he chose to stay the course. The middle school teams have not had the kind of success they used to, even as they went from three to two middle schools (which should equate to more concentrated talent). I just think the talent will be about 80% of what it used to be. And so will the coaching.
 
Wildcats1886 said:
Both games will be on the SIBN. Two very good matchups. Tough slate for a back to back.
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Massillon Jackson broadcast starts at 4:00 pm, which must mean one of the Freshmen teams + JV (5:30) + Varsity (7:00)
Mentor broadcast starts at 5:30 pm with JV, followed by Varsity (7:00 pm)
Go Cats!
 
Wildcats1886 said:
The current freshman class is very talented and has strong players contributing at all three levels, no doubt. That said Ignatius graduates two really good bigs in Raynor and Yontek after this season that will be tough to replace. But the overall talent level is going up for sure. It is hilarious to read some of the posts a few pages back in the thread, stating that the hoops program was doomed with the Joyce hire and that the talent gap with Ed’s would be growing.

Big game this Saturday at Mentor. Kudos to both ADs and staffs for getting that done. I’ve always wondered why the two schools haven’t played more in other sports given the great and very competitive football rivalry over the last 15 years.
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Mentor and Ignatius also played basketball for 3 years from 1994-1996 and for 4 years from 1998-2002. Mentor went 2-5. Except for 1 game they were all very close. The 2001 game was a classic in front of a standing room only crowd at Mentor that elevated Ignatius to #1 in the AP poll. I think that they stopped playing because the LEL added teams (12 or 14 teams) and there was not much room to schedule independents. Also, out of the parochial schools, Mentor has played VASJ the most and longest. They played SVSM from 2003-2005 and started scheduling ST. Ed's occasionally through 2004-2011. Lake Catholic has been sprinkled in over the years because it is a great atmosphere and attendance draw.
 
bluengold said:
One word describes both games this weekend: embarrassed
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This team has serious issues on the offensive side of the ball. The Jackson game was also compounded with a complete loss of composure and mental toughness as the Polar Bears started to come back.

Mentor is a great team clearly and is a tough matchup for this Ignatius group. If the Cats played their absolute best, that’s still a tough game to win. I didn’t see that from Jackson, that was a very winnable game and the second half collapse was inexcusable.

Teams have caught on to the Cats’ offensive sets and are doing a much better job defending Effertz and making life tough in the post for Raynor and Yontek. They need to space the floor more and run more dynamic actions. Would like to see Little attack the basket more, as well as run more PnR with Raynor / Yontek. The bigs also need to kick the ball out more. Teams are aggressively helping into the post, and too many shots are being forced up out of bad position.
 
Wildcats1886 said:
This team has serious issues on the offensive side of the ball. The Jackson game was also compounded with a complete loss of composure and mental toughness as the Polar Bears started to come back.

Mentor is a great team clearly and is a tough matchup for this Ignatius group. If the Cats played their absolute best, that’s still a tough game to win. I didn’t see that from Jackson, that was a very winnable game and the second half collapse was inexcusable.

Teams have caught on to the Cats’ offensive sets and are doing a much better job defending Effertz and making life tough in the post for Raynor and Yontek. They need to space the floor more and run more dynamic actions. Would like to see Little attack the basket more, as well as run more PnR with Raynor / Yontek. The bigs also need to kick the ball out more. Teams are aggressively helping into the post, and too many shots are being forced up out of bad position.
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Agree 100% with your comments. Opposing teams have watched the film and devised their game plans to counter the Cats offensive sets as well as their mid-court defensive traps and press.

The offense seems to be stuck passing around the perimeter and there’s not much penetration and attacking the basket.

The opposing teams have pushed the Cats’ outside shooters a little farther out - beyond their range, as evident by some air balls as of late. Still, open look shots are being missed. With the exception of Effertz, outside shooting has been inconsistent all season. Even so, his last 2 games have been a struggle with the defense that Jackson and Mentor played.

Down in the post, teams have been doubling down with help-side. The Cats’ bigs are not getting a good position and are getting pushed off the block. When the ball does get inside, the Cats’ bigs have the tendency to try to put the ball on the floor and with the defenses collapsing, the end result are steals and more turnovers. With the Cats’ size advantage, they need to move quicker to the basket or, as you noted, the ball needs to be kicked out and moved around to someone who’s open.

Ignatius does have players with offensive skills. The Cats have not adjusted to the defenses they’ve been seeing. Their offense need to adjust along the lines you mention to exploit the skills and advantages the Cats do have.

Defensively, the Cats may also have to look at some adjustments. Both Jackson and Mentor successfully countered the traps and press. The only reason that Jackson and Mentor scored less than 60 is that they both pulled the ball out and milked the clock for most of the 4th quarter. Before then, it was apparent both were getting open looks at the basket and when they started to hit, both went on runs the Cats could not overcome.

It’s the tournament and now time to step it up. Go Cats!
 
Well said by posters above. I watched the point guard Little pounding the ball on the floor on the top of the key in possession after possession - against the best guard in the state - for 10-15 seconds at a time - while the other players stood around. Too easy to defend that. Little is obviously very talented and had a good first half for himself - 6 points I think -- but his team had only 20 points. That is the problem. Point guard needs to facilitate the offense. Teams figuring out that other than Efferetz, outside shooting is inconsistent. Mentor plays much faster and more patient on offense with multiple passes each possession and got mostly open shots all night. Also, when playing the number one team in the state, perhaps shrink the line-up a little and try to win the game with the best players. The best players need the ball in their hands. Tough choices as the team is loaded with talent. But that is what a good coach needs to do.
 
Mentor just looked like the way better team to me.

I think if they played again Mentor would win again.
 
Another very poor game offensively against Parma (albeit missing a key piece). The offense has just been horrible since the Rossford game. The Cats are playing at a glacial pace and look confused constantly. Same turnover problems and forced interior shots persist.

For bright spots, freshman Carter Jackson played his best game as a Wildcat, and is starting to look much more confident with the ball in his hands. Although perhaps a little too confident on his ill-advised breakaway dunk attempt. He provided a much needed spark to the offense last night and played a strong game defensively and on the boards.

If the offense doesn’t improve, this team is capable of losing to Steele despite the size and talent advantage.
 
Agree with Wildcats 1886 - In last 3 games, the team has scored 46, 33 and 51 points. The 51 against a gritty, but clearly overrmatched Parma squad. I think the game was tied at 31 in second half. Jackson had a good game but he will not get those easy shots against a deeper and more talented team. Difficult to predict from night to night which Igantius team will show up -- the deep and dominate team that beat a good Medina/Ed's and Rossford squad - or a team that underperforms against Mentor and most recently Parma. But in the playoffs - a win is a win. Congrats to Parma coach and his kids for not backing down against a superior and much bigger opponent.
 
Game tomorrow is forfeited by Steele due to COVID shutdown. Cats will play winner of Garfield / Lorain on Saturday. Will need to step up significantly to advance out of Districts.
 
Solid win by the Cats over a good Lorain team in the district finals on Saturday night. Coach Joyce’s ‘Defense first’ approach triggered the Cats leading from the very start and throughout the entire game. Lorain shot just 34% from field and 31% from beyond the arc, even though Jamir Billings was on a hot streak in the 2nd half with five 3-pointers. 55% of Lorain’s shots were attempted beyond the 3-point line. Credit to the Cats’ Bradyn Szczepaniak for his really strong defense on Seth Wilson, the WVU recruit.

Offensively, the Cats shot 43% from the field and 60% on 3-pointers. In addition to Effertz’s three 3-pointers, the Cats got 3-point contributions from Raynor, Szczepaniak and Jackson. Lorain played the Cats mainly straight up man-to-man with Wilson on Raynor and Billings, described by some coaches and media as perhaps the best on-ball defender in the state, on Effertz. There was some improvement in the offensive flow with Raynor scoring 17 and Effertz 19. Still, there were too many turnovers (16), which have to be significantly reduced going forward.

Next up – the rubber match with St. Edward, this time on a neutral court. Game will be broadcast on SIBN.
Go Cats! Beat the Eagles on Wednesday!
 
Iggies is the clear favorite. Down year for the Eagles. Next year is a new year when hopefully things will get back to normal.
 
I attended the Lorain-Ignatius game and I’m comfortable saying that the Wildcats will be a powerful force in the very near future! Watch out Ed’s!
 
I agree. Actually, quite impressed with how quickly Coach Joyce appears to have made his impression within their program.
 
Agreed, I would still call Ed’s the favorite here given how young the Ignatius backcourt is. Tough to win big games with a sophomore and two freshman playing huge minutes at the guard spots. Ed’s is a more experienced team with a lot more shooting.

Both teams had tough ends to the regular season before confidence building wins in the district finals. Should be a great game.
 
I don't think Ed's has more shooting. Outside of Bova, they don't have a consistent shooter. I hope Coach Flannery brings in Brown and Knight off the bench early as they are game changers on both ends of the court and the eagles seem to play better when they are on the court.
 
eaglepride said:
I don't think Ed's has more shooting. Outside of Bova, they don't have a consistent shooter. I hope Coach Flannery brings in Brown and Knight off the bench early as they are game changers on both ends of the court and the eagles seem to play better when they are on the court.
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What about Macalla? I actually thought he was a better shooter than Bova. He absolutely torched the Cats in the first game this year.

Agree with you on Brown and Knight.
 
I just don't think he has shown the consistency throughout the year. I may be a little hard on him and perhaps just spoiled from great shooters from past years.
 
Wildcats1886 said:
What about Macalla? I actually thought he was a better shooter than Bova. He absolutely torched the Cats in the first game this year.

Agree with you on Brown and Knight.
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Macalla is the best pure shooter on the team, and that first game against Ignatius he was unconscious from the outside in the early going. Haven't seen many games from him like that though. I think he's a guy that plays better when he sees those first couple deep balls go down. Ignatius played much better perimeter defense the second game, and really took away the outside weapons. I expect them to repeat that formula, and the Eagles will have to make contested shots. Without a question the Cats have better front court play, and that is also problematic for us. I do anticipate we see a lot of Freer-Brown. While only 6'0, he uses that thick frame and football mentality when he's in there to compete with the bigs for rebounds.
 
LibertyTrails said:
Go check the ledger in hoops dating back to 96-97 when Ed’s hired a coach with very little experience to run the show there. It’s not pretty for the Wildcats over that span head to head, trust me. Losing to Ed’s twice is supposed to be some sort of indictment? Cam has something in common with Becker and O’Toole then because it happened often. This Ignatius team was going to be hard pressed to beat Ed’s this season regardless of who was on the bench.

Your Senate stat proves what? Rhodes has a nice team, anybody in the area that pays attention would tell you that. Both games could have gone either way. That is high school basketball for you.

You do realize that Ignatius hasn’t exactly been a Regional regular since winning state in 2001 right?
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Flannery is a terrific coach but please remember that he was hired mid season when the incumbent was let go due to a past transgression. Cam Jordan went through a process to get hired; Flannery was “next man up!”
 
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