BOYS' PREVIEW: Tiger Cubs looking to take steps forward behind York, Bollman

Greencastle coach Bryce Rector took over in late June last year, and wasn’t able to take advantage of one of the most important months of the year on the Indiana high school basketball calendar.

This year, Rector had the full allotment of time to work with his team and he is pleased with the prospects entering the season.

“Last year, I really did not get much of a chance to install or do much, and that showed at the beginning of the year,” said Rector, whose team lost its first seven games before going 8-8 over the remainder of the season. “We had a lot of guys who didn’t know the right spots to be in offensively or defensively. Having that opportunity this summer was huge for us, and we were able to get everything done we wanted to get done.

“I think you’ll see some differences with our ability to flow offensively, and to work as a unit defensively.”

Rector returns two building blocks in senior guard Colin York and junior post player Gavin Bollman.

York averaged 18.8 points last year as the only Tiger Cub in double figures, while Bollman averaged 6.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

“Having Colin back as your leading scorer is really important for us,” Rector said. “He has gotten significantly better since last year.

“Having Gavin back as well is also a big plus,” he added. “His skill development in the off-season has been really good. With the kind of offense we’re running, having a screener and a cutter returning helps the others to transition into the program.”

Bollman was a star defensive player for the Tiger Cubs again this fall, ranking among the state leaders in sacks.

York closed out last year with what he considers a subpar game against Crawfordsville in the sectional, and Rector notes that game has served as inspiration for him.

“A lot of what has fueled Colin this off-season comes from that game, but he was going to work hard regardless,” he said. “He is without a doubt the hardest-working player I’ve ever coached. He’s in at 6 p.m. four days a week, and whenever there’s an opportunity to work he will take advantage of it.

“Colin just wants to be good, and he wants our team to be good. Demanding excellence out of his teammates is something he knows is going to have to happen for us to have success this year. I’m really proud of how he has grown as a leader.”

York did a lot of his damage from behind the 3-point line, but Rector expects his game to be expanded this year.

“He’s gotten stronger,” he said. “He’s worked very hard in the weight room. He’s gotten much better about finishing at the rim. He’s gotten better at absorbing contact, and I don’t see his size being a problem for him this year.”

York rarely left the court last season, and Rector credits his preparation with being able to compete physically at just 140 pounds.

“Colin prepares himself well for the season,” Rector said. Besides those two, plus senior Jack Hutcheson, very little experience returns.

‘We lose a lot of varsity minutes from last year,” Rector noted. “Four or five guys there who played a lot of time for us. There is going to be a little bit of a growing process with these guys, as well. We have a lot of guys who haven’t played significant varsity minutes, so it will be a little bit of a shock for them initially.”

Not only did Rector get to work individually with his players on skills, but the team was able to play several competitive games in tournaments across the state.

“They got the chance to play against a lot of good competition, and that will really help them to get used to the varsity level,” he said. “From what we have seen so far in practice, a lot of guys are very comfortable in their roles.”

Hutcheson scored 2.4 points per game last year and grabbed 1.8 rebounds.

“Jack has gotten a lot better throughout the off-season,” Rector said. “He’s a good rebounder for us, and he’ll finish around the basket better this year. Andrew York [unrelated to Colin] is someone who played JV last year but he will play some minutes for us. He’s done a good job of handling the ball.”

Rector expects freshman Brody Whitaker to also log a lot of minutes at the point guard spot, and is a member of a strong freshman class that also includes Nick Sutherlin and Benton Parmley.

Trey Wood, a 6-8 junior, and senior Blaise Hasty will also contribute.

“We have a lot of people who are going to get opportunities at varsity minutes this year, and we’re going to need them all,” Rector said. “If we’re going to win some big games this year, it can’t be just based off of one guy. Our other guys have to step up and knock down the shots when they’re open.”

Rector knows the early part of the season will be critical to see how people fit into their roles.

“It may take five games or so for us to find the best spots to put people,” he said. “I’m excited to see how our new guys are going to fit in.”

Rector said he can see his team getting up and down the court quickly on occasion, as well as doing well in the halfcourt.

“Defense is always going to be our bread and butter,” he said. “I thought we did a good of that last year. We gave up about 50 points a game last year, and I hope we can lower that even more.

“If you can buckle down on defense and control the boards, you put yourself in a position to win every game.”

Rector thinks his team will be fun to watch.

“The cohesiveness that I see right now in this group is very strong, and I attribute that a lot to a great off-season,” he said. “People are very comfortable, and I’m excited to see how it plays out.

“The county is obviously good every year,” Rector added.”We have great coaches and great talent in the county. The conference is more winnable than it was last year. The sectional, with the movement that happened, is also more winnable.”

2017-18 roster

Coach: Bryce Rector

2016-17 results (8-15)

at Crawfordsville L,38-54

Danville L,36-76

West Vigo L,30-42

at South Putnam L,44-55

Sullivan L,37-49

at Cascade L,56-64

at Northview L,35-57

Rockville W,84-51

North Putnam L,50-58

at Edgewood W,50-44

at South Vermillion W,54-50

Western Boone W,50-47

Cloverdale L,34-46

at Brown County W,55-42

Tri-West L,36-52

at Monrovia L,31-55

at Brown County W,42-40

North Putnam W,56-51

Cloverdale L,48-65

at Southmont W,61-42

Owen Valley L,38-46

North Montgomery L,53-54

Sectional

Crawfordsville L,33-46

2017-18 schedule

Nov. 21 — Crawfordsville 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 25 — at Danville (PPD)

Dec. 1 — at West Vigo 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 8 — South Putnam 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 9 — Southmont 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15 — at Sullivan 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 16 — at Cloverdale 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 19 — Cascade 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5 — Northview 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 6 — at Rockville 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12 — at North Putnam 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 — Edgewood 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19 — South Vermillion 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 20 — at Western Boone 8:00 p.m.

Jan. 26 — WIC Crossovers

Jan. 27 — at Tri-West 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1 — Monrovia 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 3 — Brown County 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 8 — vs. South Putnam in county tourney at South Putnam, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9 — Consolation/finals

Feb. 17 — at O.Valley 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 23 — at N.Mont 7:30 p.m.