The Basketball Blog – The End

Wow. It’s over. Just a point short. I’m sitting in the lobby of my hotel room, stunned, trying to figure out what went wrong, but there’s no right answer.

You could blame the refs. Or ask what if… Zach Schneider hit that baseline three? Or Connor Knabe hit his? Or Lucas Jones hit his free throws? Or any of those rim-around free throws for BV West bounced out? Or the biggest what if of all: what if Vance had taken a three?

No one of those factors correctly answers the question alone, but their synthesis is the true answer: it just wasn’t OUR night. Yes, I say “our”, and I say so proudly now, because I’m willing to throw objectivity to the wind in my last blog, and proudly stand behind my team. Because while they may have had a horrible night, these Lancers have had one of the greatest seasons in East history, and that’s something to be proud of. It was a horrible end to a fantastic season.

Basketball is more than my favorite sport — it’s essentially my only sport. A long time ago, I had dreams of playing for East, but I only made it as far as Freshman B team. But in doing so, I got to play and watch some of these great players in my class – in practice, in games, in shootarounds. The class of 2013 was really a special class for basketball. These seniors have given this program so much in their time here – not just a trip to state and a school record for wins. So in my final column, I’d like to honor each of them individually.

Chase Hanna – A great competitor and secondary leader with perhaps the most text book shooting form I’ve ever seen. Blossomed into a great defender later in his career, and made big shots in big games. I’ll never forget his performance against Rockhurst sophomore year. I believe he had 15 points, providing a much-needed spark in a close game.

Connor Knabe – Just a freak athlete. Far and away my favorite player to watch on this team because of his athletic potential. Living proof that white men CAN jump. Loved that he stepped into that starting role halfway through the season and held his own out there in some big games. My only wish is that he had just dunked one time for us in a game. It would have been special to see.

Connor McGannon – The competitive spirit of this kid is impressive. A fighter and a leader to his very core, Connor always impressed me with his on-court mentality. Easily the smallest kid on the team, you wouldn’t be able to tell that from his play this year. Strong play-maker and a strong competitor overall. Very worthy champion of little guys throughout Shawnee Mission East.

Connor Rellihan – I wasn’t always a fan of Rellihan’s game, but Connor won me over this year. Always a fantastic athlete, he played great defense and made some surprisingly clutch plays on offense, too. And that tackle of Josh Pedersen, while offensive to the basketball purist in me, was one of the coolest plays all year. Tackles aside, Rellihan proved this season that he was more than a football player lost on a basketball court – he was a legitimate basketball player.

Cory Perkins – What a shame Cory had to play for this team. On any other sunflower league team, this kid sees the floor on a nightly basis. But he was the best tenth man you could ask for despite his limited playing time. I remember the first time he saw the court this season, he took it to the rack and scored among the trees, which was beyond impressive to me as a former benchwarmer who used to nearly sh*t himself when getting scrub minutes. While his time was short, Cory made the most of his minutes and his presence on the bench, and you could never question his commitment to this team and this sport.

Chris Tuttle – This one’s kind of a tough one for me. You see, Chris is one of my best friends, and by far my closest friend on the team. I always wish he could have played more to his potential (at least on offense). He could have shot the ball more from the perimeter, and I wished he could have been more aggressive on offense. But when he did take chances, they generally paid off. I’m proud of Chris for his play on court and for sticking with basketball to the end despite the fact that I know he hated tough physical exercise like suicide sprints in practice. He’s had a good career that could have been great.

Jackson Sublette – Jackson was always an incredible scorer. He’s beat me and my friends 5-on-1 in Henry Legard’s driveway, and his game translated to much more competitive levels, too. But what impressed me more than anything about Jackson was how his game evolved and adapted this season. He became more than a pure scorer – he became a defender, a point guard, a distributor, a role player. But most importantly, he became a secondary leader for this team.

Vance Wentz – One of the most established players in Lancers history. I just hope he doesn’t let his last shot define a career of so many greater ones. He has so much to be proud of. Like I always say on smeharbinger.net broadcasts, there’s a reason Vance Wentz is going to Montana State next year to play D-1 basketball. He’s a great shooter, has a good basketball IQ and this year he proved he could handle the ball like a true point guard. Without Vance, East would never have gotten very far in the first place. He has to remember that.

Zach Schneider – I saved Zach for last, because I grew up with Zach. Zach and I were friends in elementary school, and when I began to like basketball in middle school, he was the one I went to all my basketball camps with. Zach was always a star at those camps, and I always predicted great success for him. This year, he’s matched my predictions. He averaged over 15 points per game and seven rebounds per game, and carried the load offensively in some huge games. He had an incredible senior campaign, and, like Vance and all his other teammates, has so much to be proud of. It was fun watching you, Z.

Thank you seniors, for a great season and a great four years of watching you play. You’ve all made an indelible impact on this basketball program and made this school a basketball school again. Just because you fell short of your ultimate goal doesn’t mean you failed. You all succeeded in so many other ways, and for that, I thank you.