City/Suburban Hoops Report guru Joe Henricksen picked up some good nuggets at the Oswego East Shootout. We're also curious to see how Naperville North responds this year in the DuPage Valley Conference, but finding someone who can create on the perimeter isn't easy - the Huskies have had size for a few seasons now. Henricksen reports:
The DuPage Valley, which was dominated by Drew Crawford and Naperville Central last season when the Redhawks went 14-0, should be a much-improved league this season as a whole. While the defending champs will take a dip with the loss of Crawford, the other seven teams should all be better than a year ago. Glenbard East, which recently went 9-0 and won the Illinois State Team Camp, and West Aurora will be the favorites. But Naperville North, under first-year coach Jeff Powers, will be absolutely huge along the frontline. If North, which will rely on 6-9 Matt Hasse, 6-6 Joe McNicholas, 6-4 James O'Shaughnessy and 6-6 junior Matt LaCosse can get solid guard play and find a perimeter shooter or two, the Huskies could challenge in the DVC. Naperville North played well at Oswego East, even without a few of its key players. Wheaton-Warrenville South has also showed promise this summer with its play.
The Hoops Report took in a couple of nice Naperville North wins as they beat Plainfield Central, a team featuring 6-6 senior Winston Williams and 6-2 talented junior Derrick Marks, and knocked off East Aurora and Ryan Boatright. Speaking of Boatright, the family was still awaiting word from USC and newly hired Kevin O'Neill. In the meantime, the interest has picked up considerably for Boatright as the family and East Aurora coaches have heard from several schools.
