1) Lanphier – With 80 percent of their starting lineup returning from a team that lost a sectional final by a point, it was expected that the Lions might be the team to beat this season. They certainly passed the eye test at the Adam Lopez Country Financial tournament last week with their only loss coming to Missouri powerhouse St. Louis CBC. Xavier Bishop is the most electric player the conference has seen in several seasons. If you get a chance, go watch him. As often as possible. It will be worth your $4.
2) MacArthur – A year ago the Generals were as talented as any team in the Central State 8, and they were deeper than everyone too. That might still be the case. Dallas McClain, Keymonta Johnson, and the Brummett brothers (there are three) all return from that team. DJ Smith, who transferred from Eisenhower to MacArthur, went for 18 points and 13 rebounds in the Decatur Turkey Tourney finals. So if you were hoping they’d be down from last season, you can probably stop expecting that to be the case.
3) Southeast – The Spartans have been looking towards this season and next season for some time. The early playing time and growing pains that guys like Isaiah Walton and Trevyon Williams have gone through are starting to pay dividends, and D’Angelo Hughes has developed into the type of player as a senior who will compete for CS8 Player of the Year honors. LT always seems to do special things with guard heavy teams. This squad fits that bill.
4) Jacksonville – The Crimsons have made a case to be a bit higher on this list with their large volume of returning contributors who led them to a Turkey Tournament title in Alton. Junior Brady Hays was named Tournament MVP. Brandon McCombs and Tyler Rose, who both stand 6-7, will give Jacksonville a size advantage over nearly every team in the conference. Ultimately, though, we want to see the Crimsons actually do it before we give them credit for it. They beat Lincoln and Lanphier to start the season last year and then fell off. With consistency will come respect.
5) Lincoln – Neil Alexander said that the Eaton Thanksgiving Tournament was down this season, citing youth movements from many of the teams involved. It’s worth noting, but don’t overlook the Railers who went 4-1 and won that tournament. Lincoln lacks size, but so do most of the top teams in the league. The Railers are starting three sophomores but they’re capable of beating any team in the conference on any given night.
6) Glenwood – How tough is this conference? Glenwood, who won it last season, is our 6 seed. We’re expecting big things from the likes of Ethan Hunt and Parker Allen, but can they fill the void left by Cole Harper who did as much damage on the boards as he did in the scoring column. Todd Blakeman has his system in place now and is producing competitive teams on a yearly basis at this point. Expect nothing less from this team.
7) Eisenhower – We mentioned that DJ Smith transferred to MacArthur, and is putting up big numbers there already. The Panthers suffered another blow, losing Quan Bradford for the season to a torn achilles. Stephon Jarrett is one of the most talented players in the CS8 but he’s going to need some help.
8) SHG – The Cyclones start the Carey McVickers era this season and McVickers’ eras at other schools have always been successful. He does have some of the better football athletes out. Tim Brenneisen, Sam Sergent, Avery Andrews and Albert Okuegbunam will all be significant contributors. There are some exceptional athletes on that list.
9) Rochester – Collin Stallworth was one of the biggest difference makers on the CS8 football fields this fall and he might be an even better basketball player. Mike Steers has had a chance to build up his program over the last few years and the Rockets have a chance to climb these ranks considerably this season.
10) Springfield High – There’s certainly been distractions for this year’s Senators. The Matt Reed situation seems to be behind them, but they missed practice time during that stretch, and their numbers have dwindled with all the peripheral drama. They’ll lean heavily on Isaac Nelson for scoring purposes this season.
