There are two trains of thought when it comes to a young basketball team learning on the fly in a powerful conference. It can often be seen as a positive, a way for young players to quickly gain confidence and experience for better times in the future.
Or it can be negative since so many proven commodities can wear on an underclassman’s psyche.
Six games into this season, Bishop Ireton coach Mark Vincent isn’t quite sure which category his Cardinals, who returned just three players from a year ago, fit into as they try to maneuver their way through the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, where five of the nation’s top 50 high school teams reside.
“The fact of the matter is we have some growing up to do,” said Vincent after his team suffered a 65-29 shellacking at the hands of O’Connell (No. 49 in the country) last Sunday. “They’re a really nice bunch of young men. We’re going to take our lumps, but I don’t think we need to take lumps like this.”
<b>THAT’S THE DOUBLE-EDGED</b> sword when it comes to young teams. They’ll tantalize with their talent and break hearts with their lack of experience in certain situations. The Cardinals are no different, having shown flashes of brilliance (scoring 87 points in their first game of the season) that are sometimes offset by stretches of poor play (getting outscored 29-9 in the second and third quarters combined against O’Connell). But Ireton still sits with a solid 3-3 record heading into holiday tournament time.
Aside from the defeat to O’Connell — a team that features North Carolina signee Kendall Marshall — Vincent’s young squad has shown signs of becoming more than an afterthought in the highly competitive WCAC. Junior Arturo Oberg, sophomore Antonio Rouse, and freshman point guard Marcus Hayes are all key cogs for an outfit that rarely has even two seniors on the floor at one time.
Oberg, a transfer from San Diego, came to Ireton for the sole purpose of advancing his own game by playing in the WCAC. He’s averaging 14.5 points per game thus far. Rouse, in his second year on the varsity squad, has proven a capable second option with the ability to get hot from the outside.
Hayes is a player Vincent says is just trying to “learn on the job,” but that Ireton is “fortunate” to have on the floor, notwithstanding his youth.
<b>“WE HAVE</b> to get our team more involved and the game will come to us more if we start doing that,” said Rouse, who poured in 18 points in a thrilling one-point win over Alexandria rival St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes two weeks ago. “It’s tough because all the teams are really good, so you just have to work harder.”
Vincent concurs with his sophomore sharpshooter, saying the key to the Cardinals success in their three wins has been passing with double digit assists in the three victories and barely any ball movement in the three defeats.
It’s all a part of that steep learning curve every young team must overcome.
“That’s the thing I like about this team — the ability to grow and develop,” said Vincent. “But this league isn’t forgiving, so it’s just going to take some time.”