Where would Deerfield be this season without senior center Sam Schecter?
The thought has crossed coach Dan McKendrick’s mind.
“He’s our defensive anchor, mostly because he allows us to get away with switching,” McKendrick said. “He can move his feet to switch out onto the perimeter. Sometimes I feel like we’d be lost on defense without him out there.”
Defense has been the calling card for the Warriors (17-10, 8-2), who won their first outright Central Suburban North title since 2017 by limiting opponents to an average of 40.3 points per game.
The 6-foot-5-inch Schecter is one of the ringleaders of that defense, as McKendrick noted. Schecter also is the team’s second-leading rebounder and is effective contesting shots at the rim, which McKendrick attributes partly to his volleyball background.
For Schecter, playing good defense hinges on reading an offense as much as physical skills.
“I try to see what’s coming on a screen and react to it,” Schecter said. “By doing that, I don’t go under the screen, and that limits their guys from getting open looks.”
Schecter also can help on offense. He scored 11 points in Deerfield’s 49-48 road win against Niles North on Jan. 28, getting most of those points during a first quarter in which his teammates executed a tactical pregame strategy.
“Our guards were spreading it out, and I was in the corner,” he said. “When they drove and my guy helped, I cut to the basket for a shot or a putback.”
Brinias brings shooting touch: Simply put, Nick Brinias can shoot.
The Wauconda senior guard’s ability to put the ball in the basket gives the Northern Lake County Conference champion Bulldogs (23-3, 13-1) a coveted edge.
“With him being so dangerous, it really helps us spread the floor out,” Wauconda coach Scott Luetschwager said. “He’s a big spark plug because when he’s in rhythm, the points can come in bunches.”
That was displayed in the second game of the season, when Brinias scored a career-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting in an 81-72 win against Crystal Lake South.
“The past couple of years, I’ve tried to get up 300-400 shots a day at my neighbor’s basket,” Brinias said. “The more you shoot, the better you get. I’m definitely not reinventing anything.”
Even though Brinias is mostly known for his shooting, that’s not the only aspect of his game. He also is focused on driving more, which opens up more outside shots.
It doesn’t hurt that Brinias can lean on the other starters, three of whom are seniors, to punish a defense in multiple ways. Sharing the wealth is fine with him.
“We definitely have five guys who can be three-level scorers,” Brinias said. “If someone is hot and the defense tries to take him away, it allows others to go to work.”
Spotlight on Thomas: Being pegged as a future star at an early age has made high expectations an unavoidable reality for Lake Forest’s Asa Thomas.
The positive way the junior guard/forward has managed those expectations is a success story unto itself.
“He does something every night where I can say, ‘I haven’t seen that before,'” Lake Forest coach Phil LaScala said. “He fills up the stat sheet, but he’s always making the right play, not forcing anything.”
Thomas entered the week averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds. He was shooting 60% from the field and 41% from 3-point range.
He is a big reason the Scouts (24-6, 13-1) won the North Suburban Conference title.
But adding new layers to his game is something Thomas also has enjoyed. Pushing the ball in transition and hitting the glass have been an emphasis.
He has played in the post more, where being 6-7 has its advantages.
“I’ve concentrated on being patient down there and making reads,” Thomas said. “If there’s nothing there at the basket, I can always kick it out to an open teammate.”
Weight also has been a factor. He added 35 pounds.
“I was 14 years old playing varsity, so putting on that good weight has helped,” Thomas said. “And my basketball IQ is pretty high, so I take pride in being like a coach out there on the court.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
