The day before their Dec. 11 game against Amherst, Olmsted Falls coach Chris DeLisio participated in a game of Knockout with his team as the hard day of practice ended. After he was eliminated, DeLisio said with a smile that he promises the team didn’t just play games all day.
Playing Knockout is a leisurely activity to close out every practice before game day where then the team grinds it out for 32 minutes. Not only does the team have fun at practice, but DeLisio’s preaching of unselfish play is a system that has provided success for the team as it is off to a 3-1 start. All of the wins are against Southwestern Conference opponents.
“We’re a very unselfish team. We don’t care whose night it is, who gets the points, as long as the end result is good,” senior forward Kevin Meehan said. “We’re all friends on and off the court and I think that helps a lot.”
In three games, the team has 46 assists on a combined 70 total field goals made (65 percent).
“I think we’re playing together and we’re playing really hard. Those are probably the two things that we stress the most,” DeLisio said. “You’re going to make mistakes but we want to make those mistakes as an unselfish team.”
In addition to the unselfish play, Meehan has played a pivotal role during the Bulldogs’ three-game winning streak. Perhaps his most impressive game came against Lakewood as he notched a double double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and had five rejections. Meehan is averaging 17.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.
“I’ve been really successful in the post and I feel like I play off my teammates very well. They’ll drive, I’ll middle cut, they’ll dump down to me, I’ll get layups, fouled and get free throws,” Meehan said. “I think that’s what has made me most successful.”
Olmsted Falls is a young team in regards to varsity experience – Meehan is the lone returning starter. However, DeLisio has seen the emergence of 5-foot-11 junior guard Josh Goodwin.
“I would say only a little bit (surprised) because we knew Josh was a really good player,” DeLisio said about Goodwin’s start to the season. “To come in and do it in a varsity game is a different story. He’s been really steady for us. He’s a composed, steady kid on the floor and just finds a way.”
The 3-1 start with the wins in the SWC is a confidence booster for the young roster, DeLisio said, and he hopes the success continues as the season progresses.
“You want to get a good start in the conference, especially this conference, which we know is going to be a grind the whole way through,” DeLisio said. “With a young team, we want to get some confidence early in the season. We came in, guys who never played varsity basketball before are going to be unsure. To get some wins it may help their confidence and say ‘OK, let’s keep this thing going,’ and I think that really helps.”
And-1
* Elyria Catholic was the most difficult test this season for the Lorain Titans. In their first two games of the season, Lorain led after all eight quarters of play. Against Elyria Catholic, they trailed the first three quarters but managed to rally from a 12-point first-quarter deficit to improve to 3-0.
* North Olmsted is off to a fantastic start, 4-0 overall. They are tied with Olmsted Falls at 3-0 in the Southwestern Conference. Junior point guard Josh Hufstetler has been a great floor general for the Eagles. In a win against Avon on Dec. 4, he scored 10 points, had seven rebounds and nine assists. In the win against Westlake on Dec. 8, he scored 21 points, had 10 rebounds and five assists and did not commit any turnovers. Hufstetler is averaging 15 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.
* Keystone senior Brandon Kuhl has been on a tear lately and is a double-double machine. Standing at 6-1 and weighing 225, Kuhl is hybrid – he can play guard and forward. On Dec. 4 against Lutheran West, he was 7 of 12 from the field with 17 points. He had 16 rebounds (nine offensive), three assists, and five blocks. On Dec. 5 against Western Reserve, he was 6 of 9 from the field for 18 points. He had 12 rebounds (six offensive) and three steals.
Kuhl is averaging 14.2 points, 12.2 rebs, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 steals.
Game to watch
* Elyria at Brunswick: Both teams are 2-0 and face off for the first time in the newly formed Greater Cleveland Conference. With a conference loaded with Strongsville, Mentor and Medina, it will be a nice lift for Elyria to try to pick up its second straight GCC win.
