Hoops 2008-09: Blue Griffins looking to utilize experience, depth to reach aspirations
11/21/2008
The Santa Fe Preparatory's boys basketball team is unaccustomed to winning District 4AA championships. Chris Chakeres, Santa Fe Prep head coach, hopes to end the drought this year.
"We've never got out of the district tournament," Chakeres said in an early-morning interview at The Daily Café. "We need to get to a district championship game. I'll be disappointed if we don't."
This might be the year Chakeres' aspirations come to fruition. The Blue Griffins are deep. Eight letterman, including five seniors, return from last year's 11-14 team that finished fourth in district.
The Blue Griffins saw their season end with a 57-47 loss to Monte del Sol in a District 4AA Tournament semifinal.
If the Blue Griffins jump to the next level, Joel Van Essen, who Chakeres described as a "stud," will be the horse they depend on.
Van Essen averaged 24 points per game last year. He's a superb perimeter player with the ball-handling skills to slash to the basket, making him a nightmare for opposition coaches.
"We expect Van Essen to get lots of attention, with opponents showing us a variety of trick defenses, like the box-and-one, triangle-and-two and match-up zone," Chakeres said.
Returning point guard Ryan Romero is another positive ingredient in the Blue Griffins' formula for success. Romero, Chakeres said, is excellent at controlling tempo and recognizing defenses.
Ironically, the fastest player on the team is center Billy Scarborough. The 5-foot-11 senior is also the team's best leaper and a lock-down defender who relishes the challenge to guard the opponent's best player.
In the chess game called basketball, the versatile Blue Griffins will show a variety of defenses and feature a motion offense that Chakeres hopes will enhance his upward-mobility project.
"Last year we relied on the 3 to much," Chakeres said. "We need to be more aggressive, get into the paint and get to the free-throw line more often."
Slashers abound on the Blue Griffins' roster. Christian Martin, Jeremy Henry and Jack Satzinger can all take it to the rim with gusto.
One of the team's weaknesses is rebounding. But there are tons of rebounding potential with the presence of seniors Jack Evaldson, 6-1, and Tim Enfield, 6-2.
Dan Van Essen, a 6-3 freshman, has shown lots of potential in practice sessions as a rebounder, shooter and defender.
"Our experience and depth should be positive factors," Chakeres said. "Our kids won't be surprised by situations they've never seen before. And, hopefully, we can wear opponents down with a 10-man rotation."
Chakeres also voiced concerns about the intangibles that make or break a team.
"If we are to take it to the next level, we have to become more resilient and show more effort," he said. "Confidence is also crucial. We need to believe we will succeed."
If you visit a Blue Griffins' practice session, you'll see the team wearing their coaches' philosophy and team motto on their t-shirts: "Special Achievement requires Special Effort."
"You have to be special to win in this district," Chakeres said. "With the always tough teams at Mora and Pecos, we have to be ready to play every game."