Hampshire puts sluggish start in rearview mirror

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Losing its star player for a few games earlier this season might end up being the best thing for Hampshire in hindsight.

The Whip-Purs were struggling to a 3-6 start when senior standout T.J. Burzak sustained a right eye injury during last month's Marengo Holiday Tournament. While conventional wisdom would say losing its top scorer and rebounder would send Hampshire further into a tailspin, the exact opposite occurred.

With Burzak watching in street clothes for the final three Marengo Tournament games, new leaders emerged within the Whips' junior-laden rotation as Hampshire won two of those three contests.

Upon Burzak's return, the momentum continued. Now a month has passed since that critical turning point, and the Whips have won seven of their past eight games and at 10-9 overall are above the .500 mark for the first time this season.

"You hate to see anybody go down with an injury, and especially a player like T.J. who is just a great kid and averaging almost a double-double," Hampshire coach Bob Barnett said. "But at that point in time, the young kids didn't have (Burzak) to rely on, and they really learned from the experience."

In many ways, the loss of Burzak for a few games was a blessing in disguise for Hampshire considering the makeup of its team.

Not only is Burzak one of only two returning varsity players who saw significant playing time last season, but he is also the Whips' only senior with significant experience on a roster that includes eight juniors and two sophomores.

Burzak was virtually Hampshire's only reliable offensive threat early in the season, leading the Whips in scoring in each of their first eight games. So when he sustained a scratched cornea on his right eye in the first quarter against Rockford Christian, his teammates were understandably at a loss.

That showed as Hampshire went on to suffer a 70-37 thrashing at the hands of Rockford Christian in what turned out to be a wake-up call.

"Once T.J. went out, some of us younger players learned that we can't rely on him every single game," Hampshire junior Evan Brenner said. "We realized that some of the rest of us have to step up."

Brenner took it upon himself to spearhead the renewed focus, calling a players-only team meeting after the Rockford Christian loss to make sure everyone was on the same page. The effects of the meeting linger as Hampshire huddles up before and after every practice and game to assess its goals.

"I don't know what they said and I don't need to know, I just wish I could bottle it," Barnett said.

In addition to giving a boost to the Whips' play on the court, Brenner's assertiveness has helped lighten the leadership load on Burzak, who hadn't played with many of Hampshire's juniors before this season.

"Being the oldest guy, it really helps to have Evan step up and be a leader," Burzak said. "It's nice to not be the only one."

Hampshire slipped to 3-8 after losing to powerhouse Winnebago in a competitive contest in Burzak's first full game out of action. The Whips followed that with back-to-back wins against Marengo and Harvard to start their current streak.

Once Burzak returned, Hampshire notched impressive road wins at Richmond-Burton and Hinckley-Big Rock. Although Burzak continues to be the Whips' top offensive threat, averaging 17.4 points per game, he's getting significant help from his teammates.

Among the biggest contributors are Brenner, sharpshooting sophomore Justin Bieber and junior forward Will Bush -- who was also a key varsity member last season. Junior forward Mike Kozenczak, junior guard James Goebbert and sophomore guard Ryan Burke have also made significant impacts.

"With guys like Evan and Justin hitting their outside shots, that opened things up for me when I came back because teams couldn't double down on me," Burzak said. "That's really helped me out a lot."

The recent resurgence certainly bodes well for Hampshire's future considering Burzak and fellow senior Dan Szabo will be the only players lost to graduation.

However, the run of success has the Whips -- who return to action from a 10-day layoff Tuesday at home against Harvard -- thinking big for this season as less than a month remains until the start of the Class 2A playoffs.

"If we have a strong finish, teams will be on the edge against us," Burzak said. "We're not going to be that .500 team where you don't know which team is going to show up. If we get on a roll before regionals, I think we're going to make some noise."