Boys Basketball: Mount Carmel suffers through growing pains

Updated: January 24, 2012 6:46PM

Mount Carmel coach Mike Flaherty would like to see his team become more physical.

He’d like to see that quality not only when the Caravan is vying for a rebound or a loose ball, but basically in all facets of the game.

“Our lack of physicality is a concern,” Flaherty said. “We have to get stronger and more physical. Whether it’s rebounding, running the offense or making passes, we’re just not very strong.”

It’s been a trying season for the Caravan, 5-12 entering Tuesday.

Mount Carmel’s problems have run the gamut from missing critical free throws to turning the ball over far too often.

Such issues plague many young teams. The Caravan starts three sophomores.

Flaherty would like to see other players beyond Alex Austin and Terrence Turner produce some offense. Until that happens, opponents are going to focus their attention on stopping Austin and Turner.

“We are really dependent on Alex and to a lesser extent, Terrence,” Flaherty said. “We have a lot of new guys on the team. We have three sophomores playing a lot. I’m hollering a lot of stuff at them. I hope it helps for next year.”

Not that Flaherty has given up on this season. Far from it. If sophomores Christian Searles, David Nichols and Devante Charles can further their development, Mount Carmel could be dangerous.

“Since Christmas, we’ve played pretty well,” Flaherty said. “We’re running our offense better and playing better defense. There’s no substitute for experience.”

Eisenhower in a rut

Eisenhower coach Mike Curta clearly was frustrated after his team’s 96-89 overtime loss Friday to Evergreen Park.

He doesn’t mind losing, as long as his team is trying to execute the game plan. That wasn’t the case against the Mustangs.

“With our style of play, we know we’re going to give some things up,” said Curta, whose Cardinals dropped to 6-15. “But it doesn’t mean you don’t work hard for second shots or set hard screens or make the right cuts to get open.”

McDipper seeks teams

The McDipper boys basketball holiday tournament is looking for two teams to fill out the 40th edition of its 16-team field. Evanston and Lincoln Park won’t be back from last year’s field.

The McDipper will run from Dec. 26 to 29. For information, contact Rich South athletic director Mark Hopman at (708) 679-3159 or mhopman@rich227.org.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.