Nolan steers steady course for Marist

Updated: March 23, 2011 9:26AM

No. 1

You don't have to look any further than Marist to understand the kind of impact a talented coach can have on a team with young players. Coach Gene Nolan, who was named one of the five best young coaches in the state by the City/Suburban Hoops Report several years ago, has done a masterful job in guiding the RedHawks to 16 wins.

Marist, which starts two very promising sophomores in Lexus Williams and L.J. McIntosh and 6-4 freshman Nik Weishar, gave Benet all it could handle last Saturday night in a 62-55 road loss to the No. 2-ranked team in the state. In addition to the young talent in place, senior Geoff Godwin has been a rock for the RedHawks. While Marist may lack size and depth, Nolan has a system, with a Princeton-style offense, and the type of three-point shooting prowess to put a scare into any team in the Argo Sectional not named Simeon.

No. 2

Has there been a more under-the-radar solid coaching job turned in this year than the one Deerfield's Bret Just has put together? The 13-9 record may not jump out at anyone, but the Warriors returned virtually no one from last year's 25-win team that shared the Central Suburban North title and won the program's first regional title in eight years. Deerfield's top eight players graduated and only three points of offense returned this year.

No. 3

Don't sleep on Hyde Park. Highly successful Lamont Bryant, who took over the program after Donnie Kirksey left for an assistant's job with UIC, admits his players did not immediately buy into his philosophy. However, he feels it's starting to come together and players are adapting to his relentless, frenetic pace and style of play. And that could be bad news for many of the teams that will be seeded higher than Hyde Park in the Argo Sectional.

There was talent in place, with the addition of South Shore transfer DeShawn Greer and top returners Aqui Shareef and junior Treyshawn Jones. But the emergence of sophomore Kyle Davis gives Bryant four true weapons on the floor.

© 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.