Boys Basketball: Experienced, talented Oswego ready to roll

Updated: November 15, 2011 7:21PM

Southwest Prairie Conference coaches had best be on guard. Five may be the magic number for coach Kevin Schnable and his Oswego basketball team.

After five straight runner-up league finishes, the Panthers return all five starters from last year’s 18-9 and 10-4 team that twice beat Southwest Prairie Conference champ Plainfield South.

A four-guard lineup features 6-foot-2 Elliot McGaughy (18 ppg, 6 reb., 5 ass.), 6-0 Miles Simelton (16 ppg), 6-3 Ryan West (16 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and 6-2 Jamaal Richardson (7.5 ppg). Now add 6-foot-4 forward Jack Kwiatkowski (5 ppg) and sixth man 6-5 center Josh Oros and it’s little wonder that the Panthers are picked first or second by everyone in a poll of SPC coaches.

Even scarier for those foes? All but West, the lone senior, are juniors. It could be quite a run.

“Our junior class is high in quantity, high in quality,” said Schnable, who then lists Class of 2013 newcomers to the varsity in Thomas Wilder (Oswego East transfer), Darrion Reddick, 6-6 Devon Zych and Danny Mangers, who are all expected to have an impact.

So what are the coach’s concerns?

“In order of importance, defense, defense, defense and (pause for effect) defense,” said Schnable.

“I say that, tongue-in-cheek, because offensively we are balanced and we are skilled. We have versatile depth and experienced talent so as long as we are willing to share the ball, there are no excuses for us to take bad shots.”

This will be the Panthers’ second year competing in Class 4A in the postseason and they’re primed to make a longer run than last year, when they bowed out to Naperville North in a regional semifinal.

“Defense wins the big ones, the important ones,” said Schnable. “We always have and always will place an emphasis on it, but even more so this year so that we can compete and move on to the next level.”

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