Rich East working on 'the little things' Boys Basketball Notebook

Shakespeare said it best, putting the words in the mouth of Henry IV: Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

So it is with Rich East's basketball team these days. The Rockets were 12-3 entering Tuesday's game vs. Shepard, top-ranked by the SouthtownStar, and playing better than anyone at the school can remember.

But ask head coach George Leonard, and he knows there's room for improvement.

"We're pretty much where we'd like to be, playing pretty good basketball, but we still can and need to get better," Leonard said. "We can still execute better. Right now, we're not looking to add much. We want to fix the little things."

Little things executed properly can add up to big wins.

"We're fighting the mental things more than anything," Leonard said. "We don't want to get complacent. I'm not saying we are, but as a coach, there's that fear. So far, this group had done an excellent job of keeping its focus.

"The kids have bought in. We've got a saying, "One and 0." Our goal is always to go 1 and 0. I tell the kids after the game, celebrate or feel sorry for a couple of hours, whatever the case is. That's helped us stay focused."

That, of course, is what a coach is supposed to be worried about. The good news for Leonard is that he has little else to worry about concerning his team, a group that includes senior guard Freddie Lay and a quintet who went to Forest Trail Middle School in Park Forest, and now populate the Rockets roster: twins Bruce and William Collins, plus Shea Sumpter, Jamere Dismukes and Stephen O'Neal.

"This group of kids is great," Leonard said. "They have focus, understanding, and are buying into the idea of family, of teammates, of each other."

Told the head coach likely has a good deal to do with that, Leonard demurred, saying, "I'm putting this on the kids."

The next test for the Rockets is a big one: Bloom Township, in Bloom's cavernous M'Cann Gym, on Friday night. The Blazing Trojans were 10-3 entering Tuesday's nonconference game against around-the-corner rival Marian Catholic, but more to the point are the records in SICA South: Rich East is 3-0, Bloom 2-1.

"I understand the importance of it," Leonard said of the showdown in Chicago Heights. "I'm going to guess it's been a long time since we've won over there."

Beecher copes without Ociepka

It's been a rough ride for Beecher in the month since the Bobcats lost standout Brett Ociepka for the remainder of the season.

While surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in Ociepka's left knee was successful, the eight-month recovery period will last into the spring, which means the senior has played his last game for the Bobcats.

Ociepka suffered the injury, which included a bone chip in his knee, when he was undercut during a game Dec. 12 against St. Anne. Head coach Tony Waznonis was hopeful that Ociepka could return to action, but reality set in when the final diagnosis arrived.

"He has a few nibbles for college," Waznonis said. "His thought was to redshirt next season anyway. He's going to heal and get his upper body stronger. He's had a lot of support from his teammates."

The Bobcats, 1-5 since Ociepka's injury, were 4-11 entering the week's play, including a 41-22 loss to River Valley Conference foe Wilmington. Ociepka's 20 points-per-game average has been missed. While junior Alex Labanca scored 22 points in one game, that's been the exception rather than the rule. Brad Mead, the lone senior left on the roster, scored nine points in Saturday's 41-22 loss at Wilmington.


Source: southtownstar.com