Waubonsie on the upswing

Waubonsie forward Jelani Johnson looks for an open. Johnson is a player that opposing defenses key in on.

(Sun File)

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

Waubonsie Valley looked disinterested, adrift -- and then it may have saved its season.

Last week began with an ugly 18-point loss to York and a bus ride back home from Loyola University's Lake Shore campus that must have felt even longer than 46 miles. It ended with two signature victories against Dundee-Crown -- a regional No. 1 seed in the Elgin Sectional -- and East Aurora, which at the time was tied for first in the Upstate Eight Conference.

Waubonsie (12-11, 4-3) isn't an easy team to classify. Its second-leading scorer didn't go out for basketball as a junior and is getting back in rhythm after tearing ligaments in his shooting hand this season. Its coach is a former college assistant who likes to jab a little bit with the media and isn't afraid to (constructively) rip his team in print. And its Division I player knows he'll be the centerpiece of every defensive game plan.

But the Warriors are resilient, and even if East Aurora was missing its leading scorer on Saturday night, they still generated some momentum heading into its final three UEC games.

"We just focused and locked down (in) practice," said Jelani Johnson, the 6-foot-5-inch forward who signed with Western Illinois. "It was the same type of drills but we just (got) ourselves more into it. We were going off on guys, making sure everybody was going hard the whole time."

Last season Johnson ran with three senior guards who combined to average around 36 points and eight assists per game. They constantly cleared space for him on the wing and along the baseline. As the lone returning starter, Johnson's shooting percentage has gone from 53.8 to 45.8 percent, but he's handling a broader portfolio as the primary scoring option. His scoring average has increased from 12.7 to 17 points per game, and he's not judged on the same criteria as everyone else.

"Kids that are good players know they're good players and you got to challenge them at different times," Waubonsie coach Steve Weemer said. "We have high expectations for (Johnson). We keep him accountable for things, and we push him. And sometimes the other kids look around like: '(What? He) made the shot.' Well, that shot might not go (in college). We think about the future and he's got to keep doing things to play (on) the next level."

Right now Johnson is the only Warrior averaging double figures in points, though 5-10 senior guard Jonny Strauss is healthy again and developing into a perimeter threat.

After sitting out as a junior, Strauss has hit 43 of 109 3-pointers (39.4 percent) and is averaging 9.9 points per game. Strauss dropped 21 points on East Aurora, 6-6 center Roy McElroy added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and all of a sudden Johnson was getting some serious help.

"(Johnson's) a hard worker. I'm not sure if he feels down if our team is down, but we try (to) play up to (his) potential," Waubonsie senior guard Steve Strickland said. "He comes out and plays big almost every night so for us. (When) he talks to us, (we're) just coming through and getting his back on whatever he needs.

"I guess you could say he's just that player (who) feels like he lifts us up and brings us up to his level and wants everybody to play up to his level. He doesn't try to be a selfish player."

Before its big weekend, Waubonsie was given the No. 12 seed in the Oswego East Sectional. In the opening round, it will face Wheaton North (7-15), which lost five starters from a team that earned a share of the DuPage Valley Conference championship in 2007-08. But on Tuesday night Falcons coach Jim Nazos essentially waved off a question about rebuilding.

"At this time of year, you can no longer just call them young. I don't care if they're sophomores or juniors," Nazos said. "They're at full season. So I guess at the beginning, (there's) times there where (you're) fighting for identity but (you) can't do that for a whole season and then have success."

It's like how the Blackhawks can come up with as many cute marketing gimmicks as they want. But as an Original Six franchise, it has to, you know, actually make the playoffs and win a few games. Eventually, every team is forced to find its level.

As Weemer said, "If you had your choice of playing great basketball at Thanksgiving or great basketball now, I think any coach in the state of Illinois or country would tell you -- you want to be playing well now."