Caston boys basketball preview: Hook is top returning scorer for Comets

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Caston boys basketball team will open its season at home against Lakeland Christian on Tuesday.

FULTON — The Caston boys basketball team graduated six seniors from last season’s team.

They graduated four of its top six scorers, and one of the two that did not graduate chose not to play this year.

That leaves 6-4 sophomore forward Lane Hook as the only returning player who averaged more than 3 points per game last year.

Otherwise, they will be breaking in a new set of guards to replace the graduated Caleb Stinson and Talon Zeider from a team that went 11-13 and lost to Tri-County in the sectional final.

“I think it was a really important summer for us just because we’re going to have a group that hasn’t really played together as a collective unit,” Caston coach Carl Davis said. “I thought we had a really good summer in the weight room. Coach (Brandon) Kinser does an outstanding job taking care of them in there. I thought we got stronger this offseason.”

Davis also said he was impressed with how well the team played together defensively during its 14 summer games.

Guard Jan Aguilar-Mendez and versatile forward Max Sommers are the team’s only seniors.

Gavin Mollenkopf, the team’s lone junior, might have the most varsity experience of the returnees.

But it could be two 5-8 sophomore guards, Reed Sommers and Drew McGrew, who will step into the starting guard role.

“Reed ended up lettering for us last year,” Davis said. “Played quite a bit late in the year. The second half of the year, he made his way into the rotation. He’s super-quick. He’s come a long way in terms of his decision-making. He’s somebody who’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot. We’re going to ask him to make decisions. We think he’s the type of point guard that can really control the pace of the game. And defensively, we’re asking him to be a pest. He always has the green light to pick up full (court) even if we’re not picking up full.”

Davis called McGrew “an Energizer bunny.”

“He’s a pest defensively, and offensively, he’s really aggressive, attacking the rim,” Davis said. “Sometimes he’s going to need to take it all the way and finish, and other times, he’s going to look for guys on the perimeter and kick it out. He’s somebody that could see minutes at the point guard position too.

“I really think we have a group that’s pretty dynamic in terms of ballhandling this year. It’s going to be point guard-by-committee at points this year.”

In addition to Hook, McGrew and Sommers, other sophomores on the varsity roster include guard Carson Harness and forward-center Gage Thomas.

“I think Lane has had a really good offseason,” Davis said. “I think he’s improved his game. He’s worked really hard on his shooting. He’s worked really hard on his ballhandling, which makes him more dynamic. He’s somebody that’s going to be able to play inside and outside. His efficiency numbers from the post were really high last year, and that’s something we want him to continue to do, but I think he’s added to his game on the perimeter as well this offseason.”

The 5-11 Harness is known for getting out in the passing lanes defensively and for his “incredible” summer shooting, according to Davis.

Logan Mollenkopf, a freshman and the younger brother of Gavin, will be a full-time varsity player, and two other freshmen, Tucker Woolever and Parker Zimpleman, could split time between the JV and varsity.

Asked whether Logan Mollenkopf is a guard or a wing, Davis said that he can play both spots.

“Logan is really lanky,” Davis said. “He really shot up this offseason, and because of that … he’s very disruptive. He has great instincts defensively. He was somebody that really jumped out to us this summer. … Typically there’s a pretty big learning curve for a freshman coming in and playing against varsity-level competition, and there still will be a learning curve for him, but we were really impressed with how he handled it this summer. He competed. He scored at the varsity level this summer, and I know it will be different when teams get scouting reports, but he’s a kid that’s going to adapt. He has a really high ceiling.”

Davis described Max Sommers as someone who can play inside and outside and said he is an “energizer.” Aguilar-Mendez is “scrappy” and is capable of shooting from the perimeter, according to Davis.

Gavin Mollenkopf will be expected to be “really physical” and a good on-ball defender,” according to Davis.

“Offensively, we really want him to take that next step and finish around the rim, and when he gets the opportunity for catch-and-shoot perimeter shots, that’s something we want him to take,” Davis said.

Davis was asked how much time he has dedicated figuring out roles for players. He said he looked at how players played in open gyms, in summer competition and in JV games last year, but he added that fitting the pieces together is still an “ongoing process.”

“There’s still a lot to be figured out in terms of how well some groups play together,” Davis said. “I think summer is good, but it’s also limited in the fact that sometimes you’re just trying to figure out what to do and maybe not as much how to do it. And when you add the ‘how’ part, sometimes that gives you different answers.”

Davis was asked how the team’s style of play might change and how that is balanced with upholding the program culture that led to a conference title and two sectional titles during his previous seven seasons as coach.

“I think that one thing we talked about Day One when we got together was that this team is going to have to create its identity,” Davis said. “And it’s already started. It starts in the offseason. What is our identity going to be moving forward? That’s a question that we asked them and posed them. But while still acknowledging that we want to take what we’ve learned from the groups that have graduated before them and the groups that they’ve played with and continue those positive pieces of culture. But there’s also things to be learned that they want to do differently from previous groups as well. So I think it’s important to acknowledge the history of the program and the fact that the program was there before us and will be there after us, but we definitely want to make our mark this season with this team that we have right now.”

Caston boys basketball schedule

Nov. 26 – vs. Lakeland Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4 – at Logansport, 8 p.m. (Cass County Invitational semifinal)

Dec. 6 – vs. Lewis Cass or Pioneer (Cass County Invitational at Logansport)

Dec. 13 – vs. Carroll (Flora), 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14 – at Frontier, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 – vs. Bremen, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 27 – vs. Peru, 6 p.m. (Miami County Invitational at North Miami semifinal)

Dec. 28 – vs. North Miami or Maconaquah (Miami County Invitational at North Miami)

Jan. 10 – at Culver, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11 – vs. Delphi, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 – at West Central, 7:30 p.m.