Ross plays against 'towns with school' with Northern Lakes League schedule
Fremont Ross boys basketball has a clean slate competing in the Northern Lakes League for the first time this season.
There will still be obstacles to overcome, but many of them will be of a new variety.
“There will be opportunities and challenges,” Little Giants coach John Cahill said. “We have new guys, in a new conference. We have a lot to prove. New teams, in a new league with a bunch of brand new faces.
“Teams we haven’t played. In the TRAC, we were one of the smallest. It’s a new league and foes, other than Clay. In the nonconference, we play Mansfield and Lorain from the Buckeye Conference days.
“There will be a lot of firsts, it’s exciting.”
Ross shifts from the Three Rivers Athletic Conference to the NLL.
“Teams we’ve never played and don’t know about,” Cahill said. “We have a couple [kids] back. There’s competition for spots with opportunities. In the weight room. Everywhere. It’s a fresh start on a number of fronts.
“Our gym is still relatively new to us. It’s different for Ross from five years ago. The conference. The facilities. It creates excitement.”
Junior Makai Lee is a returning starter.
“He’s a gym rat,” Cahill said. “He loves to play. He’s a high-character kid. He works at his game. I believe in Makai, good things happen when kids work hard. I’m excited to have him run the point.”
Senior Tykell Patterson is versatile.
“He can defend a lot of positions and offensively he can play a lot of positions,” Cahill said. “Some seniors realize, ‘This is it.’ He’s one of those guys. He’ll impact the game in a lot of ways for us.”
Sophomore Justin Haralson and junior Dekentre Hardin have varsity experience. Junior Mike Stover is the fifth starter.
Seniors Braiden Rapp and Will Kiser, juniors Dontrell Heard and Zalen Harris, and sophomore Talon Brown are varsity newcomers.
“We graduated guys who played a lot and did a lot,” Cahill said. “That senior group played a lot for us. We have new guys.”
Margaretta's Judah Keller Kellers devour basketball together
One Cardinal Division team was missing from a preseason coaches poll that had Ross fifth. Cahill wasn’t sure if that means the Little Giants were sixth.
He knows it wasn’t a sign of respect. He also knows what it looks like from the outside looking in.
“We want the opportunity to surprise people,” he said. “The expectations on our end, we might be alone, we think we can be successful. We work hard, we have to prove that.”
Everything is new and the sky’s the limit. However, all paths are wrought with uncertainty.
Ross doesn’t know what it looks like in the NLL, but it’s refreshed by the fact anything is possible.
The Little Giants won nine games last season.
“Fremont has always been built on toughness and unselfishness,” Cahill said. “From the time I was little, that’s what we’re trying to build. If you come to see us, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t see we’re tough and unselfish.”
Cahill’s favorite thing about the NLL brings back even more memories.
“In the TRAC, either the schools we played were much bigger or they were schools with a different set of rules in some ways,” he said. “We play Napoleon, it’s a throwback to my high school days. That part’s nice.
“Sometimes it was like an AAU atmosphere. We play Elyria. Sandusky. Towns with schools. This is a different feel and it’s exciting to be part of it.”
mhorn@gannett.com
419-307-4892
X: @MatthewHornNH
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Fremont Ross OHSAA boys basketball preview
