Columbus East’s Ben Sylva, center, shoots while guarded by Mooresville’s Hogan Denny, left, and Wes Reeves, right, during a basketball game at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022.
The Republic file photo
A Columbus East boys basketball team that found wins hard to come by for 2 1/2 years, might have picked up some momentum with a five-game winning streak late last season.
The Olympians, who also played a tight game against eventual regional champion Bloomington North in their sectional opener, are hoping to carry that momentum into the 2022-23 season.
“I’m really pleased with the senior leadership, and then the younger guys have strongly followed suit,” East coach Brent Chitty said. “They’re doing a lot of extra stuff, which I’m really proud of. They’re learning to play with each other and be unselfish, and they’ve done a really good job of that. There’s a lot of fundamental things that we know we need to work on, and I think they embrace the fact that they have things to learn and get better at.”
Most of that centers around the fundamentals.
“We’re not a big team, so we have to block out and rebound,” Chitty said. “We have to talk to each other, just the fundamental things. We know what we really have to do. When we coach them, they don’t take in personally. They understand, ‘Hey, they’re just trying to make us better.’”
Columbus East’s Julius Dailey snags a rebound ahead of Whiteland’s Max Sullivan Nov. 30, 2021, in the Orange Pit at Columbus East High School.
The Republic file photo
Three senior starters return, led by guard Ben Sylva, who averaged 12.3 points and led the Olympians with 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Forward Julius Dailey and center Pete Coriden also started most games, while guard Zane Moravec was a part-time starter.
Columbus East’s Pete Coriden drives to the basket against Noblesville’s Preston Roberts in the Orange Pit at Columbus East High School.
The Republic file photo
“We want them to be our leaders,” Chitty said. “We want them to be playing so hard that our other guys understand that there’s only one way to play, and that’s the way the seniors are showing them to.”
Juniors Jake Gilbert, Jack Fischvogt and Kadin Lobdell and sophomore Mason Reeves split time between varsity and JV last season and could see bigger roles this year. Sophomores Ethan Bumbalough and Danny Coriden and freshmen Carter Patterson and Keaton Lawson also could play varsity this winter.
“They really have showed us a lot for freshmen,” Chitty said. “It’s still so early. We try to keep it open and keep it competitive.”
Chitty thought East had a productive offseason.
“We knew we had some pieces that we had to put in place, and we just kind of opened it up for guys to find a spot,” Chitty said. “We thought we were playing really well at the end of the summer.”
The Olympians, who finished 7-15 last year, open the season Nov. 23 at home against Silver Creek.
“We want to go compete every night and try to get up over the .500 mark,” Chitty said. “We really want to be playing our best basketball going into the sectional. That’s our goal — to be healthy and clicking on all cyliners heading into that week.”
The 2022-23 Columbus East boys basketball schedule:
Nov. 23;Silver Creek;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 26;at Noblesville;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 29;at Whiteland;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2;Trinity Lutheran;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3;at Southwestern (Hanover);7:30 p.m.
Dec. 9;Bedford North Lawrence;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 16;at Columbus North;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 20;Greensburg;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 10;at Shelbyville;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13;at Bloomington South;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14;at Seymour;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17;at Mooresville;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21;Jeffersonville;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27;East Central;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28;at Bloomington North;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 2;Brownstown Central;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 4;New Albany;2 p.m.
Feb. 10;at Jennings County;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 11;at Franklin;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17;at Madison;7:30 p.m.
Feb. 22;Floyd Central;7:30 p.m.
