Joe Henricksen’s three-pointer: Waubonsie Valley’s hot start, appreciating AJ Casey and a slow start for Public League powers

If it’s possible for a ranked team with a 16-1 record to still be flying under the radar, Waubonsie Valley is the team that fits the description.

That’s partly due to the fact the Warriors returned just one starter from last year’s 27-win team, thus didn’t have a whole lot of fanfare heading into the season. And it’s partly due to having a schedule that hasn’t warranted headline wins until the recent 21-point victory over talented Marian Catholic.

The Warriors, though, are not only winning but doing so in a convincing fashion. Coach Jason Mead’s team is crushing foes with 15 of its 16 wins by double figures and an average victory margin of 22 points a game.

“I had a wide range of expectations,” Mead said of what his own thoughts were coming into the season. “When you have to replace 80 percent of your starters and 70 percent of your scoring, you never really know. But I knew there was a lot of potential with this group, especially offensively with more scoring options on this team.”

Mead did return a double-figure scorer in Marcus Skeete, who is averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game this year, an up-and-coming talent in 6-5 junior Ben Schwieger and a promising group coming up from a sophomore team that went 24-3 last year.

Even with the potency Waubonsie Valley has on offense, it’s the defense that has led the Warriors to an even better start than expected. That’s been Mead’s biggest surprise with this team.

“The thing I’ve been most pleased with is how they have bought in defensively,” said Mead. “Teams have had a tougher time scoring against us, more than what I envisioned they would. That’s what has led us to winning the way we have.”

The latest thrashing came Friday in a key DuPage Valley Conference game where Waubonsie Valley went on the road and hammered a 12-3 Naperville Central team 73-44. Now the Warriors have emerged as a legitimate threat in the Lockport Sectional this March. Right now Waubonsie is in a two-team race with Joliet West for the No. 1 seed.

Skeete, the lone returning starter, has been a consistent force. The 6-5 senior’s game has evolved since last season. He’s shown a better ability to get by defenders, create more for himself offensively and has become a more versatile weapon.

“He’s a difficult matchup for defenses,” Mead said of Skeete.

Schwieger, a long wing with terrific bounce and scoring potential, has made a huge leap from last year’s eighth man to being one of the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 20 prospects in the Class of 2021. After pouring in a game-high 26 points in Friday’s win over Naperville Central, Schwieger is now averaging 17 points a game.

Will Young, Simeon and Morgan Park miss Peoria again?

Morgan Park, Simeon and Young have won a combined 13 state championships and played in 17 state title games since 2006.

The trio have been the dominant figures in high school basketball over the past decade, programs that have churned out more all-staters, Division I players and McDonald’s All-Americans than anyone else. And they remain state title contenders today.

But at the midway point of any season since their dominance began together, these three have never had more combined losses –– 18 losses between them –– than they do this season.

Simeon (10-6), Young (9-6) and Morgan Park (9-6) always do play some of the toughest schedules in the state, so losing regular-season games is nothing new. All three have won a state championship with nine-loss seasons in the past. But there are questions heading into the second half of the season for all three.

Simeon is still in the process of putting things together with its young nucleus. Morgan Park is loaded with talent but has battled inconsistency, which includes this past weekend’s loss to Marian Catholic. Young relies so heavily on superstar DJ Steward and is in need of more support for its star.

Should opposing teams sense a little blood in the water when it comes to the three city behemoths? Or will it be more of the same come state tournament time?

Last year was the first season since 2005 where at least one of Morgan Park, Simeon and Young didn’t reach Peoria in March.

Appreciating Tinley Park’s AJ Casey

When it comes to pure college prospects in the Class of 2022 in Illinois, right now it’s AJ Casey of Tinley Park at the top and then everyone else. The separation could close in time when it comes to the group of sophomores behind Casey, but he’s clearly at a different level.

The ultra-talented 6-8 Casey made the move from heavyweight Simeon, where he was a role player full of potential as a freshman, to Tinley Park for his sophomore year. He’s blossomed as a player.

The need for Casey to produce at a high level and the opportunity to play with freedom has been a boon for both team and player. With its 12-7 record Tinley Park is close to eclipsing last year’s win total of 14, while Casey has played like the star everyone expected him to be when he entered high school as the top-ranked prospect in the class.

In 18 games this season, Casey has done it all. He’s averaged 21.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.9 blocks a game, including knocking down 13 three-pointers while shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc as an emerging shooting threat.

Casey was sensational last week in a loss to Bolingbrook, scoring every way imaginable with the ball in his hands en route to a loud, catch-your-eye 29 points. The fluidity and versatility he possesses, along with the body, size and length, screams high-major prospect. Now there is production and substance to go with that tantalizing high ceiling.