Season’s Collide At Plano
Reapers Approach 06 Hoops With New Coach But Minus Gridiron Gang
By Bill Lidinsky
It’s happy trouble so to speak for the Plano High School varsity basketball team. Entering the 2006-07 hardcourt campaign, the Reaper hoop squad stands with a distinct disadvantage that most other schools will not encounter as they open this year’s basketball schedule.
For the second year in a row, the Plano Hoopsters have faced the early days of practice without the bulk of what will end up being their varsity roster. Why? Because for the second straight campaign, the Reaper varsity football team has been neck deep in the IHSA Class 3A playoffs with eight of their would be basketball performers on the varsity football roster as well.
In 2005, Reaper Nation lost in the 3A gridiron semifinals at Tolono, but still the football players missed the first two weeks of basketball practice.
This year the same scenario exists with the football Reapers having another shot to advance to the State Championship game with a win this Saturday.
With a victory such good pigskin fortune would lead to the obvious shortcoming the basketball team would face, which would be opening the 06-07 season at the Sandwich Thanksgiving Tournament next week without key hardcourt personnel. Plano football success would obviously prove adverse to early basketball potential. But no one in Reaper Nation is complaining too much.
“We knew this first tournament at Sandwich might be tough for us. You just had a feeling after last season’s football success that it was coming again this year,” said Plano head basketball coach Eric Bryant. “It’s something you can’t be upset about. You have to take it in stride because this is one of the biggest things in a high school football players life. If it means we’re going to lose a few basketball games because our guys are playing for a state championship, what are you going to do? Go play football and win a state championship and I’ll see you in a week.”
Bryant comes to Plano after coaching at Flannagan in his rookie year as head coach in 2005-06. He takes over for Nate Spriggs who moved on after two seasons in Plano to take the head coaching position at Reed-Custer this year.
Despite a 4-20 record in his first campaign as a head man at Flannagan, Bryant has a tremendous pedigree and a wealth of championship experience on the high school level as a player in both basketball and football.
Bryant’s father Eric senior is an IHSA Basketball Hall of Fame coach with 30 years of experience including two IHSA Class A second place finishes in 1997 and 1998 at Spring Valley Hall High School. The junior Bryant was a starting guard in his senior year as the Red Devils lost an overtime contest in the title match of the championship game versus Warsaw.
Bryant also played college basketball at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado where he would apply his basketball know how from there on his way to Plano.
“Eric wants to follow his father’s footsteps and possibly coach his son someday. Hopefully he can settle in this area and coach for a long time with us,” said Plano Athletic Director Jim Schmidt. “If he’s half as successful as his father was at Hall, we’ll have a great guy in place for a long time to come.”
Bryant’s wife Alison teaches fifth grade at Somonauk Middle School and they’ve recently relocated to Somonauk and have welcomed the birth of their first child this past summer.
Plano will try to improve on last seasons 12-17 overall mark and 5-9 record in the revamped Interstate Eight Conference that now hold twelve teams.
Bryant knows it won’t be easy especially in the early going without the ‘gridiron gang’, but he’s very hopeful nonetheless.
“It’s ‘happy trouble’ for us and if we make it to the championship game in football, we won’t be playing on November 24 at Sandwich in basketball,” Bryant said. “We will play our first three games, but the Friday game we will not play. Number one, because I’m a coach for the football team as well. That doesn’t hold precedent for me necessarily. But it’s a school thing, and all our kids need to be there if we’re playing for the title. It’s a once in a lifetime thing for many of these guys and we’ll be there to support them if we’re fortunate enough to be in that position.”
Plano opens hoop play at Sandwich Monday night at 6:30 p.m. versus Chicago Bogan followed by a 5 p.m. start on Tuesday against Aurora Central Catholic. Then on Wednesday the Reapers will battle arch rival Sandwich at 8 p.m.
If the football team doesn’t advance, Plano will play Streator at 5 p.m. on Friday concluding with a Saturday night matchup against Oswego East at 6:30 p.m.
Plano High School Basketball
Last Season: 12-17 overall 5-9 in the I-8.
Head Coach: Eric Bryant - 1 st year.
Key Returners: Seniors Obina Agomo, Brook Bott, Eric Nelson, Matt Smith, Mo Kebbeh, sophomore Ryan Campesi.
Key Newcomers: Senior Javier Hernandez, juniors Taylor Loux, Danny Peruski, Brian Green, Alex Haws, sophomores Kevin Day, Josh Gorzney, Alex Benoit.
Team Strength: Agomo’s scoring along with Bott’s shooting coupled with Nelson and Smith’s inside play.
Team Weakness: Football hangover not unlike 2005. Lack of true ‘big’ players. A very tough I-8 schedule.