4A Frontrunner: Fort Wayne North Side
The season is getting closer and closer and we are starting to dive into the rosters and Sectionals that will help to determine who are the top competition for each class. Today, we take a look into 4A and the frontrunners. We breakdown Fort Wayne North Side.
Last Year’s Record: 27-3 (State Runner-Up)
Head Coach: Shabaz Khaliq
Top Returning Players: Keion Brooks Jr (Jr), Alijah Long (Sr), Brandan Johnson (Sr)
Top Departures: Jaylen Butz (Graduate), Juan Quarles (Graduate), Davontae Kinnie (Graduate), Elijah Holmes (Graduate), Malek Martin (Graduate)
New Additions: Lucas Kroft (Transfer – FW Blackhawk, Jr), Andrew Kroft (Transfer – FW Blackhawk, Fr), Austin Boucher (Transfer – Maryland, Sr)
Why a Frontrunner: The reason that the Legends find themselves as a frontrunner for the coming 2017-2018 season is that they are coming off a season where they finished as the State Runner-Up and they have brought in more talent. They did graduate five key players from last season, all who went on to play college ball, but they are returning on of the best players in the country with Keion Brooks Jr and they have a handful of guys with experience. Brandan Johnson and Alijah Long were both key components to their solid season last year. Johnson was in the starting lineup for the majority of the season and Long moved in and out of the starting lineup. With Keion at the helm, returning experience at the guard position, and the new additions, North Side is one of the scariest teams in the class. Boucher is another solid guard that is returning to the Fort Wayne area after spending a year in Maryland. Lucas Kroft is a player on the rise in the Class of 2019 and brings another all-around threat to coincide with Keion.
Outlook: The outlook for this team is interesting. With the new additions being transfers that’ll have an immediate impact, chemistry will be something to watch early on in the season. If they can figure it out and get everyone on the same page, this is by far one of the best teams in the state. They shouldn’t have too many issues getting through their Sectional but have a tough Regional matchup waiting. Teams like McCutcheon, Carmel, and Hamilton Southeastern could be there waiting. Carmel is looking to avenge their Regional Championship loss the Legends from last season. Fort Wayne North Side will be a circled game on a lot of team’s calendars this season and will get everyone’s best when they show up. They’ve got all the necessary pieces to make another run at the State Title in 4A and have been putting the time in the offseason to gear up for a long postseason run come March 2018.