Open Gym Report: Guerin Catholic High School

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here at Prep Hoops Indiana the fall means it is time to get out to high school open gyms. Indiana High School Basketball teams are now allowed two on court days a week and we take that opportunity to start previewing the upcoming season. Through the first two weeks of my journey across the state I visited Fishers, North Central, Avon, Connersville, Kokomo, Cathedral, Franklin, and Crispus Attucks. To begin the third week of travels I took in a workout at Ben Davis High School on Monday afternoon and then made the short trip from my house to Richmond High School on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, I started with my first of three open gyms at Zionsville and then moved to Carmel in the afternoon before finally wrapping the day up at Bishop Chatard. Then, on Friday morning, I wrapped up the trip with a stop at Guerin Catholic. Let's dive into the Golden Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Roster Breakdown</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Guerin Catholic graduated 16.8 points per game in Will Grissom, but four of the top six scorers are back for a team that went 14-11. Head Coach Bob Allen is 63-34 in four seasons leading the Golden Eagles including a trip to the Semi-State in 2021. This group has a lot of talented pieces and will likely enter the season as a Top 10 team in Class 3A and the favorite to cut down the nets in the always competitive Sectional 27. Talented sophomore and junior classes give plenty of hope for the future as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1275817' first='Robert' last='Sorensen'] is the top returning scorer after averaging 9.5 points per game a year ago including knocking in 45% from beyond the arc. He was forced to miss a lot of the summer due to injury, but he is back healthy and looked excellent on Friday morning. He is a dynamic scorer with the ball in his hands and should have a really big season. Adding some additional perimeter shooting is senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='868267' first='Lucas' last='Parker']. The 6'4" shooter knocked in 40 three-point attempts at a 43% clip and averaged 8.7 points per game last season. He and Sorensen will provide an excellent one-two punch of returners out on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A welcomed addition to the rotation will be 6'6" wing [player_tooltip player_id='1547883' first='Dylan' last='Murans'] who transferred in from Carmel. He has excellent length, is a fluid athlete, and will score the ball at all three levels for Guerin Catholic. His combination of size and skill will make him one of the best players from day one for the Golden Eagles. Expect to hear his name a lot this season and see Murans be a big reason why Guerin can emerge as a real contender in Class 3A this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the backcourt, senior [player_tooltip player_id='1162765' first='Kamea' last='Chandler'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1386181' first='Jack' last='Cherry'] are returning contributors who averaged 5.7 and 4.2 points per game respectively. Both of those guys are solid playmakers who do a good job of playing without turning the ball over and will provide an additional veteran presence. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1615995' first='Ty' last='Sanders'] is expected to be a solid rotation piece as well after gaining some valuable varsity level experience a year ago. These returning players add depth and experience a very talented core that will have a chance to play with anyone on their schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Juniors Josh Holba and Ryan Zimmerman along with sophomore Bryson Cardinal are among the names that will round out the Golden Eagles rotation. There could be a few others who emerge as they return from football as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Outlook</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm on the record this preseason of being high on Guerin Catholic. I had mentioned them among the favorites to cut down the Class 3A nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and will be voting them in the Top 10, maybe even Top 5, of the class heading into the year. The addition of [player_tooltip player_id='1547883' first='Dylan' last='Murans'] could be huge next to returners [player_tooltip player_id='1275817' first='Robert' last='Sorensen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='868267' first='Lucas' last='Parker'] who are ready to take on larger roles. There is a lot of returning depth to the Golden Eagles as well. Sectional 27 is never easy, and that is especially true this season with the addition of Heritage Christian, but on paper Coach Allen has the most complete team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->