Open Gym Report: Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Getting to cover Indiana High School Basketball is an honor. There is no better feeling than walking into a packed gym, that often seats thousands of fans, in the middle of winter. Attending some of the biggest, most prestigious grassroots events throughout the summer is a perk of the job as well. However, there is nothing I enjoy as much as going to high school open gyms in the fall. By attending these preseason workouts I not only get a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the team, but it also provides a chance to spend time with our state's many great coaching staffs. In the month of September alone I attended 16 Indiana High School open gyms and have hit the ground running in October attending 12 workouts so far. Let's go over some thoughts and notes from each of my stops this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things will look different this season without Bryson Cardinal. The 6'8" forward averaged 19.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while leading Guerin Catholic to a 23-5 record and a Sectional Championship last season. Cardinal has moved on to Butler and the Golden Eagles graduated four other seniors from the rotation and seven in the class overall. However, despite being hit hard by graduation, there is also a good deal of optimism regarding the future for Guerin Catholic. A very talented group of juniors, a couple of which have contributed since their freshman season, are more than ready to take the reigns for this team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2140383' first='Jake' last='Grissom'] is the top returning scorer having put up 12.8 points per game as a sophomore. The 6'2" guard is an outstanding athlete with the capability of getting to his spots at any time off of the dribble. He is at his best attacking the basket where he can use his explosiveness to finish up at the rim or elevate for a pull-up jump shot/floater. His aggressiveness and playmaking really stood out on Tuesday night at their workout. 6'7" junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2137375' first='Carter' last='Murans'] and 5'10" junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2140371' first='Hayden' last='Rogers'] are the next two in the Class of 2027 to watch. Murans has really developed as a catch-and-shoot threat while Rogers has been an excellent ball handler and passer since his freshman year. The way that Rogers communicates and leads his team is on another level from most high school players. As for Murans, he will only continue to get better as he fills out physically. He is coming off of a strong summer and is poised for a breakout junior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'3" junior wing Andrew Reithman and 6'8" junior center [player_tooltip player_id='2410408' first='Alex' last='Wall'] are two more from Guerin's Class of 2027 that will be relied upon to step into larger roles this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Guerin Catholic reached the Class 3A state championship in 2023 losing in overtime to NorthWood. They returned to the Class 3A Final Four in 2024 losing to eventual state champion Scottsburg. Last season, they were knocked out in the Regional by New Palestine. This program is obviously no stranger to success and will look to continue it in 2025-2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->