A look at the Kapaun Crusaders basketball teams
SCHEDULE
December – 2, Heights; 6, West; 10, at Northwest; 13, North; 16, Southeast.
January – 3, at Carroll; 6, East; 10, at South; 14, vs. TBA at Koch Arena; 17, at Heights (G); 19-21, at El Dorado tournament (B); 24, at Heights (B); 26-28, at Newton tournament (G); 31, at West.
February – 7, at North; 10, at Southeast; 14, Northwest; 17, Carroll; 21, at East; 23, South.
BOYS
Coach: John Cherne, sixth season, 76-44
Last season: 16-9, second in Class 5A
Top players
Chris Meitzner, 5-10, sr., G
Thomas Wells, 5-9, sr., G
Mitchell Woodward, 6-3, jr., F
JT Bell, 6-5, sr., F
Mark Hutton, 6-3, jr., F
Kapaun surprised many by making a run to the Class 5A championship game and nearly winning it.
With three starters returning from that team, the Crusaders are ready to continue surprising.
“We’re going to be kind of salty this year,” Cherne said. “These kids have bought in and are ready to go.”
Meitzner, a hard-nosed 5-foot-10 guard, was one of Kapaun’s top players during its postseason run. Wells is coming off a soccer season where he set the state record with 50 goals and his intensity level with Meitzner has taken practices to another level.
“I had to shut down two drillls because I was afraid we were going to get hurt or somebody was going to get a concussion,” Cherne said. “There was so much contact. That’s how bad these guys want it. It’s a good problem to have.”
Woodward is developing into a team leader and is a proven scorer from last season.
But the Crusaders lost the majority of their rebounding from graduation, which means players like Bell and Hutton will be called upon to fill important roles. Shane Channel, Jack Barrier, and Keaton Eberhart are also slated to bring energy off the bench.
“Chemistry-wise, this team is on point,” Cherne said. “We had practice one morning at 6 o’clock and I told them I needed a competitive, get-after-it practice. If you would have walked in, you would have thought it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon the way the kids were getting after it. That’s not typical and that’s what makes these guys special.”
GIRLS
Coach: Billy Graf, third season, 31-16
Last season: 11-11
Top players
Rachel Hastings, 5-6, sr., G
Brenna Monty, 5-6, jr., G
Anna Roulston, 6-1, jr., F
Cajia Allen, 5-10, jr., F
Megan Michaelis, 6-0, jr., F
Last season it took a bit for confidence to built for Kapaun, which lost to Heights by 48 on opening night and started the season 4-8.
But the Crusaders rallied to win seven of their final 10 games and Graf thinks that confidence and momentum will carry over into this season.
“I think the light finally clicked on with this group,” Graf said. “I knew they could compete with people, but I don’t think they knew. Now they know.”
Graf said the season turning around also coincided with Hastings becoming the team’s point guard. She’s a reliable ball handler and a tenacious defender capable of sparking Kapaun.
She will be joined by proven players in Monty and Roulston, who each were named second-team All-City last season. But outside of that trio, Graf is unsure where the production will come from.
“We need somebody to step up that doesn’t have experience coming back,” Graf said. “That’s the big mystery right now who that is going to be.”
Candidates seem to be Allen and Michaelis in the post and then sophomore Jada Mayberry coming back at guard.
“I think with the leadership we have with Rachel, Brenna, and Anna, I think maybe it will go faster than normal,” Graf said. “We are going in the right direction, for sure.”
Taylor Eldridge
This story was originally published November 27, 2016 at 5:05 PM with the headline "A look at the Kapaun Crusaders basketball teams."