BASKETBALL: New-look Indians look to continue success
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Du Quoin enters the 2010-11 boys' basketball season with a drastically different look than last year's squad, starting with the man in charge on the bench, first-year head coach Gabe Sveda.
Sveda has been a varsity assistant for the Indians under former head coach Mike Crews for the past five seasons after spending two years as junior varsity coach at Webber Township.
Sveda was also the sophomore coach at DHS last season after spending four years as freshman coach.
The varsity Indians are coming off of a season in which they won their third consecutive Regional championship and advanced to the Sectional finals by knocking off Perry County rival Pinckneyville (for the third time last season) 49-43.
Defending area-favorite Murphysboro sent the Tribe home with a 68-57 loss in the 2A Herrin Sectional and a 25-7 record for 2009-10.
Gone are key players from that team Logan Schneider, Matt Gossett, Marcus Clarry, David Rose, Cody Rose and Logan Carson, leaving behind only one returning starter, J.C. Davis (G, 5'11, Sr.).
"We've got three other lettermen back, Sam Gossett, James Williams and Seth Baxter," said Sveda. "They were letterman last year but didn't get a whole lot of playing time."
Aaron Smith will also be playing basketball for the Indians after football injuries kept him out last season following a move back to Du Quoin from Carlyle. In addition, a number of juniors will be called upon to fill the voids left by those graduating this past spring.
"We've got some juniors that will have to step up, some bigger guys," said Sveda. "Brandon Williams, Jesse McDicken, Cayle Diggins and John Galik will also earn some playing time with us."
But without question the biggest, most-talked-about change in the Indians' lineup is the return to Du Quoin of Connor Wheeler (G, 6'1, Sr.), who attended DMS through seventh grade, meaning he and many of his current teammates remember each other quite well.
"J.C. (Davis) is my cousin, we've always played together since kindergarten, it feels good to be back with him," said Wheeler. "Seth (Baxter) and James (Williams), I've known them since I was in first grade and played with them."
Wheeler averaged 15.9 points per game and shot 81% from the free throw line last year as a junior at Carbondale High School. He sank 51 three-pointers on the season and was named to the SICA All-South team for Class 3A.
The son of former DHS head coach Wendell Wheeler, Connor is ready to assume a leadership role with the Indians this season.
"His experience will help, he's been a starter for two or three years at Carbondale," Sveda said. "He's a leader out there, we're excited. He's got a lot of intensity and the kids kind of rally around him."
Wheeler has high hopes for his return to Du Quoin, which officially gets underway tonight as the Indians take on Waltonville at 8:00 p.m. in game two of the Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic.
"I'm really looking forward to what we've got this year," Wheeler said. "We've got a lot of seniors, everybody that's gone somewhere else has come back, it's kind of what we've all dreaming about since we were in kindergarten. Hopefully we can do something special."