2007 Varsity Boys Basketball
Despite Early End, Deaf Hoosiers Team Enjoys Success
Although the basketball season came to a close a bit earlier than Deaf
Hoosiers fans would have liked, it still was a successful campaign for
the team. The Deaf Hoosiers fell to the 1A Sectionals first round,
losing to Bethesda Christian, 57-45.
The Deaf Hoosiers started the season strong, winning many games to start
the season and finished the season with 15-6 record. They faced
challenges in the Clerc Classic and came out wining the crown by beating Maryland Deaf School. Junior Gabriel Paulone was the most outstanding
player of the tournament. Seniors Colin Whited and Jarvis Beaver were
selected to the All-Tournament team. They breezed their way to win
their second straight CSSD championship. Gabriel Paulone, Jarvis Beaver
and Colin Whited were selected as All-Tournament recipients as well.
The Deaf Hoosiers will graduate six seniors from this year's team, Colin
Whited, Jarvis Beaver, Selwyn Abrahamson, Anthony Christian, Chris Schuitema, and Hipolito
DeLuna.
Whited led the Deaf Hooisers in scoring 20.4 points per game and
finished second most career with 1,280 points in the Varsity Boys
program. Whited is a 4-year varsity player who is one of those special
basketball players who comes along only so often. He has the ability and
drive to excel.
Beaver who is one of two players on the 4-year varsity team stepped into
starting position. He always played hard and never complained! He is
6'0", but he is very competitive and wants to win so bad.
Christian who is one of the role players off the bench. He saw the most
action of the seniors and gave quality minutes throughout the season. He
did everything within his potential.
DeLuna was extremely unselfish player and came to practice every day
with the intent of improving himself and the team. He always played so
hard. He outworked his teammates in practices.
Abrahamson was one of the reserves as a back up point guard who made his
contributions away from the crowd. He did a good job playing defense
this season.
Schuitema, unlike other five seniors, did not see quite as much playing
time. His contribution went well beyond what his teammates saw on the
team.
While the Deaf Hoosiers graduate six players, they have a strong
foundation to build for 2008-09. The team will return three starters,
Sophomores Tony Dall and Tyler Crace, and Junior Gabriel Paulone who led
the team in rebounding and steals. He also was second in assisting and
scoring. Sophomore 6'4 Ryan Catron will fill in Beaver's role. Junior
Terris Hazzard follows in the footsteps of Colin Whited. Sophomore Ryan
Dibble and Junior Dana Howle will provide some relief in the paint.
In the end, the Deaf Hoosiers Varsity Boys team wanted to thank you to all
parents, fans, and ISD for their continued support!
February 26 Sectional @ Lutheran
Bethesda Christian Stuns Deaf Hoosiers
A good basketball season came to a disappointing end for the Deaf
Hoosiers. Playing in the first round of the 1A sectionals against
Bethesda Christian at Lutheran High School, the Deaf Hoosiers
(15-6) never got anything going offensively in a 57-45 loss to low rank
Bethesda Christian (6-16). The Deaf Hoosier had previously defeated
them, 63-60 during the regular season. "It was a tough way to end a
great year.", said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. "You can't take
away from what this team has accomplished this year."
The Deaf Hoosiers scored only 4 points in the second quarter of the game
after leadng 17-16 in the first quarter but managed to score just 21
points at the half-time. Neither team lit up the scoreboard during the
defensive struggle in the second quarter. The Deaf Hoosiers shot 26%
from the field for the game and committed many turnovers. The Bethesda
took advantage of those miscues and scored unanswered points off Deaf
Hoosiers' turnovers.
Junior Gabriel Paulone led the Deaf Hoosiers in the scoring and
rebounding column with 15 points (shooting 6-19 from field) and 12
rebounds. Senior Colin Whited added 13 points (shooting 4-17 from
field). Senior Jarvis Beaver scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Junior Terris Hazzard scored 4 points. Sophomore Tony Dall chipped in 1
point from free-throw. Sophomore Tyler Crace was scoreless. Seniors
Anthony Christian, Hipolito DeLuna and Selwyn Abrahamson played but did
not score.
"Our defense was good, but just never got relaxed on offense", said
Westhoelter. "When it came down to making plays and we did not make very
many on offense. We knew what they were going to use against us. We
practiced it for two days and didn't respond."
The score was tied 21-21 at halftime and the Deaf Hoosiers fell behind a
30-38 on the scoreboard after the three quarters. In the opening fourth
quarter Whited drilled a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 38-33. Then
on the ensuing possession Bethesda answered 3-pointer of their own to
increase the lead to 41-33. The Deaf Hoosiers struggled to find their
offensive rhythm for the remainder of the game. Bethesda went on to
outscore the Hoosiers 19-15 in the 4th quarter.
It was the final high school game for the Deaf Hoosiers' seniors Colin
Whited, Jarvis Beaver, Anthony Christian, Selwyn Abrahamson, Chris
Schuitema and Hipolito DeLuna. "I can't say enough about the seniors.
They are six quality individuals," said Head Coach Rusty Crace who has
know them since 5th grade. Additionally, the Deaf Hoosiers are proud of
their season's accomplishments of winning the CSSD and Clerc Classic
championships and finished most wins with 15 since 2005.
February 20: Covenant Christian
Deaf Hoosiers Fall to Top Squad Team, Covenant Christian
Playing against a team with a similar winning record as ISD but in
different classes, the Deaf Hoosiers gave a strong first half of the
game before falling on seniors' night at the Covenant Christian
Gymnasium. Falling behind by four points at half-time, Deaf Hoosiers
(15-5) – class 1A was held in check by Covenant Christian (16-5) –
ranked class 2A in the second half for a 69-51 lost. "The Deaf
Hoosiers are a much respected team in the area", said the Covenant
Christian Head Coach. There were several opponent coaches present at the
game to scout the Deaf Hoosiers.
"It was an awesome atmosphere", said assistant coach Keith Westhoelter.
"One of the differences was in the first half of the game when we played
excellent defense and executed our game plan to break their full
court zone press."
With their front court 6'4, 6'4 and 6'8 line-up, Covenant Christian
dominated against the Deaf Hoosiers, jumping to a 20-10 first quarter
lead. Both teams used different formats of full court presses and both
had efficiently broken respectfully. In the second quarter, the Deaf
Hoosiers won the battle by outscoring 18-12. "It was a hard fought
game," said Head Coach Rusty Crace. "We showed energy at the beginning
of the second quarter and put a bit of pressure on them defensively."
Trailing 32-28 after half-time, the Deaf Hoosiers' tempo in the third
quarter was off as Covenant Christian outran them 19-12. Trailing 51-39,
the Deaf Hoosiers tried to cut the lead in the fourth quarter. But
Covenant Christian cruised to hang on to the lead in the final quarter
of the game with 18-12 in advantage.
The Deaf Hoosiers could not contain the 6'8 Covenant Christian center
who scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half. "Their center
capitalized to make the difference for their team." said Westhoelter. "He was awfully tough to stop".
"We needed to play a hard 32 minutes in both ends offensively and
defensively, not 16 minutes!", said Westhoelter.
Junior Gabriel Paulone finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists
to lead the Deaf Hoosiers. Senior Colin Whited and Sophomore Tyler Crace
added 8 points each. Senior Jarvis Beaver and Sophomore Tony Dall
collected 6 points each. Junior Terris Hazzard and Senior Hipolito
DeLuna scored 2 points each. Seniors Anthony Christian and Selwyn
Abrahamson contributed playing time off the bench as well.
The Deaf Hoosiers ended its regular season with 20 games. One other
game was cancelled due to inclement weather, against White's, which
could have been another potential win on their win-lost record. They
will face a re-match game against Bethesda Christian in the first round
of sectionals at Lutheran High School Gymnasium.
February 18: Indianapolis Metro Academy
Deaf Hoosiers Wins Final Home Game of the Season
Displaying tremendous courage in their home finale, the Deaf Hoosiers rallied in the second half against Indianapolis Metropolitan (9-10), a new
charter school of inner city Indianapolis as the final score was 61-51. The
Deaf Hoosiers has improved to 15-4 which ties for the most wins since the
2003 and 2005 seasons. "Indy Metro is pretty darn good athletic team!",
said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. "It was a really hard-fought game".
The coaches of the Deaf Hoosiers were proud of the group of seniors who
suited up for their final home game on the hardwood floor of Caskey
Gymnasium.
Sophomore Tyler Crace had a big game notching a career high with 16 points.
Senior Colin Whited was shut down in the first half but led the team in
scoring finishing with 24 points. Both Crace and Whited scored all of their
points respectfully in the second half. Junior Gabriel Paulone had a setback
performance offensively tallying just six points. It was his defensive presence that made a major difference in the game. He did a great job on the board totalling 8 rebounds. Despite Indy Metro's 6'7 center was playing way high above the rim, the athletic young leaper should
have been called for goaltending a few times. Senior Jarvis Beaver had 5
points before fouling out mid-4th quarter. Senior Hipolito DeLuna had 4 points. Sophomore Tony Dall had 3 points and
dished out a team high 8 assists. Junior Terris Hazzard chipped in 2 points.
Senior Anthony Christian had 1 point. Defensively, the Deaf Hoosiers turned
in a solid performance.
The Deaf Hoosiers started out with a laid back demeanor in the
first quarter. The five starters were sent to the bench for a long stretch
in the first quarter. The second swing from the bench did a good job
managing the game with the score of 8-12 in favor of Indy Metro. In the
second quarter the battle was fairly even with the score of 10 points each.
The Deaf Hoosiers trailed 18-22 at the half.
"It seemed like when we had opportunities, we were not able to take
advantage of them. We were not playing hard with 110% effort", said Head
Coach Rusty Crace. The second half of the game showed a different team for
the Deaf Hoosiers coming out of the locker. Guards Whited and Crace lifted
and fired at the cylinder in the third quarter as they outgunned them 24-17
to take a 42-33 lead. The Deaf Hoosiers continued to hold the lead in the
quarter by outscoring 19-18. "Our free-throw was one of the factors of the
game", stated Crace. The Deaf Hoosiers' team free-throw 14 for 20
including 10-12 in the second half.
"We knew we were in trouble, especially in the first half with our backs to
the wall." The team continued battling the whole game. They found a way
to get around, climb up and fight through the second half, said Westhoelter.
With one more game remaining this season, the Indiana Madness will begin
next week. The Deaf Hoosiers will face Bethesda Christian again next Tuesday at 6:00
p.m. at Luthuran High School who previously defeated them last week.
February 14: Bethesda Christian
Deaf Hoosiers Ends the Dry Spell Against Bethesda Christian
Good things must come to an end sometimes but when. Or does it? Just
when it appeared their dream was slipping out of their grasp, the Deaf
Hoosiers finally snapped a 15-game losing streak against Bethesda
Christian since 1992. Playing in their nice gym atmosphere with
perimeter bleachers around the court, there was a good crowd to witness
the feast. Bethesda Christian has a well-known reputation for an
excellent basketball program that won quite a few Christian State
Champions in the past. Now they have converted to be a member of
Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and part of assigned
sectionals grouping with Deaf Hoosiers. The Bethesda Christian
coach stated the Deaf Hoosiers are playing very good basketball right
now are a top contending team in the sectionals.
The Deaf Hoosiers (14-4) led for most of the game and held a slim three-point margin over Bethesda Christian (4-14). Bethesda's
short three-point shot bounced off target with the Deaf Hoosiers
winning by the score of 63-60. "Fortunately for us, we got the lead at
the right time", said Head Coach Rusty Crace. "It was about who had the
most heart to win as he told the team".
The Deaf Hoosiers were led by Junior Gabriel Paulone and Senior Colin
Whited, who each scored 17 points. Paulone had a team team in high
assists with 5. Sophomore Tyler Crace had a very good game with his
shooting performance from the arc as he scored 14 points. Senior
Jarvis Beaver ended with 11 points and 3 charges taken. As a team the
Deaf Hoosiers took five charges. Sophomore Tony Dall had 3 points. Junior Terris Hazzard, a promising young prospect to watch,
came off the bench and played aggressively on both ends. He clipped
in a free-throw. Trio seniors Hipolito DeLuna, Selwyn Abrahamson, and
Anthony Christian had contributed important minutes to keep the team
in the game. The Deaf Hoosiers did fair on free-throw as team and
finished shooting 13 for 22 (59%) which edged out Bethesda who shot 12
for 21 (57%). "I think our bench really stepped up and gave us good
minutes", said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. "They deserved the
credit to be recognized as they played within their roles".
In the opening first quarter, the Deaf Hoosiers' rhythm
was slugglish but shooting guard Tyler Crace showed quick strike
potential as he hit 2 treys to keep the Deaf Hoosiers in the
game. Senior Whited was defended with a box and one tried to remain
poised. Tony Dall made a layup to take a first quarter led with 18-16.
In the second quarter, the Deaf Hoosier's performance was dominated by
careless free-throws, sloppy transition and misused turnovers did not
help to increase the lead sufficiently. However, they took at lead
at end of the intermission 33-26. Bethesda coaching staff has
complimented the Deaf Hoosiers for being a strong, quick and very
well-coached team.
In the third quarter, the Deaf Hoosiers started to clip away at the
lead. They managed to hold the lead with Beaver's basket to take a lead
at the buzzer of its quarter, 48-47 despite of outscoring them 21-15.
The fourth quarter has shown the intense of the game for both teams. The
Deaf Hoosiers continued to ride the lead with maintaining a margin of two
to three points. On one possession Bethesda took a brief lead with a
trey. In the final minutes of the game, Beaver sank two free-throws to
tie the game at 60-60. Then Deaf Hoosiers responded with a drive under
the basket by Whited to take a 62-60 lead with 1:30 to play. Bethesda
misused their missed shot and Paulone was fouled making 1 of 2
free-throws. The Deaf Hoosiers held on to the 63-60 lead with 11
seconds. An off balanced jump shot by Bethesda bounced off the rim. Humbled Deaf Hoosiers swarmed on the court to celebrate the victory. "The boys played hard and deserved the victory", claimed Westhoelter.
"We knew the every game near season ends is getting harder and harder
because of sectionals playoff fever". That is the tradition of Indiana
basketball.
More history took place, senior shooting guard Colin Whited
surpassed the school record for total career points during the
game. He moved past Jon Mowl to become second in the Indiana School for the
Deaf Boys' Basketball all-time leading scorer. Mowl is currently a
starting guard as a junior at Gallaudet University. Whited, who plays
from 2004-2008, scored 1,235 points during his career to date. Below is
a list of 1,000 points club based on an average of 22 games per
season. Whited has committed to play Gallaudet University in
Washington, D.C. this fall.
1. James Blake 1955 –1959 4 years
1,398
2. Colin Whited 2004 – 2008 4 1,235
3. Jon Mowl 2001 –2005 4 1,226
4. Hubert Anderson 1955 – 1959 4 1,224
5. Charles Mix 1965 – 1969 4 1,204
6. Brian Bippus 1984 – 1987 3 1,152
7. Mike Johnson 1978 – 1982 4 1,087
8. Donald Yates 1984 – 1988 4 1,073
9. David Catt 1971 – 1975 4 1,047
10. Mike Stultz 1980 – 1984 4 1,034
11. Robert Haney 1998 – 2001 3 1,015
12. Justin Wilson 1996 – 2000 4 1,014
February 12: International
The Deaf Hoosiers Jump on International Early, Cruise in Contest
With just two home games remaining on its schedule, the Deaf Hooisers
wanted to put on a good show for their beloved fans. The mission was
accomplished. Almost seven Indiana Deaf School players scored in double
figures and the Deaf Hoosiers led from start to finish over
International. The Deaf Hoosiers (13-4), snapped their string of two
consecutive losses, scored the game's first eight points and never
looked back in a 88-48 victory at the Deaf Hoosiers' Caskey Gymnasium. "We are taking a different approach and letting our players go out there
and really have fun, relax and play up to our capabilities," said
Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. "Our kids are capable of playing,
and they made some nice shots and played more loose."
The Deaf Hoosiers' defensive pressure played a major role in the
contest. "The pace of the game was too quick for them and they couldn't
make good, quick decision," said Westhoelter.
A total of 10 Deaf Hoosiers got in the scoring column. Senior Colin
Whited, shared playing time with the bench, led the team in scoring with
24 points while shooting 10-15 from the field. Sophomore Tyler Crace
added 12 points, all three pointers in 3rd quarter and is improving his
confident in every game. Junior Gabriel Paulone collected 10 points and
grabbed 12 boards. Junior Terris Hazzard and Senior Selwyn Abrahamson
finished with 9 points. Senior Jarvis Beaver who played with fatigue due
to illness scored 8 points. Senior Anthony Christian also scored 8
points. Sophomore Tony Dall who commanded point guard duties led the
team high with 5 assists and had 4 points. Junior Dana Howle and Senior
Hipolito DeLuna scored 2 points each.
The Deaf Hooisers scored many of its first-half points in transition.
Baskets led by Whited, Paulone, Beaver and Dall helped the Deaf Hoosiers
to a 20-11 lead after the first quarter. The Deaf Hooisers kept things
rolling in the second quarter, building a 28-14 advantage midway through
the period. The subs from the bench helped push the lead to 20. The Deaf
Hooisers held a 43-25 half-time advantage.
The Deaf Hooisers scored at least 20 points in each of the four
quarters. "It was nice to see the kids who don't play very much come in
and play in the fourth quarter," said Head Coach Rusty Crace. "The team
played great in the second half." The Deaf Hooisers jumped out and
cruised with 23-8 run in the third quarter. They held a 66-33 lead after
the three quarters and outscored the International 22-13 in the fourth
quarter. "One of the keys for us was we needed to jump on them early and
get a lead," said Crace.
The upcoming game is ath Bethesda this Thursday, a team that Deaf
Hooisers have not beaten since 1989. Deaf Hooisers, International and
Bethseda are among seven teams in the same sectionals.
February 7:Scecina Memorial
Scecina at Free-Throw Line Hands Deaf Hoosiers A Defeat
While its offense wasn't firing on all cylinders, the Deaf Hoosiers varsity boys lost at Scecina Memorial High School, a 2A class team,
46-39. The Deaf Hoosiers (12-4), who lost its second straight game
tonight, played strong defense and well for most of the game but did not
score enough points from free-throws and field goals against Scecina
(5-11).
"We are disppointed with our loss because we did not shoot the ball as
well as we would have liked, but a lot of that is attributed to our
defense," said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. A major factor in the
game was Scecina's ability, and Deaf Hoosiers' inability to get to the
free-throw line. Scecina was 18-24 from the charity stripe while
the Deaf Hoosiers did not have as good a percentage with 5-13. "I guess
I need to do a better job teaching my kids how to focus on free-throws
which is a crucial part of the game of basketball," said Head Coach
Rusty Crace.
Junior Gabriel Paulone led all scoring with 15 points and 11 rebounds
for the Deaf Hoosiers. Senior Colin Whited added 9 points despite
shooting 4-21 in overall field goals. Sophomore Tyler Crace finished
with 8 points while seniors Selwyn Abrahamson and Anthony
Christian collected 4 points and 2 points respectfully. Senior Jarvis
Beaver scored 1 point. "We will bounce back and have better focus at our
next game," said Beaver, one of team's fine leaders.
The game opened with an intense first quarter ending with a 12-12
tie. Both teams were tenacious the entire second quarter and clipped an
additional 5 points each tying the score 17-17 at half-time. "We did a
good job to retain a small lead in the first half", said
Westhoelter. "The game is about mental toughness".
The third quarter was an offensive game as the Deaf Hoosiers applied
full court press. Scecina managed to take advantage of the Deaf
Hoosiers' easy miscued turnovers to convert to their offensive points,
outscoring us 15-13. They took the lead 32-30 at the end of the third
quarter. The fourth quarter featured Scecina's free-throw spree
hitting 9-12 and total of 16 points. The Deaf Hoosiers tried to make a
serious run toward the end, scoring just 9 points in the final quarter
of the game.
The Scecina coaching staff credited the Deaf Hooisers' performace and
they as a team to watch in sectionals. The Deaf Hooisers shut out
Scecina's best versatile player to zero points. However, most of the
Deaf Hoosiers' shots were rimmed out of the basket.
February 5: Howe
Deaf Hoosiers Collapse Against Ranked Team, Howe
Want to know how good the Howe Hornets are? Playing against the top ranked class 3A team in the state, Howe, an inner city school in Indianapolis, which schedules all of their games virtually against 3A and 4A teams. The Deaf Hoosiers is one of two 1A teams on their schedule who lost to the high-octane offensive team 101-47 at their home court. They are currently ranked #2 in offense for teams in all classes in the state of Indiana. One of their top guards is committed to IUPUI, a Division I college of Indianapolis. Also, two of their underclass players are being recruited by several Big Ten college teams.
In the first quarter Deaf Hoosiers (12-3), Junior Gabriel Paulone opened the first possession of the game with a trey to take a 3-0 lead against Howe (11-5). Senior Jarvis Beaver followed with a basket and Paulone hit another shot from the perimeter to take a 7-2 lead. “We played well in the first quarter”, said Head Coach Rusty Crace. "We battled our hardest in that quarter". Howe managed to fight back to utilitizing their quickness and full-throttle fast breaking to take the lead 8-7. Both teams continued to battle in the very high tempo offensive game. Beaver clipped in a near buzzer basket to tie the game with 20-20 at the end of the first quarter. A tied first quarter was a surprise to the Deaf Hoosiers who's were extremely exhausted on the bench during
intermission before the starting of second quarter.
"They had quickness, athleticism and size advantage (6'5" to 6'7") and that was quite a task for us. This was a game where we knew that just to be in it we would have to play extremely well on offense and play frenetic defense", said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. Howe came out with explosiveness and playing above the rim, using an array of
passes dismantled the Deaf Hoosiers and outscoring them 37-6 in the second quarter and took a commanding lead 57-26 at half-time. “We completely shut ourselves down in the 2nd quarter”, said Crace. The Deaf Hoosiers were not up to the task. They were unable to keep them from doing what they wanted to do.
In combination of two quarters in the second half of the game, the Deaf Hoosiers were outscored 21-48. They simply were out of gas trying to keep up with Howe's high octane, fast breaking game. Facts, 90% of the offense came from fast breaking with quick passes in the full-court outlet and offense rebounds from second and third shots that really
killed the Deaf Hoosiers. Their hard-nose full court defense physically wore the Deaf Hoosiers out.
The Deaf Hoosiers was led in scoring by Paulone who scored 16 points. Also, he had 7 rebounds. Senior Colin Whited had 11 points. From there, the scoring dropped in a major way. Seniors Beaver and Anthony Christian scored 6 points while Senior Hipolito DeLuna had 5 points and Sophomore Tyler Crace had 3 points. Beaver had a team high and career high with 6 assists. Paulone led the team in rebounding with 7. The Deaf Hoosiers
did not shoot very well at the free-throw line. They attempted 15 shots, making 6.
“It was really learning experience for us, and we need to stay focus to finish the remaining of our season strong”, said Whited who was guarded like a glue entirely game.
“Howe played extremely well”, said Westhoelter. “Howe team is the most versatile and athletic team, and that's why they are one of the top ranked teams in the state's class 3A division”.
February 2: Illinois Deaf
Deaf Hoosiers Demolish Illinois, Again
With anticipation of bad weather this past week, the Deaf Hoosiers had
scheduled a game against Whites but it was cancelled. The Deaf Hoosiers
(12-2) traveled to Jacksonville, Illinois where they beat the Illinois
Tigers (2-16), 63-31 for the second time this season. Senior Colin
Whited blazed to lead the team with easy fastbreak layups and hit a few
treys with a team-high 27 points.
The Deaf Hoosiers jumped out to a fast start by applying a variety full
court presses. The Hoosiers took a commanding 16-2 first quarter lead.
Whited scored 12 points on uncontested layups. "The boys were really
focused and played hard", said Head Coach Rusty Crace who captured his
first win on Tigers' court as a regular season game during his coaching
tenure.
In the second quarter, the Deaf Hoosiers continued to surge with 22-6
run and led 38-8 at half-time. Whited's poured in 24 of his 27 before
intermission. "We kept rotating 9-players which we brought as a team
into the game with the main goal to just play hard with enthusiasm",
said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. The Tigers were no match for
the Deaf Hoosiers' strong matchup zone defense as they were limited to
only two field goals in the first half.
With 8 of 9 players score, Junior Gabriel Paulone had 14 points, 7
rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists. Sophomore Tyler Crace hit 6 points
from the arc. Veteran Jarvis Beaver had a solid game with 4 points, 4 rebounds and a career high with 4 block shots. Seniors reverse Hipolito DeLuna and Anthony Christian clipped in 4 points each. Junior Terris Hazzard and Sophomore Tony Dall netted 2 points each. Dall also dished out a team-high 5 assists. Junior Dana Howle contributed playing time off the bench.
As a result in the third quarter, the Deaf Hoosiers played a fair
quarter, comfortable lead 47-18. During the final quarter, we continued
to play hard by displaying sportsmanship and class on the court. "We
are pleased our boys for setting a good example for being a
well-disciplined team on and off court", said Westhoelter.
Next week, the Deaf Hoosiers will face an exciting and toughest game
schedule of the season against ranked #11 3A team, Howe (10-5) of
inner-city Indianapolis at their court who feature 2-3 Division I sigees on their team.
January 31: White's (cancelled due to snowstorm)
January 26: Illinois Deaf (CSSD @ Ohio Deaf)
Deaf Hoosiers Top Illinois for CSSD Tourney Title
Before a packed crowd at the Ohio Deaf School’s small gymnasium, Deaf
Hoosiers (11-2) outlasted Illinois to capture its second straight CSSD
crown. The top seeded Deaf Hoosiers held the lead in the entire game in
a 63-37 victory. A number of key factors contributed to the victory.
Namely the starting lineup, the bench and promising young sophomores.
In the first quarter, the Deaf Hoosiers jumped to a 16-8 lead. Illinois
managed to play with patience against the Deaf Hoosiers’ full court
press. “Illinois is known and probably the only deaf school in nation
to play tough hearing conference foes in their area”, said Assistant
Coach Keith Westhoelter. They are a stubborn team who managed to avoid
an upset in the first round against Pennsylvania School for the Deaf when they were down 42-21 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Unbelievably, they rallied to a 31-2 run in the final quarter of the game and won.There would be no such happening against the Deaf Hoosiers who took a 28-11 lead to the locker room at the half.
Despite the Deaf Hoosiers’ easy missed baskets and misused turnovers,Illinois outscored 14-9 in the third quarter to bring the game close to
37-25. In the fourth quarter, Tyler Crace’s big shots behind the arc
and Jarvis Beaver’s inside baskets proved to provide quite a spark for
the Deaf Hoosiers, who outscored Illinois 26-12. “Jarvis stepped up
defensively and made nice moves inside”, said Westhoelter.
The Deaf Hoosiers had four players in double figures. Senior Colin
Whited led the way with 17 points and 4 steals. Junior Gabriel Paulone
added 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Senior Jarvis Beaver finished 14 points. Sophomores Tyler Crace netted 13 points. Sophomore Tony Dall and Hipolito DeLuna had 2 points each. Dall had 5 assists.
Whited, Paulone and Beaver were named to CSSD All-Star Team. In
addition, the Deaf Hoosiers squad has collected another hardware award
for the best free-throw percentage in three games. They have won three
CSSD banners in the last 4 years.
January 25: Michigan Deaf (CSSD @ Ohio Deaf)
Deaf Hoosiers Fly Away from Michigan in the Semi-Finals
The top seeded Deaf Hoosiers (10-2) warmed up quickly on this cold
evening to fly away from fourth-seeded Michigan for an easy 83-46
victory. Indiana Boys, playing great basketball and utilizing its
talent, were going against a good team that fans were anticipating to
watch. “One of the key ingredients that has made Deaf Hoosier team go
all year long, are players’ ability to play within their roles”,
said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. Deaf Hoosiers, however, are not
only an offensive team. Their full court zone press and matchup defense
were too much for Michigan to deal with.
From the opening tip-off the Deaf Hoosiers soared to attack by using a
full-court press and took a commanding lead in the first quarter
28-8. Senior Colin Whited who led all scoring with a career high of 34
points. He scored 16 points in the first quarter from steals and behind
the arch. The Deaf Hoosiers continued to surge to a 49–17 half-time
lead.
In the second half, the Deaf Hoosiers picked up the pace and cruised
past the Michigan. “We knew coming in the game and their Michigan’s
guards are really quick and fast", said guard Tony Dall who scored 8
points and had 4 assists. “Tony has played hard all year and our
defense vocal leader”, Westhoelter said.
The Deaf Hoosiers proved they aren’t a one man show. Junior Gabriel,
most-versatile player, was difficult to stop as he scored 17 points and
grabbed team-high 9 boards. Seniors Jarvis Beaver and Hipilito Deluna who shared the same duties finished with 6 points each. Deluna also had 6 rebounds. Senior Anthony Christian and Junior Dana Howle had 4 points
each. Senior Selwyn Abrahamson and Sophomore Tyler Crace netted 2 points each. In the end, it was Deaf Hoosiers’ experience and talent that proved to be the difference.
The Deaf Hoosiers advanced to the Final against number two seeded Illinois for second straight CSSD title game.
January 24: Minnesota North Star (CSSD @ Ohio Deaf)
Deaf Hoosiers Open CSSD Tourney With A Win
Playing in the opening round of Annual CSSD Tournament at Ohio School
for the Deaf in Columbus, Ohio, top seeded Indiana Boys (9-2) breezed to
a 71-15 win against the 8th seeded Minnesota North Star Comets. “I was
pleased with our team for sticking to our game plan and displaying
excellent sportsmanship on the floor,” said Head Coach Rusty Crace.
“The bench came in and gave us lot of minutes.” Deaf Hoosiers
certainly are more than capable of being an explosive offensive team,
but it’s the defense that’s made the difference.
The Deaf Hoosiers dominated the start of each half against the Comets.
They scored the first 16 points of the game to lead 16-0 and finished
the first quarter with 27-6. Head Coach Crace pulled out all the
starters late in the first quarter to allow the second string from the
bench a lot of action. Deaf Hoosiers outscored Comets 16-0 in the second quarter to lead 42-6 at halftime.
Comets had a miserable time dealing with Deaf Hoosiers’ skilled
defense minded team. Leading 58-8 after three quarters, the Deaf
Hoosiers could pitch another shutout in the third quarter. “We have
emphasized to our team to play with class and sportsmanship after we
talked at the halftime”, said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. “We
tried some new things. Coaches were pleased with the way we executed
them”. In the fourth quarter the Deaf Hoosiers, with a lot of ball
movements went on to outscore the Comets 13-7.
Junior Gabriel led the scoring with 16 points mostly in the first and
third quarters. Dual seniors Colin Whited and Jarvis Beaver netted 12
and 13 points respectively. Junior Dana Howle, who came off the bench,
led all the rebounders with 12. He also clipped in 8 points. Senior
Chris Schuitema, another reserve, scored 7 points. Sophomore shooting
guard Tyler Crace arched 5 points. Seniors Anthony Christian and
Hipolito DeLuna had 4 points each. Senior reserve Selwyn Abrahamson
added 2 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. Sophomore point guard Tony
Dall dished out team-high with 4 assists.
Top seeded Deaf Hoosiers advanced to face most improved team with many
new faces, Michigan in the semifinals.
January 22: Lutheran
Visiting Lutheran Tame The Deaf Hoosiers
The visiting Lutheran Saints snapped the Deaf Hoosiers’ (8-2) winning
streak at eight games, 43-68. Prior to the game, Lutheran is ranked
#10 in the class 1A state. It is evidence that the Deaf Hoosiers showed
tired fatigues this past weekend tournament in Minnesota. “It is all
about mental toughness”, said Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. “We
did not defend well like we have”.
Head Coach Rusty Crace has tried to blueprint the team’s game plan by
having a slow tempo game. In the opening of the first quarter, the Deaf
Hoosiers took a charge patiently with lead 5-4 for six minutes of the
game. Frustrated and impatience Lutheran called timeout. They ignited
and went on a 11-4 run in the last two minute remaining of the quarter.
The Deaf Hoosiers coaches directed to calm the team to be little bit
more patience on offense. Their intention was to create frustration for
Lutheran and make them impatience. But Lutheran managed a slim 14-13
lead for the second quarter and a 29-22 halftime lead capped by a
Lutheran half court buzzer beater before intermission.
Lutheran opened the third quarter with a 15-8 run to go ahead, 44-30. The Deaf Hoosiers never could recover from that run. Hot-hand shooting
Lutheran nailed five three-pointers and paced to 24-13 in the fourth
quarter. They finished the game with 14 treys.
The Deaf Hoosiers were led by Senior Colin Whited with 19 points. Senior Jarvis Beaver netted 10 points. Junior Gabriel Paulone had 7 points and Sophomore Tyler Crace scored 4 points. Sophomore Tony Dall had 2 points. Junior Dana Howle made a free-throw.
“It was a learning experience because it will get better and move
on.” said Crace. Lutheran is ranked among top defensive team in the
area of Indianapolis. The Deaf Hoosiers may face them again in the
sectional state playoff in late February.
January 19: Maryland Deaf (Clerc Classic VIII)
Deaf Hoosiers Rally to Beat Maryland for Clerc Classic Title
In what could only be described as one of best games of the Clerc
Classic in Minnesota, the Deaf Hoosiers (8-1) outlasted Maryland, 65-49
for the Clerc Classic Title. “It was so great to see our team come
back in the first half”, said Head Coach Rusty Crace.
Maryland jumped a quick 11-0 run in the first two minutes of the game. “We predicted that Maryland will use either box-one or triangle-two
defense on us as we already prepared for it”, said Assistant CoachKeith Westhoelter. Head Coach Crace called timeout to calm his squad
down and to execute the game plan. There were some slight adjustments
made on offense. Senior Jarvis Beaver stepped up to provide an easy
basket inside to stop their run. Sophomore sharpshooter Tyler Crace hit
a trey after missing four attempts in a row. Then Beaver followed scored on a three point play to bring the score to 8-14. Maryland made a run toincrease the score to 21-9. Up to this point the game was a seesaw affair. The Deaf Hoosiers rallied using a 24-4 four minutes before halftime taking a 33-25 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Deaf Hoosiers were able to hold the lead. They
came with sense of purpose on both sides of the floor. They were able to put some points on the board which gave us a lot of confidence. “We
responded with a solid defensive effort and a consistent offensive
approach”, said Colin Whited. The Deaf Hoosiers built its advantage to
45-28 after several minutes starting of the second half. They continued
to pace the lead and put together nice plays to score points. The flow
of play was more successful and as a result, the scoring increased
coupled with repeated trips to the free throw line.
Senior Colin Whited had a solid game leading the team in scoring with 18 points along with 6 steals. Junior Gabriel Paulone who was assigned to defend Maryland’s top scorer had 10 points. Senior Anthony Christian
made nice baskets and had 4 points. Tyler Crace clutched 11points.
Sophomore Tony Dall made critical baskets in the perimeter area with 5
points. Senior Selwyn Abrahamson scored 3 points.
“It was a character-building game for us”, said Paulone who was
named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Several coaches called Indiana Deaf Boys Basketball team is such a
highly well-respected program. The Hoosiers have played their 4th
championships game and claimed their 3rd crowns in the last five
tournaments. Also, they hold best record in eight Clerc Classic
Tournaments.
Beaver and Whited were selected to Clerc Clasic VIII All-Star team.
January 18: Minnesota Deaf (Clerc Classic VIII)
Deaf Hoosiers Rip Minnesota In Semifinals
In a game where points were at a premium, the Deaf Hoosiers used a big
defensive effort with a win over Minnesota Trojans. The Deaf Hoosiers
(7-1) allowed six field goals in a 73-17 victory at the Clerc Classic
VIII Tournament. “Our kids always take pride about their defense
accomplishments”, stated Assistant Coach Keith Westhoelter. “I have
always emphasized that defense wins the championships and offense wins
the game”, explained Westhoelter. The Deaf Hoosiers shut out
Minnesota’s best and second best players.
The Trojans had barely enough room to breathe on the offensive end,
struggling to get any kind of decent look at the basket. The tempo of
the game favored Minnesota, but the Deaf Hoosiers proved they also can
be successful in full-court press and defensive contests. The Deaf
Hoosiers led to breakaway in the first half, 45-10 at half-time. The
second swing from the bench got a lot of playing action with enthusiasm
defensively. The Deaf Hoosiers finished the final half of the game with
the score of 28-7.
All of the Deaf Hoosiers contributed and scored at least a basket.
Senior Colin Whited led the team-high with 18 points and had 4 assists.
Junior Gabriel Paulone is one of the four players with double figures as he collected 13 points and 5 steals. Sophomore Tyler Crace had 10 points while Junior Terris Hazzard played his personal best game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Senior Anthony Christian had 7 points. Sophomore Ryan Catron and Senior Jarvis Beaver finished 4
points each. Senior Selwyn Abrahamson had 3 points. Sophomore Tony Dall
and Senior Hipolito DeLuna scored 2 points. Beavers and Abrahamson
pulled down 8 boards each.
The Deaf Hoosiers will face Maryland, the defending Clerc Classic VII
Champs in the finals.
January 17: Riverside, CA (Clerc Classic VIII @ Minnesota Deaf)
Deaf Hoosiers Silence Riverside In Opening Round
Playing in the opening round of the Clerc Classic VIII Tournament at the
Minnesota School for the Deaf, top contender Deaf Hoosiers (6-1) got
things rolling and cruised to a 69-48 victory over Riverside Cubs. The
teams used rules favored by the MHSAA, two halves of 18 minutes each,
not four quarters.
The Deaf Hoosiers jumped to leads of 14-6 and 36-18 after the first half of the game and never looked back. Senior Colin Whited and Gabriel
Paulone led the team in the scoring attack with 22 and 20 points
respectfully. Sophomore 6’4” Tyler Crace continued to show
improvement, nailing 12 points. Senior Hipolito DeLuna collected 6
points and 5 rebounds. Junior Terris Hazzard, a promising talent, added
3 points and still learning the game of basketball by playing as a team.
Sophomores Tony Dall and Ryan Catron, and senior Selwyn Abrahamson
clipped in 2 point each. Dall had a career high in assists with 9.
6’3” lanky Catron led the team with 10 boards. “We rotated a lot
of guys in and they went in and did a tremendous job”, said Assistant
Coach Keith Westhoelter. “That keeps our guys fresh, so we were able
to keep playing hard on defense because we are not very big. The coaches praised the Riverside team for a record 8 charges taken in a game.
In the second half, the Cubs played with a little bit more energy, but
never made a serious run. The Deaf Hoosiers outscored the Cubs 33-30. “Riverside team has shown significant improvement from last year”,
said Westhoelter. “One thing, they beat us was on the boards. We did
not do a good job blocking out.” Riverside’s new freshman kid on the
block, Raymond Nelson, has put spectators’ eyes on his talents as he
will be the future player to watch. “He is a next sensational
player”, said Westhoelter.
Deaf Hoosiers advanced to semifinals to play against Minnesota who beat
Texas, 48-45.
January 15: Columbus Christian
Deaf Hoosiers Ride A Victory Over Columbus Christian
Outscoring Columbus Christian 38-14 margin during the middle of two
quarters, the Deaf Hoosiers (5-1) breezed to a 70-43 victory at home. “In the first half, we continued to change up our defenses,” said Head Coach Rusty Crace. “We created turnovers and that led to easy baskets.” The Deaf Hoosiers held a 24-9 lead after the first quarter. Then it was 44-20 at the intermission.
The Columbus Christian was playing with a lot of confidence in the
second half. They capitalized at the free-throw line, hitting 17 for 28
shots. “That led to many foul on them and free throws", said Crace.
They outscored the Deaf Hoosiers in the third quarter with the score of
15-11 and reduce their deficit slightly to 35-55. However, the Deaf
Hoosiers was able to dominate on the boards, out rebounding Columbus
Christian by 32-19.
Senior Colin Whited, Deaf Hoosiers 6’2” guard reached one of the
high points of his career by scoring his 1,000th career points.“It’s amazing, an unreal feeling. I remember witnessing Jon Mowl hit
his 1,000th point. I thought that would be awesome to get”, said
Whited. He entered the game against Columbus Christian with 981 career
points. He finished the contest with 26 points. “I just want to get
over with it before we head to Minnesota for the Clerc Classic VIII
Tournament”, said Whited. A three-year varsity starter who made the
varsity squad during his freshman year, Whited has been a major part of
the Deaf Hoosiers basketball program.
Junior Gabriel Paulone played aggressive and ended up with 14 points
with short playing time in spite of fouling out early in the third
quarter. Also, he had 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Sophomore Tony Dall scored 8 points. Juniors Terris Hazzard and Dana Howle, and
Sophomore Ryan Catron netted 4 points each. Seniors Chris Schuitema,
Selwyn Abrahamson, Jarvis Beaver and Hipolito DeLuna scored 2 points as
well sophomore Tyler Crace had 2 points. Beaver had a solid game with 6
rebounds and 4 assists.
“Our team did good things passing the ball and helping the offense”,
said Beaver. The Deaf Hoosiers just returned to 2008 season action from
about a month long layoff.
December 12: Eminence
Deaf Hoosiers Avenge Eminence on Road Win
This was a type of night players and coaches dream about! The Deaf Hoosiers (4-1) defeated last year’s sectional champions Eminence Eels (0-5), 64-58 at their wooden court where they have won the last four meetings. “It is a great feeling to walk out of here with a win,” said Keith Westhoelter, assistant coach. Senior guard Colin Whited did most of the damage for the Deaf Hoosiers on fast break lay-ups by leading in scoring with 29 points. He sank two critical free throws in the final seconds of the game to secure the win.
In the open first quarter the Deaf Hoosiers made a great start by attacking to the basket with 20-8. Whited said, “We executed our game plan.” The second quarter was a little bit different. Eminence managed to take the advantage of the Deaf Hoosier’s poor transition in the second quarter and outscored us 20-19. The Deaf Hoosiers took an 11 point lead at the halftime with the score of 39-28. Head coach Rusty Crace, said,” Our offense was not firing on all cylinders and shot selections were capped on the basket.” The Deaf Hoosiers still scored enough points on fast break lay-ups and played strong defense.
Eminence Eels came out the locker room with a jolt by opening the third quarter with a 20-10 run to cut their deficit, 49-48 with the Deaf Hoosiers leading. “If we are not on, we have the tendency not to be patient enough and let the game comes to us, “claimed Westhoelter. Fortunately, the Deaf Hoosiers have the tenacity to come back. They made a good quick run six points edge with an approximately less than two minutes left of the game in the 4th quarter with the score of 58-52. The Eels scored four unanswered points to bring the game closer within two at 60-58. The Deaf Hoosiers used composure to seal the victory by free-throws and a lay-up. “We did not shoot the ball well like we have, but a lot of that was attributed to team effort and mentality,” said Westhoelter.
Sophomore forward Ryan Catron had a his personal season-high in scoring with 11 points. Also, he grabbed four rebounds and had three steals. Junior Paulone had nine points, eight rebounds and three assists. His playing time was curtailed in the second half when he got into foul troubles. Senior Christian netted eight points. Westhoelter praised,” He did a great job defensively in the 4th quarter to defend two 6’3” post players in the paint.” Dual sophomores Tony Dall and Tyler Crace scored three points each. Tony dished out five assists while Tyler pulled down five boards.
“It was an ugly win, but it was a win,” said Crace.
December 8: Australia (Homecoming)
Deaf Hoosiers Takes Victory Over Visiting Australian Team - Bandicoots
Turning up the heat with 18-2 second-quarter run, the Deaf Hoosiers
(3-1) rallied to defeat visiting Bandicoots, a team tour from
Australia Saturday evening in the Homecoming action, 82-73. "Our effort
and execution were very good for most of the game", said head coach
Rusty Crace.
At the start of the game, the two teams didn't know what to expect. The
Bandicoots took an early 12 point lead and finished the quarter 30-18.
The Deaf Hoosiers were exposed defensively which caused a number of
breakdown. They were playing hard but they were not getting the
positive results they needed. "Our defensive intensity picked up in the
second quarter and we made a big run after making a minor adjustment
with positions," said assistant coach Keith Westhoelter. During the
second quarter, Deaf Hoosiers outscored Bandicoots by a 22-5 margin. The
Deaf Hoosiers took a 40-35 lead to end the half.
In the third quarter, the Bandicoots cut their deficit to one point
after outscoring the Deaf Hoosiers 22-18 with the Deaf Hoosiers leading
at 58-57. The Deaf Hoosiers battled in rebounding in the paint against
Bandicoot's sizes, having five players in the starting lineup at 6'0",
6'3", 6'4", 6'4" and 6'6" in addition to similar height on their bench.
Deaf Hoosiers were stressed by their coaches that they need to learn not
to play against opponent but to play the game of basketball. The three
pointer was a huge weapon for the Deaf Hoosiers. The finished the game
totaling 11 threes made behind the arc. Tyler Crace who hit four treys
said,” We needed to be more emotional and physical in the game and
finished strong especially second half that we are lack of."
The game was a tale of four quarters with the Deaf Hoosiers dominating
play in the second quarter. The Deaf Hoosiers managed by preventing the
Bandicoots from coming back in the fourth quarter. The Deaf Hoosiers
were able to keep a slim lead midway in the fourth quarter, 66-64. The
game stayed close with a clutch trey by Tyler Crace and two free-throws
from Colin Whited giving the Deaf Hoosiers a 75-67 lead with four
minutes to play. The Bandicoots had played a clean game defensively,
were forced to foul in hurry after the Deaf Hoosier used the clock
effectively. In the final minutes of the game, the Deaf Hooisers sealed
the victory over the 3A level Bandicoots with several clutch free-throws
by Tony Dall and Terris Hazzard and layups by Gabriel Paulone. The Deaf
Hoosiers finished with 17 of 23 free-throws in the game.
With a support from fellow teammates, senior Colin Whited led the Deaf
Hoosiers in the scoring with team-high 31 points including six treys out
of team's total of 11. Junior Gabriel Paulone had 17 points and 10
boards. "Gabriel did a great job grabbing a lot of those crucial
rebounds defensively", said Westhoelter. Sophomore Tyler Crace who
played his personal best of the season had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3
assists. Sophomore Tony Dall netted 8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists
and played a big role in corralling loose balls. "He did a good job of
hustling for the loose balls", stated Westhoelter. Senior Anthony Christian, Junior Terris Hazzard and Sophomore
Ryan Catron added four points each. Crace said,” Our bench did great a
job and they really gave us a boost both offensively and defensively."
With once in a lifetime opportunity to play against an international
team, Australia Bandicoots was a real honor and great experience for
the Deaf Hoosiers. In fact, the Bandicoots is one of the three
Australian teams that is on tour to seven games schedule in Indiana for
two weeks before they return their homeland. The head coach Daniel
Martinez of Bandicoots said,” Deaf Hoosiers have a terrific team.”
The main reason they chose to play against schools in Indiana is because
of America's country basketball. The intentions for them were for the
Australia team to learn the America's basketball style, rules and
coaching.
December 4: Tindley
Deaf Hoosiers Pull Away From Tindley at Home
Colin Whited poured in a game-high 27 points as the Deaf Hoosiers
improved their 2-1 record with a 78-61 victory over young visiting team
Tindley, a new private school in Indianapolis, at the opening home game
of the season. For the third straight game, the first half made all the
difference for the Deaf Hoosiers, who outscored Tindley 38-23 in the
first half.
The game was 20-12 after the first quarter, but Deaf Hoosiers' defense
held 2 points for several minutes in the open of the second quarter
before the bench warmers got a lot of playing time action towards the
end of intermission. "Our execution in the first half went right long
with our defense game plan," said assistant coach Keith Westhoelter."Our rebounding was a huge key for us." The Deaf Hoosiers' top trio
scorers, seniors Colin Whited and Jarvis Beaver, and Junior Gabriel
Paulone began the game on fire, scoring a combination of 20 points in the opening quarter along with 18 points in the second quarter. "They didn't play selfishly. They let the game come to them," said Westhoelter.
Sophomore Tyler Crace finished with nine points all from the arc while
senior Anthony Christian added five points. After picking up two quick
fouls in the first quarter, Jarvis Beaver came back to score 11 points
and grabbed 10 boards. Gabriel Paulone was scoring both from the outside
and inside the lane as he finished with 25 points and pulled down 11
rebounds.
In the third quarter Deaf Hoosiers gradually made a run over the first
three minutes, increasing the lead to 46-25. Tindley made some
adjustments to attack to the baskets over the next three minutes,
cutting the lead to 14 points. "We knew they were going to come back and
get in the game," said Westhoelter, "because they have an excellent coaching staff from former big school names." The Deaf Hoosiers had some
big baskets from Tyler Crace's two consecutive treys to help keep the
lead. Deaf Hoosiers held a 62-40 lead at the end of the third
quarter.
During the final quarter of the game, the Deaf Hoosiers continued to
control their poise in the first few minutes before they started to
rotate the players occasionally from the bench to play. Head Coach Rusty Crace stated to his players after the game,"We did not have much intensity
finishing the final quarter of the game." Deaf Hoosiers' defense is
their strength and wears the players down, especially considering how
deep they are. "But we need to play basketball for a full 32 minutes as a team at the beginning of the game to 0:00 on the timer until the end of the
game," stated Crace. Colin Whited agreed with the coaches stating,"We
have a lot of work to do but keeping together as a team is progress."
The Deaf Hoosiers plan to get some more details ironed out in practices
before our Homecoming game this Saturday against a 3A level tour
traveling team from Australia.
November 29: Morton Memorial
Whited Lifts Deaf Hoosiers Over Morton Memorial
Senior Colin Whited successfully sanked two free throws with less than
10 seconds remaining in the game to give Deaf Hoosiers (1-1) their first victory of the season
at Morton Morton (1-1), 61-60. "With few seconds left of the game, we
called timeout", said assistant coach Keith Westhoelter. " We had to go
full court man-to-man defense to run the clock down and foul them
twice." There were only four Deaf Hoosiers' team fouls on the
scoreboard.
Whited led the Deaf Hoosiers' scoring attack with 23 points. Junior
Gabriel Paulone added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Senior Jarvis
Beaver finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds.
Morton Memorial had the same five athletic starters who defeated the
Deaf Hoosiers last year. According to the sagarin ratings on the
website, they were ranked higher than the Deaf Hoosiers in the state for
1A. The Deaf Hoosiers tied the score with 15 after the first quarter,
held leads of 38-27 at halftime and 51-45 after three quarters. Beaver
said,"There was no flow to the game in the second half as we did not
play with poise." Morton Memorial outscored the Deaf Hoosiers 33-23 in
the second half. Whited stepped up to take charge by attacking the
baskets with 15 points in the final half of the game.
Deaf Hoosiers' bench players made big contributions and also deserve credit. Westhoelter praised,"Senior Seylwn Abrahamson and Sophomore Tony
Dall did a good job taking turns running the point." Senior
Anthony Christian made key baskets. Sophomore Ryan Catron had a good
game on boards. He is starting to establish himself as one of our key
rebounders and perimeter shooters off the bench.
Head Coach Rusty Crace said,"The seniors did a good job by pushing their teammates to become better and are doing a great job with their roles.
It was a great learning game for us."
November 27: Liberty Christian
Deaf Hoosiers Fall To Liberty Christian in the Opener
Deaf Hoosiers (0-1) opened its 2007-08 season with a 60-57 away loss to
Liberty Christian (1-3). They were looking to avenge last year's loss by
22 points with Liberty Christian's same five experienced starters.
Senior Colin Whited was one of two to lead the Deaf Hoosiers in double
figures with 19 points. Junior Gabriel Paulone added 15 points.
Sophomore Tyler Crace netted 9 points.
Trailing 11-7 in the first quarter, the Deaf Hoosiers went on a 21-8 run
in the second quarter to take a 28-15 advantage at halftime. In the
third quarter, Gabriel Paulone scored 8 points during the run including
a trey while Senior Jarvis Beaver added five. "Things started great",
Assistant coach Keith Westhoelter said. "Any time you can come out in
the first half against a well-coached team and get 17 points lead at the
halftime, it's a great start."
Both teams continued to battle in the third quarter with Liberty
Christian's in the outright 14-12. Head coach Rusty Crace had warned his
team that we must swarm their best player who scored 7 points in the
last 8 minutes. Liberty Christian took an advance lead turning points in
the late 4th quarter. Crace said, "We had a lot of fouls called and it
put us in a tough spot position-wise with some of our starters on the
bench." The Deaf Hoosiers led the game in the first 30 minutes of the
fourth quarter when Liberty Christian scored a hard earned basket to tie
the game with 57-57. The game was pretty intense. The Deaf Hoosiers made
costly key turnovers and free-throws with 2 for 6 in the final 2 minutes
of the game as Liberty Christian escaped with their first win of the
season.
Gabriel said,"We were a little frustrated working hard on defense
especially trying to contain Liberty Christian's key player that we were
unable to score patiently at the other end. It's good to
know our first loss was a good lesson for us to experience." The
biggest factor in the game for Liberty Christian's success was points
from the free-throw line, converting 9 of 13 in the 4th quarter as they
outscored the Deaf Hoosiers, 27-17.
November 14: Lutheran (Scrimmage)
Deaf Hoosiers to Rely on Seniors for Upcoming Basketball Season
Area basketball fans are familiar with the Deaf Hoosiers football
team’s great season this year with its best record in school
history 9-3. But the 2007-08 Deaf Hoosiers Boys’ basketball
squad will have a tough act to follow with a strong core of senior
veterans playing large roles on the team this season. The team is
expecting to have a winning season and continues to make strides in the
increasingly competitive schedule including a game against the preseason
#4 class 3A team in the state, Howe, who has two Division I signees.
With eight players returning from varsity experience and all five
starters back from the 10-12 team, along with a strong nucleus of
newcomers, the Deaf Hoosiers are poised to be a strong contender and the
team to watch.
Colin Whited and Jarvis Beaver are the two seniors entering their fourth
season on the varsity level. Whited is one of the top deaf seniors
among deaf schools in the country. His challenge is to learn how to
take over a game, but to do it in a smart way. Whited, 6’2”, will
play mostly wing but will see some time on shooting guard. Coaches are
looking for Beaver to have a break-through season. Beaver, 6’’0”,
is one of the key players for the team. He will need to step up and
score, and the coaches think he will do that.
Other seniors for the Deaf Hoosiers are Selywn Abrahamson, Anthony
Christian, Hipolita DeLuna and Chris Schuitema. Abrahamson, 6’0”
guard, should be one of the team's top scoring threats off the bench and
will be playing as a back up point guard. Christian, 6-0 forward,
can score well and plays good defense. He has been a hard working
player in practice in trying to improve. Schuitema, 5’8 shooting
guard, is one of the new faces on the team this year and will provide
more energy to the team. DeLuna, 6’0” forward, is an unexpected
player who joined the squad from wrestling due to an injury from
football. He is going to surprise some people because he has good
basketball knowledge and skills. DeLuna is a fiery player and ignites
the team.
Gabriel Paulone, 6’2”, is a junior and a versatile player who can
play any position where the coaches need him. He has continued making
great strides as an athlete. Terris Hazzard, 6’0”, and a new face on
the squad, is an athletic player who has exceptionally quick hands
defensively. He has a knack for getting to the rim. Dana Howle, a
6’2” transfer from Illinois Deaf School, will see a lot of playing
action on the Junior varsity team.
Tyler Crace, 6’4”, sophomore guard, will give instant offense with
his 3-point shooting ability. Starting sophomore, Tony Dall, 5’9”,
is gradually becoming a consummate point guard and still learning the
game. He is quick with the ball and can score when necessary. Ryan
Catron, 6’2”, sophomore can play both guard and forward positions as
well as the forward role because he is a good rebounder for his size and
is a quick jumper.
Under Rusty Crace, now entering his 10th season at the helm of the Deaf
Hoosiers, the team has enjoyed unparallel success. Alongside him, our
most experienced coach, Keith Westhoelter will provide the tutelage to
the team as an assistant. Troy Truelove has returned to his alma mater
with previous coaching experience with the Deaf Hoosiers, and will
take his role as head junior varsity coach. The coaches are optimistic
about the team’s winning chances this season because of their overall
quickness in the backcourt to complement what we feel will be excellent
shooting both outside and in the paint.
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