2023 IHSA boys' basketball state tournament preview: Class 2A capsules

Mar. 9—First semifinal: Teutopolis vs. DePaul College Prep (2:30 p.m. Thursday)

About the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes (28-7)

➜ School colors: Navy blue and old gold

➜ 325

Roster (* — projected starter)

NO. ATHLETE POS. HT. WT. YR.

2 *Brendan Niebrugge G 6-1 175 Sr.

3 *Caleb Bloemer G 5-11 175 Sr.

14 Zac Niebrugge G 5-10 175 Jr.

20 Logan Roepke G 5-9 160 Sr.

22 *Joey Niebrugge F 6-5 180 Jr.

23 Henry Thompson G 5-9 155 So.

24 Mitch Koester G 5-9 160 Jr.

25 *James Niebrugge G 6-3 170 Sr.

30 Alex Kremer G 6-1 155 So.

33 Tyler Pruemer F 6-3 175 Jr.

34 Jake Bushur F 6-3 175 So.

35 Austin Bloemer C 6-6 200 Jr.

41 Logan Lawson F 6-1 215 Jr.

54 *Caleb Siemer F 6-6 210 Sr.

➜ Stat stuffers: Siemer is a triple threat for Teutopolis. The senior big man enters the Class 2A state tournament leading the Wooeden Shoes in three categories by averaging 12.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Brendan Niebrugge (12.4 points) and James Niebrugge (11.6 points) complete a trio of Wooden Shoes in double-digit scoring figures, while the latter contributes an additional 6.3 rebounds per game.

➜ History lesson: The Wooden Shoes are back in the big dance for the first time since 2007. It's the program's seventh appearance in the IHSA state tournament after qualifying for the Class A finals in 1986, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2006 and 2007. Teutopolis claimed a Class A state title in 1986, placed second in 2000 and finished third in 2007.

➜ From the sideline: Chet Reeder has yet to have a losing record in five seasons in Teutopolis. In fact, he's only finished below .500 twice as a head coach dating back to his five-season tenure at Sullivan from 2013-18. He's also captured regional titles in each season at the helm of the Wooden Shoes, save for the pandemic-shortened spring 2021 campaign.

➜ Coach speak: "We had so many chances to fall apart, and they never did. They just kept believing, kept fighting. Our message has been, 'Be where your feet are,' and they lived it again. They didn't care about what had to happen or what was going to happen. They were where their feet were." — Reeder, following Monday's super-sectional win over Pinckneyville

About the DePaul Prep Rams (21-12)

➜ School colors: Navy and white

➜ Enrollment: 518

Roster (* — projected starter)

NO. ATHLETE POS. HT. WT. YR.

2 Cole Jungworth G 5-11 160 Jr.

4 Rob Wells G 6-0 160 So.

11 Jonas Johnson G 6-6 180 So.

12 Jack Kenessey G 6-3 175 Jr.

13 *Makai Kvamme G 6-0 160 So.

14 Myles Stewart G 6-2 190 Sr.

20 Henry West G 6-2 190 Sr.

21 William O'Shields G 6-3 190 Sr.

22 *PJ Chambers G 6-2 190 Jr.

23 *Payton Kamin G 6-8 200 Jr.

24 Rashaun Porter G 6-6 200 Fr.

25 *Maurice Thomas G 6-0 170 Sr.

32 Jack Hoste G 6-5 190 Sr.

33 *Jaylan McElroy F 6-7 210 Jr.

35 Dane Barkley F 6-6 220 Sr.

➜ Stat stuffers: The Rams boast a trio of double-digit scorers headlined by Kamin's team-leading 13 points per game. He's joined atop the scoring chart by Thomas and Chambers, who are averaging 11.4 and 10.4 points, respectively. Johnson's 5.6 rebounds paces the Rams on the glass, while Kvamme's 4.0 assists per game places him as the top facilitator.

➜ History lesson: State tournament appearances are becoming common for the Rams, who've now appeared in the state finals each of the last three seasons that they've been held. It also marks the third overall state appearance for the Rams, who finished third in Class 3A in 2019 and tallied the same result in Class 2A in 2022.

➜ From the sideline: Tom Kleinschmidt's teams win a lot more than they lose. The veteran head coach and former DePaul standout is 252-107 overall in 12 seasons, the last nine of which have come at DePaul College Prep. Kleinschmidt has never had a losing record as a head coach; a 15-15 mark in the 2015-16 season stands as his worst season to date. Aside from the pandemic-shortened spring 2021 season, that was the last DePaul College Prep team to fall short of the 20-win threshold.

➜ Coach speak: "I think we're pretty talented, but we're very young. Jalen and Payton both hold Division I offers. We thought Payton would be back in December, and Jalen got hurt a week before the season. So I went from my biggest team to my smallest team, and starting three sophomores that are talented kids but ... had never played varsity. We took our lumps early .... so we kind of said, 'Let's look at it like a positive.'" — Kleinschmidt

Second semifinal: Rockridge vs. Bloomington Central Catholic (4:15 p.m. Thursday)

About the Rockridge Rockets (28-4)

➜ School colors: Maroon and white

➜ Enrollment: 370

Roster (* — projected starter)

NO. ATHLETE POS. HT. WT. YR.

2 Kameron Bohnsack G 5-11 170 Sr.

3 *Caleb Cunico G 6-3 160 So.

4 *Jase Whiteman G 6-2 175 Sr.

10 Austin VandeGeest G 5-8 145 Jr.

11 Jacob Bayne F 6-2 205 Sr.

12 Baylen Leemans F 6-3 175 So.

14 Chris Geier G 5-9 180 Sr.

20 Owen McKay G 6-0 155 Jr.

21 Landon Wheatley G 5-11 140 So.

24 *Carson Klemme G 6-3 190 Jr.

30 Reece Fetterer F 6-4 200 Sr.

33 *TJ Wilson C 6-6 200 Jr.

34 *Landon Bull F 6-4 215 So.

50 Caden Hart C 6-5 305 Jr.

52 Peyton Christy F 6-2 175 Sr.

➜ Stat stuffers: Whiteman (16.1 points per game) and Bull (12.8) handle the majority of the Rockets' scoring output, while Bull paces Rockridge's post play with 6.6 rebounds per game. Ball distribution is a bit more even: Whiteman's 3.0 assists barely edges Wheatley (2.7) and Bull (2.6). Don't discount the third scoring option, however, as Cunico is shooting nearly 38 percent from beyond the three-point line while averaging 8.2 points per game.

➜ History lesson: The Rockets are no stranger to the IHSA's biggest stage, but their three previous trips to Peoria or Champaign all failed to yield state titles. Rockridge came closest in 2016, when it finished second in Class 2A to St. Joseph-Ogden, a runner-up finish that was preceded by a third-place finish in 2015 and a fourth-place finish in 2022.

➜ From the sideline: Andy Saey was the coach for the Rockets' most recent run to the state finals in 2022, a triumph that gave the coach his fourth winning season in a row. He's now bumped that streak to five seasons and carries a 136-54 overall record into Thursday.

➜ Coach speak: "We were a team that struggled to find our identity throughout the course of the season, and I know when you look at our record, you kind of don't really believe that concept. But we struggled to consistently play at a high level. We struggled to make every day at practice important, we struggled to play teams that we kind of knew then (and) we struggled to take them seriously. It was a maturity thing for us. ... That's been the biggest struggle for us, getting over that hump of the maturity thing, being good and kind of knowing it and what it really takes to play at a high level." — Saey

About the Central Catholic Saints (25-11)

➜ School colors: Blue, white and gold

➜ Enrollment: 321

Roster (* — projected starter)

NO. ATHLETE POS. HT. YR.

1 Grayson Schnierle G 5-11 So.

2 Malachi Barnes G 6-2 Jr.

3 TJ Larson G 6-0 So.

5 *Cole Certa G 6-5 Jr.

10 Rem Lee F 6-1 Sr.

11 *Chase Fisher G 6-1 Sr.

12 *Rye Pirtz G 6-0 Sr.

20 Will Vogel F 6-1 So.

22 Ryan Russell G 6-1 Sr.

23 Bennett Summers G 5-9 Jr.

24 *Colin Hayes C 6-6 Jr.

30 *Trey Eller G 6-3 So.

44 Finan Krenz F 6-2 So.

55 Charlie Graham F 6-2 Jr.

➜ Stat stuffers: Few players in Illinois have garnered as much attention as Certa this season. For good reason. The junior — who has offers from Bradley, Butler, Illinois, Illinois State and Loyola Chicago, among others — is averaging 26.5 points per game and is shooting 36.2 percent from beyond the arc, making 111 three-pointers so far. His efforts have been complemented on the glass by Hayes, who is averaging 11.8 points and 8.4 rebounds.

➜ History lesson: The Saints have qualified for the state finals for the seventh time in program history and are seeking their second state championship after capturing the Class 2A trophy in 2014. BCC did not place in Class A appearances in 1973, 1976, 1979 or 2002 and placed third in its most recent 2A state tournament appearance in 2018.

➜ From the sideline: Jason Welch has been the epitome of consistency during 18 seasons at BCC. The Saints only have finished with a losing record once during his tenure and have captured seven regional titles, five of which have been followed by sectional titles. Welch, who spent four seasons coaching at Villa Grove before he arrived at BCC ahead of the 2005-06 season, sports a career record of 421-200.

➜ Coach speak: "You need to pick (Certa) up early, around the half-court line, and if you don't, he can hurt you. He's got silly range in the gym and does a great job and for us. That's a big deal because he can really space the floor, and that helps. It really (helps) when you can have a good guard and a good big to go with him, then that gives you a lot of options. Cole can stretch the floor, which isolates (Hayes) inside, and we've got some guys around him that can hit shots as well." — Welch