BROWNSTOWN
It says something about the age of a team when a junior looks in the mirror to see the voice of experience.
Brownstown Central guard Carter Waskom has decided to accept the big brother role for the Braves so a team with just one senior but with contributing freshmen can mature in time for sectional play.
The loudest voice in the locker room belongs to coach David Benter, but Waskom wants to be the echo, nudging along a squad replacing several key pieces from last year’s club that won a sectional title.
“I’ve got to be more of a leader,” said Waskom, who scored 14 points in the Braves’ most recent game Saturday, a win over Trinity Lutheran. “It’s fun helping the younger guys.”
Brownstown is 7-4 while facing two games on the road this week, and Benter is anxious for the Braves to jell.
Backup Nathan Koch is the only senior, and Brownstown has three freshmen who are growing into increasingly important roles. There also is just one sophomore, and Waskom is one of six juniors.
“We get impatient,” Benter said of his team. “We have shown growth. You’ve got to play hard for 32 minutes.”
Benter is in his 23rd season as head man for Brownstown Central and is closing in on 400 career wins with a 396-150 record.
He has teams that have rolled to terrific records and teams that have peaked late in the season. This is a team growing up. The Braves broke open a close game against Trinity in the second half by raising “our energy level and focus,” he said.
A prized freshman is Benter’s own son, Jack Benter, who is 6-foot-2 and has sparked some explosive offensive runs at varying times this season. He made his high school debut with a 29-point game, and he poured in 25 points versus Trinity.
The younger Benter’s shooting specialty seems to be hitting long-range missiles. He made seven 3-pointers in this game. He also seems to relish running the court, and when Brownstown got its fast-break revved up, it ran away from the Cougars to a 29-point victory.
Junior Levi Stahl, a 6-2 left-handed shooter, got some good looks on the perimeter after the Braves pushed the ball up-court and things were clicking. Those are the moments coaches wish they call up with a snap of the fingers any time they want.
While Benter the younger was piercing Trinity hearts with daggers, provoking the limited fans in the gym to ooh and ahh, dad offered a somewhat drier, low-key analysis.
“It was good to see him make a shot,” coach Benter said.
Launching and making 3-point jumpers from 20 feet gain attention from even the least knowledgeable fan. But Brownstown’s victory was rooted in performing some more fundamental tasks that don’t always show up in the box score or at least aren’t always noticed.
Junior Aidan Schroer, all 6-6 of him, was the guardian of the basket when Trinity players made their moves to the hoop. Only the night before, the Cougars had decimated Shawe Memorial with a motoring fast break and with some impressive drives off the dribble.
Schroer roadblocked the middle, stealing away one of Trinity’s weapons with his presence and long arms. He recorded six blocks, and that can work on the opponents’ heads, make foes think twice about going inside.
Instead, the players halt their dribble and take the ball outside again, sometimes taking deeper shots than they want.
“He’s hard to score on,” David Benter said of Schroer.
It was a night when Brownstown received choice minutes from most players, including freshman Parker Hehman and junior Brandon Reynolds. For those who watched Reynolds play football last fall, he seems capable of translating his go-up-and-get-the-ball skills as a receiver into jumping high near the hoop.
The 5-10 Reynolds was given credit for just five rebounds, but for a stretch, it appeared the shortest guy on the court was grabbing every board. Of course, in the fourth quarter, it seemed as if Brownstown was scoring every point, as well, romping through the eight minutes with a 20-4 plurality.
Benter and the Braves could feel good about that blitz, but they also know things won’t be like that every quarter of every remaining game. What they are working for is to show high-level improvement each game.
“We’re definitely still getting better,” Waskom said.
Coach Benter said the same thing, and Waskom is passing the word.