Hub cagers putting Rochelle back on the map

BY: Russell Hodges
Posted 3/6/17

The Hubs varsity basketball team may have come up just short of a regional title this past weekend, but what the boys have done for both the high school and the community has made the biggest impression in the eyes of head coach Tim Thompson.

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Hub cagers putting Rochelle back on the map

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ROCHELLE — The Hubs varsity basketball team may have come up just short of a regional title this past weekend, but what the boys have done for both the high school and the community has made the biggest impression in the eyes of head coach Tim Thompson.

Rochelle (20-8, 8-5 NIB-12) began the 2016-17 season back in November seeking to revive the school’s basketball culture after recording just eight victories over the previous two years combined and failing to win a single home game.
Nine home wins, eight conference wins, a holiday tournament title and a regional semifinal victory later, Thompson said the most important thing to him as he reflected on the team’s achievements this season is how far his kids have come after battling through difficult circumstances.
“You could see with all the fans showing up to our games and all the kids around the school feeding off of that buzz… Kids want to be a part of our program again,” Thompson said. “I owe a lot of that to the seniors for sticking with it and for having the ability to keep going and push one another... We want to be competing for conference championships and regional championships every year.”
After splitting their first four games of the season at the Leland G. Strombom Holiday Classic in Sycamore, the Hubs rallied off nine wins in 10 games including a seven-game winning streak beginning with a 87-71 victory over the Geneseo Maple Leafs at home, the team’s first home win in nearly three seasons.

That streak also included a perfect 4-0 stretch at the E.C. Nichols Holiday Classic in Marengo, which resulted in Rochelle’s first holiday tournament championship since 2003. The boys took down Woodstock North and Rockford Christian in addition to sectional contenders Marengo and Genoa-Kingston en route to what Thompson said was one of his favorite moments of the year.
“The Marengo tournament was a big deal for us,” he said. “I just saw a team that was starting to play some good, solid basketball and we were able to carry it over… That stretch was a great stretch.”
The Hubs suffered a tough loss to LaSalle-Peru on the road to snap their long string of victories. But behind the leadership of eight senior players including Caleb Gould (15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals per game), Landon Griffith (13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals per game) and Kyle Seebach (14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks per game), Rochelle spun off four more wins including a three-game string over conference foes Sycamore, Ottawa and Yorkville.
A four-year varsity starter and team captain, Gould is one of the players Thompson said improved the most throughout his time with the Hubs. The Rochelle coach also credited both Seebach and Griffith for their performances this season.
“I think Landon’s come so far since he was a freshman,” Thompson said. “Playing AAU last summer allowed him to become a really confident player and he’s always been able to shoot the jump shot. Kyle’s come a long way too in his ability to play down low and battle against guys who are 40, 50 and even 60 pounds heavier than he is.”
While there will be many holes in the roster to fill next season, the Hubs can return a handful of juniors to the varsity lineup including Angel Aguirre, Riley Lodico, Komla Gati and Noah Mershon. Juniors Garrett Glosser and Noah Griffith may also see a bump in playing time, while sophomore Johnny Beck could also have a larger role next year after gaining varsity exposure this year that included a game-winning 3-pointer at home against the Morris Redskins.
“I think our juniors have a confidence about themselves and they know they can play the game,” Thompson said. “There are kids who didn’t play many minutes this year that got better in practice and have been waiting their turn, and they’re going to have their turn next year.”
As for his seniors, Thompson said he’s thankful for having been able to coach a group of kids who never quit on the program, and as next year’s team will look to carry on what this year’s team put forward, Thompson is hoping the up-and-comers can emulate the example set by their peers.
“They mean a ton to me,” he said. “Recently in all sports… we just haven’t had as many kids going out for sports, and if they’re not playing a lot they’re not sticking it through. Having eight seniors is something you don’t see very often anymore.”