We really have to work on our on-ball defense this summer. When our defense breaks down from first-level penetration, that’s when we get beat because we give up layups or kick outs.”

Tim Thompson

ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Hub varsity basketball team nearly came away with an IHSA 3A Regional Championship last season, when the boys took down Woodstock and came close to upending another higher-ranked school in Freeport. With the Hubs beginning summer workouts this week, head coach Tim Thompson and his staff are looking to build on their strong finish.

The Hubs are holding open gyms every Tuesday and Thursday from June 4 through July 11 from 4-6 p.m. Rochelle will host its annual grade school camp June 17-20 from 8:30-9:45 a.m. and its annual middle school camp June 17-21 from 10-12 p.m. Skills covered during the summer include dribbling and crossovers, shooting, passing, footwork, screening and post play.

“We really have to work on our on-ball defense this summer,” Thompson said. “When our defense breaks down from first-level penetration, that’s when we get beat because we give up layups or kick outs. It’s easier said than done, but we need to understand when guys are going to their strong hand and opening our hips quickly so we can stop dribble penetration. If we can get better defensively, I think we’ll have plenty of scoring power to beat teams next year.”

In addition to the open gyms at RTHS, Rochelle will compete in the Oregon Summer League this offseason. The Hubs are looking to improve on an 11-22 record and a 3-7 conference record from the 2023-24 season. Rochelle also aims to replace a small group of departing seniors that includes three-year varsity player and two-time Interstate 8 honoree Eli Luxton. 

“One thing we want to get out of this summer is we want to get stronger in the weight room,” Thompson said. “We want to be more athletic by the end of the summer and we want to keep everybody healthy because the majority of our kids are three-sport athletes. We want to shoot the ball from the perimeter more consistently and we need to rebound the ball better.”

Among the rising seniors expected to command big roles during the 2024-25 school year are third-year varsity guards Carson Lewis and Elijah Harley. The Hubs will also look for rising sophomore Brody Bruns, who earned All-Conference honors as a freshman, as well as rising juniors Van Gerber and Brode Metzger to continue taking steps forward this offseason.

“Carson and Elijah are going to be our captains and they understand what we want out of our program and what we want to do,” Thompson said. “Brody was an All-Conference player as a freshman and we’re looking for him to be more of a scoring presence for us next year. We need Van to take that next step and I thought he had a good finish to his sophomore season.”