[Southsider2k12]

First things first, I want to thank some of the best sports minds that Michigan City has to offer for their contributions here. Adam Parkhouse and Drew White from the Michigan City News Dispatch sent in their contributions, as did ALCO-97's John Benke. I asked them for their predicted standings for the Duneland Athletic Conference this year, along with their preseason pick for player of the year in the DAC.

Starting from #8...

8. Portage Indians- Portage was 4-18 last year, and they lose 77% of their scoring last year according to White. This leaves stud QB Jake Dixon to run the team along with Tristan Pearman according to Benke. The only panelist who did not pick them for last in the DAC was Adam Parkhouse, who had them in 6th.

7. Chesteron Trojans- The Trojans were going to be hit hard by graduation anyway, on a team that was 7-14 last year with only 4 wins in the DAC. On top of that the kid who could have been the best returning player in the conference last year in Mitch McGary has left Chesterton for an out of state prep school. This team will fight with Portage for last place.

6. LaPorte Slicers- This is another team that was hit very hard by graduation. Drew White mentions the loss of over 1100 points from last year from a group that went 14-8 and in the top half of the DAC. John Benke points out that the Slicers should have a solid front line with Jake Eaton, Scott Vaughn and Damon Carnes coming back. They are going to miss the three point shooting that has been a signature of their games.

5. Lake Central Indians- The Indians finished 13-8 last year, but return the guy who in my opinion has the potential to be the best player to graduate the Duneland Conference this year in Glenn Robinson Jr. They do not return much else to the floor from last year though. Expect Robinson to see a lot of double and triple teams, and maybe still lead the DAC in scoring.

4. Crown Point Bulldogs- Projected by our panel to be the most improved team in the DAC after going 8-13 last year, the Bulldogs return the conferences leading scorer from last year in Michael Albrecht, and Naval recruit 6'10" Jared Smoot. Albrecht can fill it up from the outside, and Smoot is an excellent defender who erases lots of the defensive mistakes of his teammates.

3. Michigan City Wolves- If the Wolves were to finish 3rd, it would be the highest finish for City since the 2000-2001 season. The reasons to be optimistic for the Wolves are plenty. Graduation only takes Adam Harmon out of the City line up, but luckily for them, they are deepest at the guard positions returning Shereff Knight, Reggie Clay, and Jabbar Washington, along with sniper Taylor Lavery. On the front court Senior James Sanders returns as City's best inside player, and maybe their best three point shooter as well. Lawrence Davis will man the power forward position as a Sophomore who started to see playing time as a freshman last year. Alajuwon Edwards with man the 3 position as the Wolves most versatile player, not only fighting it out underneath the basket, but also doing some of the ballhandling. Defense will be the trademark of this John Boyd coached team, as the guards might be the best contingent of pressure cookers in the DAC. Opposing teams will struggle to bring the ball into the front court, let alone to get into their offenses and to work the ball inside. The Wolves second string will include some new exciting young players such as Darius and Brian Jenkins who lit it up for a very good freshman Wolves team last year. This year as a sophomore Darius Jenkins seems to be profiling to be the guy who replaces Harmon's role as the go-to scorer for the Wolves. Bolstering the front line is 6'4" Sophomore Lacy Johnson and 6'3" Junior transfer Eric Yarborough. Senior guard Sam Bellamy also returns to round out the Wolves roster.

2. Valparaiso Vikings- Our panel was very divided over the 2-3-4 teams in their predictions this year. Drew White picked Valpo to be #2, and Adam Parkhouse picked them at #4. Regardless, graduation will hit the Vikings hard as they return only one starter from last years 19-4 squad. Manning the floor for Valpo will include multiple sport stud Jerrick Suiter, Adam Butterfield, Dan Hummel, and Nick Galouzis according to John Benke. While they graduated a lot, the Vikings always seem to reload on the fly very well, and this year looks to be no different.

1. Merrillville Pirates. The one unanimous pick out of our esteemed panel was the Pirates. After going 20-4 last year, they return their entire starting line up, including division one NCAA recruit Jeremiah Jones. Jones is a great athlete who is still working out on his outside games consistency. The front line of the Pirates is the best in the DAC with announcers nightmare Tukombo Fashawe, Edward Seay and Josh Hogan. Joining Jones in the backcourt is Brandon Clark. The Pirates not only won the DAC last year with this team, but they also won the Michigan City sectional. While they might lose a game or two in the DAC this year, this is a team that would surprise no one if they ended up in Conseco Fieldhouse this year. Website Rivals.com has the Pirates rated as the #25 team in the entire country.

Player of the Year-

Jeremiah Jones 6'3" senior from Merrillville HS. The only panelist who didn't pick Jones as the POTY was John Benke, but John wasn't shy about praising Jones as a part of maybe the best backcourt in the state of Indiana. Jones is an athletic freak, who can leap out of the gym. His game is well over the rim, as anyone who made the trip to the Pirate ship last year saw. He put down multiple alley-op attempts in the first half before the Wolves adjusted. Jones is also blessed with great first step quickness, which allows him to beat biggest players when coaches try to put a more physical defender on Jones. With the team he is on, look for him to put up the best all-around numbers in the DAC to edge out Glenn Robinson Jr, who should have the best scoring numbers.

[Southsider2k12]

On a side note they have Marquette picked for 7th of 8 in their conference. I'm not super familiar with rest of the teams in the Greater South Shore Conference, but Marquette might struggle to win 5 games this year. They graduated their entire front line, plus their key guards. I believe they bring back one starter this year, who was the lowest scoring amongst the five.

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/high-school...e393d6d628.html

Duneland Athletic Conference

1. Merrillville

2. Valparaiso

3. Lake Central

4. Crown Point

5. Michigan City

6. LaPorte

7. Chesterton

8. Portage

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/high-school...648ef5c9f4.html

Inside the Wolves

"This is probably the quickest team I've ever had. I've never had kids who can play at the pace they can. It's quite a sight to see." !~ coach John Boyd

Leading returning scorer: Alajowon Edwards, 10.4 ppg.

Leading returning rebounder: Edwards.

Go-to player: Edwards, Sr., F. "He's very versatile," coach John Boyd said. "He can play multiple positions. He's just a hard-nosed kid. We're just looking for him to stay consistent."

He's got next: Shereff Knight, Sr., G. "He's probably (one of) the most underrated point guards in the area," Boyd said. "He's one of the strongest, most durable and fastest point guards. He's got an incredible first step."

Circled on the calendar: Nov. 24 vs. E.C. Central. The Wolves upgraded their season opener from Class A neighbor Marquette to the perennial 4A powerhouse Cardinals. Boyd's never been afraid to play anybody. He's also picked up Munster.

The Times' breakdown

The Wolves jumped from two wins to 11 wins in Boyd's first season, and he's banking on continued progress. "I'm looking for great things from this group," Boyd said. "We want to make Michigan City a consistent winning program in the state of Indiana." City returns four starters and several others with varsity time, and will use them all to maintain the pace at which Boyd wants to play. "We're gonna get after it defensively and push it up and down the floor," Boyd said. "We have some weapons on the floor." James Sanders and Lawrence Davis provide an inside presence for a team that's otherwise not big. Boyd looks for scoring support from athletic Jabbar Washington and 3-point sniper Taylor Lavery. An upper-half DAC finish is definitely in the cards for M.C. if it can find the consistency it lacked last season. !~ Jim Peters