MUNDELEIN — Mundelein’s boys basketball team is radically changing the way it plays. Predictably, the results have been unpleasant so far.
Through seven games — all losses — the Mustangs’ average margin of defeat is 25.5 points. Four times, Mundelein has lost by 30 or more points. Lake Forest Academy, Uplift and Stevenson each scored at least 80 points against Mundelein. By comparison, only once have the Mustangs scored more than 60 points, in an 89-61 loss to Uplift.
“We are turning the ball over too much [early] in the season,” coach Corey Knigge said. “There’s nothing you can draw up. Those are adjustment things.
“You have to handle the ball. If you are not passing it well, then you have to get in the gym and work on it.”
There’s one area in which the Mustangs are not deficient: effort. The June practice period is when Mundelein first began to implement a new offensive system. It is a motion scheme, with an emphasis on ball rotation.
“We move the ball and sprint to cuts,” senior guard Tyler Olson said. “We make extra passes and look for the open guy. It’s raw.”
Senior guard Malik Doby explained the basics.
“It’s based on reacting and going to the ball,” Doby said. “You want to get it in the lane and look for kicks [passes]. It’s a very teammate-oriented offense.”
So far, results have been seen in flashes.
In a 80-36 loss to Stevenson on Dec. 3, the Mustangs turned the ball over 13 times in the first half. That prevented them from being competitive against the top-ranked Patriots. But on several possessions, freshman point guard Tommy Marcotte initiated offense in the half court. Passes were crisp and cuts to the ball were sharp. This led to layup opportunities.
Doby said the team is learning to manage the tension between aggressiveness and diligence.
“It’s a fine line between scoring and passing too much,” Doby said. “We want to find the balance where if you are open, take the shot, but don’t force it. [Too often] we try and put our heads down and drive the lane with four guys there. Coach wants us to make the extra pass.”
In a film session the day after the Stevenson game, Knigge spoke to players about mental toughness. The Patriots are likely to be the best team Mundelein will face all season. There were times when the Mustangs played tentatively, looking like a team that didn’t believe it could compete.
As Mundelein works through its offensive struggles, the Mustangs are trying not to let their attitudes suffer. The offense is fixable. Attitudes are controllable.
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“We are going to be the underdogs in every game,” Olson said. “We have to know we can win against anyone. [Knigge] is letting us know it doesn’t matter what others are doing as long as we do what we are supposed to do.”
“At some point, what we are doing will come more natural,” Roby added. “There will be growing pains. From the beginning to now, we’ve made great strides.”