Youngsters Ready To Take Over CBC Hoops Tradition

If it weren’t for having to play the number one team in the city four times last season, the boys basketball team would have had itself a fantastic season in 2010-2011.

The Cadets went 19-8 last year, but take away those four losses to the Bradley Beal-led Chaminade Red Devils. CBC would have had a championship-caliber season, and would have easily been considered one of the favorites to win state.

Instead, it was Chaminade that had the number one ranking and got all the glory last year.

This year though, CBC head hoops coach Bob McCormack believes he has a squad, young as it is, that can accomplish some of the things last year’s team couldn’t.

“I think we learned a lot last year,” McCormack said. “It was one of those deals where we kind of played without a true center, and we were still fortunate enough to play good basketball. But the focus hasn’t changed. The expectations stay the same.”

And that means CBC has three main goals going into every season.

First, they want to contend for the Metro Catholic Conference title, against rivals De Smet, Chaminade, SLUH, and Vianney.

Then, the Cadets want to have a chance to when what is traditionally one of the toughest district championships in the state.

And finally, if all things break right at the end of the season, CBC wants to win another state championship.

“My angle with these guys here, is the faces change, but the expectations stay the same,” McCormack said. “That’s the mark of CBC basketball. We have extremely high expectations, and we’re going to work extremely hard to get to those expectations.”

McCormack’s Cadets got off to a solid start, with a 67-34 season-opening win over Rockwood Summit High in the first round of the Pattonville Tournament at Pattonville High School.

Four players scored in double-figures for the Cadets, including 6’7 junior Jordan Barnett and 6’3 junior guard Patrick McCaw, who both had a game-high 14 points in their varsity debuts.

Barnett also added seven rebounds and McCaw four steals, to go along with senior teammate Zach Fischer’s 13 points and three 3-pointers.

McCormack hopes to have several members of the CBC football team, that played in the MSHSAA Class 6 state championship game, playing this season.

Standouts Aarion Maxey-Penton (5’9, Jr.), Darian Bass (6’5, Sr.), T.J. Williams (6’2, Jr.), Tyris Lockhart (6’0, Soph.), and Beau Bommarito (6’2, Soph.), are among the group of Cadet football players still trying to get into basketball shape.

“Our sophomore team went 23-2 last year,” McCormack said, “so although we’re young, I think we’re talented enough to be pretty good. And there’s kind of an upside to all this youth, which is depth. We’re going to have a deeper team than I think we had last year.”