Drew Scharnowski is the perfect example of a player and prospect you should’ve seen coming.
The Burlington Central senior was on a steady climb from the start of his junior season through the end of this past summer.
For a player the City/Suburban Hoops Report ranked among the top prospects in the class at an early stage, Scharnowski put up very modest numbers as a junior for a team that went 31-4.
But from an evaluator’s perspective, Scharnowski was a burgeoning talent with a tremendous upside. This was a still-developing player with prototype college prospect size and length while being blessed with an uncommon skill set for his size and position.
The 6-8 Scharnowski finally did break out with a big summer. By that time college coaches were on board. He had close to 20 Division I offers when he found an ideal fit with Belmont and committed in the middle of July.
Now, as a senior, the prospect with the high ceiling has become a dominant player. The numbers speak for themselves: 23.4 points, eight rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocks a game. He’s leading a team that is 21-4 and once again atop the Fox Valley Conference after graduating four starters from a year ago.
Scharnowski dunks, drops in threes, is one of the primary ballhandlers and flirts with triple-doubles. Over one three-game stretch in early January in wins over Huntley, Woodstock North and Neuqua Valley, he averaged 30.6 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and six blocks a game. This past week he surpassed 1,000 career points.
How far can Scharnowski lead the Rockets? Burlington Central, which receives ample support from 6-4 senior Nick Gouriotis (11.4 ppg) and 6-4 sophomore Jake Johnson (9.7 ppg), will host its own and winnable sectional.
Seeding time
Seeding across the state will take place next week, and there won’t be a sectional with more 20-win teams at seeding time than the one at New Trier. As a result, seeding the sectional won’t be easy.
The Central Suburban League South stalwarts, New Trier, Evanston, Glenbrook South and Glenbrook North, should all have 20 wins by seeding time. But they’ve all taken turns beating one another.
Rolling Meadows already has 21 wins and both Loyola and Niles North have 20.
But when dissecting the seven 20-win teams closely, there is a clear No. 1 and No. 2.
New Trier should be in a position to nab the No. 1 seed. The Trevians have lost just once in the CSL South (to Glenbrook North) and own wins over Loyola and Rolling Meadows. New Trier, which plays rival Evanston this Friday, is a combined 5-1 against those top sectional teams.
Rolling Meadows lost to New Trier by just one point, crushed Evanston by 26 points and knocked off Glenbrook South twice. The Mustangs comfortably slide into the No. 2 seed.
Watch out for the Maroons
When it comes to legit state title contenders, geographical representation is a good thing for Illinois high school basketball. We have it this season.
Class 3A was already built for it with last year’s state finalists, state champ Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin and runner-up Metamora, returning virtually intact this season. They’re both even better and are favorites to return to Champaign in March.
And with how Moline has played since a Pekin Holiday Tournament loss to Mount Carmel in January bodes well for Class 4A.
Moline (22-3) beat perennial power St. Louis Vashon by double digits and hammered talented East St. Louis 77-53 in early January. The Maroons nearly beat Simeon, falling 67-66 when a game-winning shot was blocked at the buzzer, and then dominated Rolling Meadows this past weekend in a 72-53 win.
Some talented teams stand in the way. Both Quincy and Belleville East are state-ranked and potential sectional foes, though Moline will have the advantage of hosting its own sectional. Joliet West and Jeremy Fears, Jr. could be waiting in the Illinois State Super.
But coach Sean Taylor has the luxury of having the ultimate game-changing quarterback at crunch time in point guard Brock Harding. The future Iowa Hawkeye plays an enthusiastic game and a relentless style. He has the type of basketball speed and shiftiness to get where he wants on the floor while making teammates better.
Harding has a running mate in 6-10 Owen Freeman, another Iowa recruit, who together form one of the best 1-2 punches and mismatch problems in the state.
How good were Harding and Freeman in the win over Rolling Meadows? Harding went for 26 points and eight assists while Freeman finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Moline is in a basketball-rich area in the Quad Cities, and it’s a program with a proud history. But the Maroons are in search of their first sectional championship in 19 years. With Harding and Freeman, along with playing the sectional on its home floor, they’re in a position to end that drought.
