Boys basketball: Young DeKalb team using summer to grow ahead of season

DeKALB – Fresh off a trip to a sectional final this past season, the DeKalb boys basketball team certainly is in reload mode as its summer schedule enters full swing.

The Barbs return only two starters from last season – incoming senior Darrell Island and sophomore sharpshooter Sean Reynolds. This means their summer – which includes Tuesdays at a home summer league with Sycamore and other programs – is being spent seeing what pieces the team has beyond Island and Reynolds.

“I wouldn’t call it a difficult time because we have a lot of talent in our program, but it’s a situation where as coaches you want to get 75% of your work in, in the summeritme,” DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds said. “We’re pretty far behind. And that’s going to make the rest of June important, and the first two weeks in November important.”

The coach said it’s also a chance for Island and Sean Reynolds to grow into leadership roles. Reynolds was a Daily Chronicle All-Area first-team selection last season, while Island was on the second team.

“Darrell is a guy that’s certainly likable, and sometimes being the hard leader is tough for him,” Reynolds said. “He’s grown in that aspect, and maturity on and off the court for him is big. I think he’s stepping up to that challenge.”

Island said he’s been working away from the ball more this year as the Barbs look to exploit their speed and make up for what’s likely to be a height disadvantage in a lot of games this season – as was the case last season.

So for Island, a lot of the summer involves getting into the paint without the ball.

“I’m just making sure the younger players are doing what they go to do, making sure I’m doing what I got to do,” Island said. “I’m also learning how to play without the ball in my hands, bringing the ball up the court, playing on the wing mostly.”

Reynolds said the main goal of the summer is to get players to buy into any changes in the system and see how the young players have grown. He said the team has been working hard and getting better all summer.

“It just gives us time to get together as a team and a family so we can just do better for the upcoming season,” Island said. “We can get out all our mistakes, too.”

Mike Reynolds said Tyler Vilet and Cooper Phelps had limited action last season but should have much bigger roles. He also said Johnny Henderson, an incoming senior, was buried behind some talented players but should have a chance to play a lot, and sophomore Jackson Kees and junior Eric Rosenow have looked strong so far as well.

Throw them into the mix with Sean Reynolds and Island, and the team’s coach is very optimistic.

“The main thing is his body is going to change as he matures, which is a good thing for him and our team,” Reynolds said. “I think the leadership thing is going to be important for him, too. He’s going to be a guy that’s played a lot of minutes and guys respect him because he works hard. With him and Darrell, our leadership stuff is pretty good.”