Boys basketball: Dixon Dukes have plenty of talent, experience

Growth was the name of the game for the Dixon boys basketball team last season, with a young lineup learning and improving every game throughout 2019-20.

By the end of the season, the Dukes could look back and easily see just how far they had come, and they immediately turned their focus to 2020-21 to keep building on that.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it looked for the longest time like there might not be a chance to keep the momentum going.

“It was very bleak at the beginning, I think we all were doubtful that we’d get to play,” senior Ryan Pitzer said.

“I didn’t think we were going to play this year,” junior Jake Gaither added. “Coming into the New Year, even, it looked like we weren’t going to get the chance.”

That all changed last week, when the IDPH approved the resumption of sports and the IHSA released its modified sports calendar for the rest of the year.

“I don’t remember what I was doing when I heard,” Gaither said, “but I remember I was really excited to know we were going to have a season. It was such a cool feeling.”

While the Dukes had been working on their individual skills, they finally got to see each other again on the court at open gyms when Region 1 moved into Tier 1 mitigations. When the IHSA announced the schedule and the region took the next step into Phase 4, it was game on at Lancaster Gym.

“It means everything to be able to get out and compete, going to practice day in and day out and just getting to play as a team,” Pitzer said. “It’s been nice going up and down the court five-on-five.”

With a short turnaround time before their first game Saturday hosting Sterling, Dixon coach Chris Harmann warned his players from the get-go that it was go-time.

“The competitive nature has been good, and that’s going to be important for us this year,” the third-year coach said. “We’ve had some really good practices, and even in the few days we’ve been able to get back together, they’ve grown so much.”

One of the biggest keys for the growth last season was the cohesiveness of the team. Harmann knew he had some talented players heading into 2019-20, but it took a little while to mesh.

With so many players back from that team a year ago, that won’t be an issue this season – even with the long delay before they could get started.

“Our team chemistry is better, because we all played together last year,” Gaither said. “We’ve got the plays down, we know what we have to do on the court, and we play better together. We’re pretty comfortable together, and we’re closer than last year because we all stayed in touch while we were waiting for the season.”

Gaither was a first-team all-BNC and SVM all-area performer last season, ranking fourth in the area at 18.5 points per game, while also adding 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.2 steals per game, the latter second-best in the Sauk Valley.

For Pitzer and his fellow seniors, being able to lace up the sneakers and don the Dukes jersey for their final year at DHS is an opportunity they want to make the most of.

“It’s great to be able to play one last time, especially because it looked like we might not get to,” Pitzer said. “It won’t be a full season, but at least we get the chance to compete every game, every play.

“After last year, we have a lot of playing time under our belts together, and that experience makes me feel like we can take off this year and really turn some heads.”

Harmann is happy to see how quickly his players are remembering the things they learned last year “coming back a little at a time,” he said. The biggest thing on his mind as the IHSA paused all activities in November was how his team would be able to carry over the momentum from a strong finish to the season.

“That’s the one thing I was looking forward to taking into summertime stuff and if we would’ve had a regular longer season,” he said. “You don’t want that momentum we had to stop; you want to continue to build on that.

“So I’ve been telling the guys to focus on competing each possession. That’s something I don’t know if these guys completely understand yet – I think they know what I mean when I say it, but it’s more important to go out and do it. To put ourselves in a good position to be successful night in and night out, we have to be at our best each and every possession.”

With no regionals or sectionals looming, the Dukes don’t think that will take away from the focus and the goals they have. With a Big Northern Conference tournament to close the season, they’re still looking forward to getting at least a taste of the postseason atmosphere.

But the main focus is on the much smaller picture.

“The goal is the same for us: we just want to win, and then keep winning,” Gaither said.