A Look at the CMAC

CCC to make instant impact in 2007

(cover shot - Carson City-Crystal's Cory Schneider)

By Gavin Raath

greatlakeshoops.com

2006-07 Finish:

Pewamo-Westphalia

Bath

Laingsburg

Portland St. Patrick

Fulton-Middleton

Saranac

Potterville

Fowler

All Conference Team:

Eric Westbrook  6'5"  Senior  Saranac -- Conference Player of the Year

Eli Redman  6'7"  Junior  Bath

Kody Kokx  6'6"  Senior  Bath

Travis Pohl  6'1"  Junior  Pewamo-Westphalia

Nathan Rourke  6'1"  Senior  Laingsburg

Josh Lawrence  6'1"  Senior  Potterville

Curtis Meyers  5'11"  Senior  Portland St. Patrick

Brett Monroe  6'2"  Senior  Bath

Matt Simon  6'1"  Junior  Fowler

Matthew Spitzley  6'0"  Senior  Pewamo-Westphalia

Jacob Woodworth  6'3"  Junior  Laingsburg

Carson Zamarron  6'3"  Junior  Fulton-Middleton

Review:

The CMAC is a quality conference and will only get tougher with the arrival of Carson City – Crystal next season. This past season Pewamo-Westphalia had a dream year, but I think everyone knew that Bath at 100%  was the top team in the conference. That was proven in the playoffs as Bath went on to win the state title in class C. The biggest surprise on the year was actually Fulton- Middleton. This team wasn't expected to do much, but churned out a respectable season and with everyone returning should only improve. The class D schools in this conference like Fowler and Portland St. Patrick really benefit from the conference play come tournament time.

2007-08 Finish:

Carson City-Crystal

Laingsburg

Pewamo-Westphalia

Bath

Fulton-Middleton

Fowler

Portland St. Patrick

Saranac

Dansville

Potterville

2007-08 All Conference Team:

Sean Jones  6'11"  Senior  Carson City-Crystal

Eli Redman  6'7"  Senior  Bath -- Conference Player of the Year

Carson Zamarron  6'3"  Senior  Fulton-Middleton

Travis Pohl  6'1"  Senior  Pewamo-Westphalia

Cory Schneider  6'0"  Senior  Carson City-Crystal

Taylor Hill  6'1"  Senior  Portland St. Patrick

Chris Kirkland  5'10"  Senior  Dansville

Klinton Koonter  6'3"  Junior  Laingsburg

Matt Simon  6'1"  Senior  Fowler

Collin Ward  6'2"  Junior  Potterville

Mick Wigfield  5'8"  Senior  Saranac

Jacob Woodworth  6'3"  Senior  Laingsburg

Bath

No Kokx, no Monroe, no Chaffee, but somehow I still think the Bees will be alright mainly because of the return of their 6'7" star senior-to-be Eli Redman. Eli can flat out play, whether it's inside or out. He's a major talent deserving of, at the very least, division two looks. Helping him out in the backcourt will be returning starter Mark Schneider whose three-point shooting sealed Bath's state title. In addition, 6'2" senior-to-be Mike Hawkins is a player that will be able to pick up a large bulk of the scoring load.

Carson City-Crystal

After back-to-back playoff performances, this has to be a big year for the Eagles. They have every reason to succeed in their new conference with quite possibly the top two players in the conference in 6'11" senior-to-be Sean Jones (lower right) and 6'0" senior-to-be Cory Schneider. Jones offers something that few teams see at the class C level with his height and Schneider is as cool as they come at the point guard spot. For this team to succeed, however, Jones has to get more aggressive.  Tyler Williams, a 6'3" senior-to-be, is the team's top athlete and should make Jones' life a little easier inside. The conference is CCC's for the taking.

Dansville

The Aggies will be baptized by fire in their first season in the CMAC. They upgrade to a tougher conference and don't have much to bring to the table. The one thing they do bring is a senior-laden team, it's just that none of them are exactly stars or starters. Chris Kirkland, a 5'10" senior-to-be, is the top returning player and at 6'2" senior-to-be Arlo Hallam will be able to help out down low. A few other seniors-to-be like 6'1" forward Jason Cremer, 5'10" guard Zac Clark and 6'1" forward Craig Brooks will receive a good portion of playing time. It may be a rough first year for Dansville.

Fowler

The Eagles did well in their regional last season and look to build on that success with a largely returning roster. Matt, Lee and Mike Simon, a trio of 6'2" seniors-to-be, are solid and Matt is a fantastic three-point threat. In addition, Travis Thelen, a 5'8" junior-to-be, will be as good a point guard as Fowler has had. Senior-to-be Preston Mailand gives them some size at 6'5". With eleven returning players, this has to be a big year for the Eagles.

Fulton-Middleton

Like Fowler, this has to be a big year for Fulton. They return five two-year starters and one of them is 6'3" Carson Zamarron. Carson was one of the league's leading scorers last season and should be dominant as a senior. Ben Weber, a 6'1" senior-to-be, and Matt Stephens, a 6'2" senior-to-be, are returning all league honorable mention guys. Rounding out their starting line-up are seniors-to-be like 5'10" guard Aaron Martin and 6'0" forward Dillon Trefil. Jordan Rahme, a 6'2" senior-to-be, will provide help off the bench. It's now or never for these guys.

Laingsburg

I believe the finest coached team in the CMAC is Laingsburg. Coach Mitchell always seems to have his guys well prepared and this season he will have some talent to go with his coaching prowess. Returning is arguably their top player in 6'3" senior-to-be Jacob Woodworth. Klinton Koonter, a 6'3" junior-to-be, will become that second option to Woodworth. Stefan MacMaster, a 6'4" senior-to-be, and Eric Silvernail, a 6'2" junior-to-be, will make for a balanced attack. Coach Mitchell also has to be tempted to insert some of the top tier talent out of his 2010 class into the line-up with a pair of 6'6" guys in Nico Rios and Tyler White and guards like 5'10" Dillon Bates and  6'1" Scott Wickham. There's a bright future in Laingsburg.

Pewamo-Westphalia

After a dream season with a strong senior class and a little luck from Bath's misfortunes, coach Luke Pohl found himself looking at  perfect season and a conference championship. Although after falling a little short of the perfect season and dropping just one conference game to healthy and eligible Bath, the Pirates still turned in a fantastic season. This coming year they will have to focus on replacing the seniors, but they are on the right track with the likely return of 6'0" senior-to-be Chad Piggott who sat out this past season with a football injury. His return, coupled with 6'1" senior-to-be Travis Pohl will give P-W a shot in the arm. Kaleb Thelen, a junior-to-be guard, will also be expected to step up his efforts. A trio of seniors-to-be in Jason Fedewa,  Jay Spitzley and Ryan Klein will insure another good season, but don't expect last year's.

Portland St. Patrick

The Shamrocks return a nice trio of seniors-to-be in 6'1" forward Taylor Hill, 6'3" wing Matt Schneider and 6'1" forward Alex Schrauben. This is a team with routinely little depth, but somehow they always seem to be competitive. Don't expect too much of a drop-off this coming year.

Potterville

It will be yet another long season for Potterville. The Vikings will revolve around transfer Collin Ward, a 6'2" junior-to-be that averaged double-digits last season. The only other returning player with any experience is 5'10" senior-to-be Adam Mena.

Saranac

With the graduation of guys like Eric Westbrook and Nate Downs, the Redskins will have to rebuild. This coming year's star will be 5'8" senior-to-be Mick Wigfield. Mick is a point guard that can lead this young team through scoring or playmaking. A couple of other seniors-to-be in 6'0" wing Ryan Hanacek and 6'3" forward Kyle Kosten will be relied upon heavily. Both showed flashes of quality last season, however, Kosten, a natural wing, may have to go down low a little more than usual.