Stone Unturned

Sunday, February 12, 2006

greatlakeshoops.com

The Big Nine has its share of big name players. With star players like K’len Morris of Grand Blanc, Tom Herzog and Laval Lucas-Perry of Powers, and Garret Konuszewski of Flushing, it easy to go to a Big Nine game on any given night and see a player who is moving on to the next level. One player who should be joining them is Galen Stone of Swartz Creek. The 6'1''and 210 pound Stone is everything that I love in a player. He works hard, does all the small things and is not afraid to get his hands a little dirty. He does not, however, benefit from the hype machine of high school basketball playing at Swartz Creek.

Stone is a senior forward at Swartz Creek who is helping make Dragon basketball exciting for a change. If you follow Big Nine basketball, you are sure to be familiar with seeing Swartz Creek on the bottom of the rankings. The Dragons may not be world-beaters this year, but don’t be surprised if by the end of the season they are in the top four of the conference. The success of this team can be contributed to a newfound toughness brought by Stone. Stone, who is leading the Big Nine in rebounds per game, gives credit to his coach for his success this year.

“I’m not the tallest and I’m not the fastest but I have to be smart and just play where I can fit in. Rebounding to me is just who wants it more. It’s not about how high you can jump or how tall or strong you are...you just have to work. And that's what Coach Senter installed into us.”

Those of you who have had the pleasure to see Stone play couldn’t help but notice the strength he possesses. Let me give you some numbers: Galen is able to bench 285 pounds with repetitions at 225, he also repeats squats 315 pounds and dead lifts 465 pounds. In other words, he also might be the conference's strongest player. One thing is for certain: He is undoubtedly the strongest member of the National Honors Society!

I have had the pleasure of seeing Swartz Creek and Galen play on multiple occasions this year. The first time I saw him was against Powers. Going into the game, I did not know what to expect from him. I heard that he was a pretty good player, and a great athlete, but that was all I knew. Leaving the game I was able to see why people like him so much.

A few things struck me about Galen. The first was that he had a knack for getting rebounds. Going against Tom Herzog for most of the game I did not expect him to get to the glass very often. Much to my surprise he was able to pull in nine rebounds after not starting the game. Galen would go up and simply out will everyone else to get the board. The other thing was that Galen was not afraid of anyone. I have seen many people try to score on Herzog on drives--though I have only seen three people have success: K’len Morris, Kalin Lucas, and Galen Stone. That is some impressive company.

“Powers by far was the best team we played against. They have a lot of threats. I mean, first you the have 7'0" [Tom] Herzog in the middle who takes away the post which we use a lot; then they have shooters like my cousin Laval and a great penetrator in Matt Wittbrodt. Herzog would have to be the best player I have played against because he’s just tall and I had to be physical; but, I couldn't be outright dirty...”

Galen, I am sure they would have good things to say about you as well.

The same things have stuck out to me every time I have seen him play. The game that best defines his season was in his most recent loss to Flushing. Flushing came in favored and determined to win after having poor outings in their previous games. To make matters worse, Swartz Creek was without two of its best players, junior guard Trevor L’Hommedieu and senior forward Will Hanson. Galen single-handedly kept Creek in the game. In the first half alone he was able to pull down 10 rebounds and limit Flushing’s best post player, 6'6'' center Nate Cox. Galen finished the game with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

In that game Galen showed what makes him the player that he is . It would have been easy to shut it down in a bleak situation. Stone would not let that happen, and made sure that no other player on his team would either. In more recent action he was able to do the same thing scoring 27 points in a recent loss to Grand Blanc, yet again without L’Hommedieu.

Despite his obvious ability he has yet to receive a scholarship for either basketball or football--which he is also a standout at wide receiver.

"After Graduation I plan to play college football. I have been getting looks from GLIAC schools and am waiting to hear from SVSU and Northwood. If not I will probably walk on to Tulsa or North Illinois.”

So, if asked to give a short concise "Lowdown" of Swartz Creek’s Galen Stone, what would I say? Simply that if you are looking for a kid who is willing to do anything to win, then Galen is your man. Every team needs a player of his caliber. He knows his role and what his teams needs him to do to give them their best shot at winning. Whether that is scoring, rebounding, or playing defense on an opponent’s best player, he is ready, willing and able. So, if you haven’t had the opportunity to see Galen play yet this year, do yourself a favor and go see him. And as a warning to all future opponents: beware, Galen is coming.

The LowDown on Garrett Konuzewski

The LowDown on Christina Rivette