Senior Jared Bloom is the top returnee for an inexperienced Warsaw boys basketball team this season. Bloom, shown versus Wawasee last year, averaged 9.8 points-per-game and led the Tigers in 3-pointers as a junior (Photo by Mike Deak)

WARSAW – Warsaw boys basketball coach Doug Ogle sees a lot to like about his 2012-13 edition of the Tigers.

He also knows that patience will truly be a virtue for him especially early on in the season with such an inexperienced roster.

“I like our group,” said Ogle as he enters his 11th year as head coach at WCHS. “I like the leadership we have and I like that we have a lot of guys with strong character. I also like the fact that we are a little more athletic than people might think.

“The thing is that we are so inexperienced overall in terms of varsity basketball that it’s hard to predict how we will do. Our inexperience is real. We only have 28 total varsity starts returning from last year. We have to be patient at the start until some of our new guys understand what varsity basketball is all about. It’s a different animal.

“Over time, I think we have the chance to develop into a strong team this season. The mix of intangibles we have with this group is the reason why we can be a good team in time. But, everyone has to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

The Tigers lost six seniors from last year’s squad that finished 13-8 overall and 3-4 in the Northern Lakes Conference. Among the departed players from that group are Lucas Grose and Jordyn Coon, the top two scorers and top pair of rebounders. Grose averaged 16.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Coon finished at 10.1 and 5.3.

The top returnee for the Tigers this time around is Jared Bloom. The 6-0 senior guard made 17 starts a year ago, averaging 9.8 points-per-game and leading Warsaw with 37 treys last season. Jordan Stookey, a 6-1 junior guard, also returns. He started seven games a year ago and averaged 6.0 ppg.

“Both of those guys are aggressive and can score in a variety of ways,” said Ogle of his pair of backcourt performers. “They just have to also be patient.”

Taylor Cone, a standout wide receiver for the WCHS football team this fall, also returns. The athletic 6-2 senior forward averaged 2.0 ppg. a season ago. John Swanson, a 6-5 senior forward who played JV last year, has made significant improvement, according to Ogle. Senior guard Jason Ferguson, who also played JV last year, will also be counted on.

“Our offense is ahead of our defense and rebounding right now,” Ogle said. “I think we have some offensive firepower. When we are patient offensively, we’ve been efficient in practices. The big change is that we’ve put in a new defense this year and we have stuff we have to learn with it.”

The Tiger roster boasts five seniors and four juniors. Quim Romans, a 6-3 senior forward, is an exchange student from Spain. The junior guard trio of Trae Furnivall, Darren Walcott and Nate Pearl will be counted on for strength in the Tiger backcourt this season.

Warsaw comes right out of the gate versus three quality foes by hosting Tippecanoe Valley (Nov. 21) and Columbia City (Nov. 24) and then playing at Homestead (Nov. 30). Those three non-conference opponents were a combined 56-16 last season.

“Our first three opponents are tough, a real buzz saw to start,” said Ogle. “All three of them pretty much have everyone back from last year.”

Ogle, who is 151-73 in his 10 seasons as head coach, sees the Northern Lakes Conference as loaded. Elkhart Memorial won it a year ago at 7-0 with Concord and Plymouth both at 5-2 and Goshen at 4-3. Warsaw was then next at 3-4, followed by NorthWood (2-5), Northridge (2-5) and Wawasee (0-7).

Memorial lost a ton to graduation from its 24-2 squad, that reached the Class 4-A semi state, including star guard Todd Johnson. The Chargers do welcome back star senior guard Markese McGuire, who has committed to Illinois of Chicago. Concord will be led by big time 6-6 forward force Franko House, who has signed with Ball State, while Plymouth has 6-8 junior Mack Mercer in the middle. The junior standout for the Pilgrims is receiving interest from schools such as IU, Purdue, Butler, Ball State and Notre Dame, according to reports.

“The NLC is loaded,” remarked Ogle, whose team begins league play at Wawasee on Dec. 14. “It’s just a very strong conference. I think Concord is the best team in the league with who they have back. I think then it’s probably NorthWood, Northridge, Plymouth and Goshen in that next tier of teams.”

Ogle thinks in time his team can surprise some people this winter.

“Our biggest strength is that we have guys with character willing to accept their roles and that’s definitely worth something,” Ogle said. “We just need to be tough minded and tough physically.

“Our focus is not on the wins. It’s on the character and the intangibles. We focus on how we work, how we treat people and how we go about our business. Those things are all very important to me and important to our program.

“I do think we can have a good season and surprise some people. It’s possible for this team to improve dramatically over the course of this season. If our players remain coachable, I think we can be surprisingly good by the end of the year. That’s what we play to try and do.”