In seven years as head coach at Cardinal, Jon Cummins always looked forward to the 2017-2018 season.
He watched his four seniors grow up and develop from grade school players to multi-year starters at the high school level and with all five starters returning, the Huskies have a boatload of potential and extremely high expectations.
“I’m in a unique situation with all five starters returning,” Cummins said. “This allows our coaching staff to fine tune the areas that need the most work, not introducing players to varsity basketball. Defensively, we need to improve. If the kids buy into working as a team defensively, we should be in a position to win a lot of games.”
Seven of Cardinal’s players have at least a year or two of varsity experience, which should help the team avoid the wide-eyed scenario it encountered in key games during past seasons.
“The big stage will not be an issue for this group,” Cummins said. “In years past, we could not close out teams we should beat. We need to play our best basketball late in the game and finish teams off.”
Seniors Luke Timas, the point guard, Robbie Mulh, a forward, Hayden Cummins, a center/forward, and Parker Kosh, a guard, provide the foundation of the team their coach dreamed of for so long.
Timas is a four-year varsity player and three-year starter. He averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game last year on the way to earning second team all-conference and honorable mention all-district honors.
“He’s the heart and soul of the team,” Coach Cummins said.
Mulh averaged 12 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while Cummins pulled down 7.6 rebounds and averaged 5 points per contest. Mulh earned honorable mention all-conference and first team all-Geauga County honors.
“When (Mulh) gets his motor running, it’s like a freight train coming at you,” Coach Cummins said. “(Hayden Cummins) is our best post defender and very athletic 5 who runs the floor.”
Kosh averaged 9.3 points per game.
“He’s a highly intelligent basketball player and works extremely hard on both ends of the floor,” Coach Cummins said.
Junior guard/forward Matt Carney, Cardinal’s lone underclassmen projected to start this season, should handle the pressure of big games as well as his senior teammates, considering he spent the fall quarterbacking the Huskies’ football team.
He averaged nearly seven points and six rebounds per game last winter.
“He’s the most versatile player on the team,” Cummins said. “He will play all five positions at some point during the year.”
Juniors Robbie Bruncak and Brice Hogue and senior David Braun also are expected to play big roles for the Huskies this season.
Bruncak tied the school record for 3-pointers made in a single game three times last season.Cardinal opens the season at Crestwood on Friday.
