Solon Comets wary of great expectations

By Patrick Thornton
The Chagrin Valley Times

Coming off an "elite eight" appearance last year in the state tournament, just about everyone knows Solon is for real.

This year, however, the expectations have reached new heights. "Sports Illustrated" named Solon the best high-school basketball team in Ohio. The Comets are ranked nationally in several polls, and they return one of the best four-year starters around with center Dallas Lauderdale.

The Comets will have to try to manage expectations this year. Head coach Todd Van Reeth isn't too concerned, however, about the high expectations that others have placed on his team. "I think the best pressure we put on is from ourselves," he said. "We don't put a lot on ourselves, and we never have."

For him, the expectations are the same they are every season, he said. "Our goal is to get better every day and play well at the end of the season."

The Comets know playing well in March means a lot more than playing well now. They are not too concerned with their regular season record, but instead they want to be as tournament ready as possible.

"Our goal is to win in March," Lauderdale said. "All these regular season games mean something, but in a sense they don't. They're just getting us ready for March."

Van Reeth said the Comets are playing a tougher schedule this season, because he doesn't want his team to be surprised come tournament time. Also, the tougher schedule should allow the team to know what it needs to work on before the tournament starts, he said.

The Comets kicked off the season Tuesday night against a very tough and talented Massillon Perry team. The Pirates should be a state title contender as well and will be a good barometer for how ready Solon is for the regular season.

The Pirates feature 7-foot center Kenny Frease, who is sure to test to the Comets in the post. Frease is one of the premiere junior big men in the country and is the biggest player Lauderdale has ever faced.

"I'm sure he's a good player," Lauderdale said about facing Frease. "But I will go at him."

Solon is also playing in two national basketball tournaments this season: one in Erie, Pa., and another in Seattle.

"It's a great reward for our kids for the hard work they have put in, in the off-season," Van Reeth said about traveling to other cities to play basketball. "It's great experience."

Lauderdale will have the kind of help he hasn't had before, another big post player. Six-foot-6, 240-pound sophomore Reggie Keeley will start at power forward. Lauderdale said he's excited about the addition, because he expects Keeley to take away some of the double teams he usually faces.

"Now we have someone else who can score down low," Van Reeth said. That added size should especially come in handy, because Keeley and Lauderdale are the only two Comet starters over six feet tall.

The Comets will be breaking in four new starters this season: seniors Anthony Burns, Nne Lewis, Arsenio Brown and Keeley. Van Reeth knows his team has a lot of talent, but the key is how well they play together.

"We have some good individual talent, but it's not the team with the most individual talent," he said of what it takes to win. "It's the team that plays the best together."

Lauderdale knows his team is marked this season because of the high expectations.

Despite all the hype and rankings, VanReeth has shrugged off suggestions that this could be the best Solon team ever. "No, we haven't won a game yet," he said.