As boys progress through adolescence, growth spurts can come at any given time.
It just happened that multiple Greenwood Christian basketball players hit theirs within the past year.
“We grew a lot in the offseason,” Cougars coach Jonny Marlin said, “so we’ll be 6-(foot)-5, 6-5, 6-4, and that should create some issues at the 1A level with that length.”
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One of the players who added a couple of inches was junior Champ McCorkle, GCA’s top returning scorer from last season (14.1 ppg). He’ll be joined up front by younger brother Styles McCorkle and junior Andrew Anderson, who appeared in just four games last year after transferring from Center Grove.
That trio gives the Cougars solid size in the frontcourt, but don’t mistake them for a plodding group with plans to overpower opponents in the paint. Marlin likes the athleticism that GCA has across the board, and he expects veteran guards Payton Modlin (11.6 ppg) and Quentin Steele (7.2) to push the pace.
“I think our expectation is that we’re going to be an unselfish team,” the coach stated, “a team that plays a really fast-paced style of basketball but at the same time a team that’s going to be disciplined.”
“We’re still a relatively fast team, so as long as we can grab boards, we’ll be able to run easily,” Anderson added.
Expectations are high at GCA with such an experienced group back, but Marlin isn’t ready to talk about any specific goals. After an earlier-than-expected sectional exit last winter, he’s trying to keep his team thinking one day at a time.
“One of our big focuses on the year is just to improve each and every day,” Marlin said. “We probably won’t talk about the sectional at all this year until sectional week comes. We just want to be focused every practice on getting better.”
Perhaps they’ll even keep getting a little bigger in the meantime.
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Which gym is your favorite — or least favorite — to play in, and why?
"My favorite gym is probably here at GCA, just because it’s home and we’ve been here the most. And then my least favorite is probably (Indianapolis Lutheran). That one was not fun to play in; that was last year’s sectional."
Which team not on your schedule would you most want to play?
"This might be big, but I’d like to play Center Grove, because that’s where I played freshman year. They’re the best that they’ve been in a while, so … I’d like to take a shot at them just to see how close we could get."
Which player that we might not know about is likely to have a breakout season?
"Styles McCorkle. I think he’s going to have a really good year this year. He didn’t play much varsity last year … but he’s really grown over the summer. He’s gotten pretty good at shooting and rebounding; he’s just gotten quicker and just better all around."
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Coach: Jonny Marlin
Last season: 13-10, lost to Providence Cristo Rey in Class A sectional opener
Top returnees: George Apgar, Lance Estes, Payton Modlin, Elliot Murray, Trey Spears and Quentin Steele, seniors; Andrew Anderson and Champ McCorkle, juniors; Styles McCorkle, sophomore
Key newcomer: Michael Floyd, freshman
What to expect: The Cougars have most of their main rotation players back from a year ago and should have a pretty balanced lineup. Modlin, Steele and Champ McCorkle put up a combined 33 points a game last season, and Anderson also showed some promise after becoming eligible late in the season. Look for GCA to again be a long, up-tempo team that can compete with almost everyone on its schedule and contend for a sectional championship.
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