2008-09 Varsity Boys Basketball

Excerpts and Links to Media Reports:
Please note: Some older stories may not be available online.

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Mar. 19, 2008, Gazette: For B-CC boys, three out of four ain’t bad

Steve Thompson and Austin Cooley joined the B-CC boys basketball team together four years ago. In the time since, Thompson the head coach and Cooley the four-year varsity player made three trips to the Comcast Center at the University of Maryland-College Park.

After the Barons’ 73-64 loss to eventual champion Largo in the Class 3A state semifinals Thursday, they sat side-by-side in the bowels of the arena for the final time. And they used the same words to describe a partnership that yielded 76 wins and three regional titles, but never quite a state championship.

‘‘We’re sad; but we’re very proud,” Thompson said. ‘‘We’re very proud of being here three out of four years. Austin _ how many people get a chance to be here and play three out of four years? So that’s really something.”

‘‘I’m sad, but I’m not really disappointed,” Cooley echoed. ‘‘I can’t ask for more out of my teammates; I’m proud of them. I’m happy we made it this far. I’m sad we couldn’t make it farther, but I’m definitely content with what we got.”

Cooley’s final game in a B-CC uniform resulted in team-highs in points (19), rebounds (9), steals (3) and assists (3). He missed eight full games and parts of two others this season with two broken fingers, but averaged 18.1 points in the 16 full games he played.

This was the only season in which Cooley actually led the team in scoring. He was a bit player as a freshman, had his sophomore season cut short by academic ineligibility, and shared the spotlight last season with center Maurice Pearson, now plying his trade at the University of Ohio.

As the main focus this year, of both the offense and opposing defenses, Cooley could have scored even more. That he didn’t is a point in his favor, in Thompson’s book.

‘‘Austin is, by far, the best player that I’ve ever been around,” Thompson said. ‘‘But also, he’s a stellar, classy guy. He made this team a team. He could have easily been a guy that tried to go out and score 30, 35 points and get a big-time scholarship offer, because he has all the tools to do that. But this truly was Austin’s team to make, and he did that.”

The team came together over the last month of the season, soon after Cooley’s return. Dropping four of eight games in his absence, the Barons (18-8 record) were a middling team for much of the season. From last year’s state finalists, they had graduated not only Pearson, but two big, athletic forwards in Jonathan Gregg and Jordan Herrera, and floor general Darren Smith.

But then, they made a characteristic late-season run, winning five straight games to close the regular season and three more in the regional playoffs. Spurred not only by Cooley, but also classmates Jordan Wheeler (14 points Thursday) and Tyler Henry (6 points, 5 rebounds), they overcame their graduate losses to once again become the best team in the region.

But in Largo, they ran into the best team in all of Class 3A. B-CC knocked off the Prince George’s County squad in last year’s semifinals, but the Lions got their revenge last Thursday.

‘‘Coach Thompson has been great with me over the years, and it’s kind of a friendship,” Largo coach Lewis Howard said. ‘‘So we’re 1-1 against each other in state semifinals. I’m glad to be on this side this time.”

Realistically, Thursday’s outcome wasn’t in doubt for long. The Lions led wire-to-wire, with senior Darren Clark converting a three-point play 21 seconds into the game. They led by eight midway through the first quarter, and that was as close as B-CC would get in the final three periods. The lead was 20 with 2 minutes to go, and the Barons’ reserves outscored Largo’s, 10-3, at the end of the game to cut the final margin into single digits.

But the feat did not diminish what the Barons accomplished this season, or over the last four.

‘‘It’s definitely been the best basketball experience I’ve had so far,” Cooley said. ‘‘The best coaching staff I’ve had so far. All four teams have been the best teams I’ve had so far. I have no complaints, no regrets. I’m happy I was put here, I’m happy I didn’t leave.”

Dec. 5, 2007, Gazette: A new feeling in Bethesda

On the first day of school, a student approached Bethesda-Chevy Chase boys basketball coach Steve Thompson in the hallway and asked a question.

‘‘Coach, you going to win states this year?”

Such are the expectations for a program that, not so long ago, could be counted on to finish below .500. But after five straight winning seasons and two state finals in three years, the vibe has changed.

‘‘Truthfully, it’s a neat challenge,” said Thompson. ‘‘The big ticket is to play well toward the end of January, February and into the first part of March.”

Whether or not fans realize it, that goal will be a little harder to reach this year. Eight seniors graduated from the 2007 state runner-up, leaving only four varsity returnees.

Among the graduates were Jordan Herrera (6-foot-5), Jonathan Gregg (6-6) and Maurice Pearson (6-8). The new post players, juniors Zaid Hearst and Jake Kriegsfeld, each stand 6-1, leaving Thompson with the smallest team he’s had at B-CC.

‘‘We’re not going to scare anybody walking into the gym this year,” Thompson said. ‘‘We’re back to kind of a normal varsity basketball team. ... We’re asking kids that are probably a little undersized to do the yeoman’s work.”

Still, there are two reasons why the Barons are not a normal varsity basketball team. One is that two of the four returnees were starting wings a year ago; 6-4 senior Austin Cooley and 6-3 junior Nate Koenig have been on varsity since they were freshmen. Despite their height, Thompson will leave the two talents on the perimeter, where they are most effective.

The second reason is that B-CC’s junior-varsity team went 17-1 last season. Junior guard David Williams enters the winter off a state title with the Barons’ soccer team; Thompson likes his ‘‘soccer motor.” Classmate George Smith joins Hearst and Kriegsfeld as other likely contributors off last year’s JV.

Add in senior forward Tyler Henry (6-4) and senior guard Jordan Wheeler, solid role players last season, and the Barons still have a nucleus with state-tournament potential.

‘‘We still have high expectations for our kids and our team,” Thompson said. ‘‘Nothing’s changed there.”

Location: Bethesda
Nickname: Barons
Head coach: Steve Thompson, 4th year (58-19)
State classification: 3A
Last year’s record: 22-4
Last regional title: 2007 (11th)
Last state title: 1984 (2nd)
Players to watch: G Austin Cooley, G Nate Koenig, F Tyler Henry

Game Reports:

Mar. 8, 2008: 3A West Regional Championship
B-CC 85, Tuscarora 71

Basketball on a Saturday night in March is sublime. It’s playoff time, and B-CC is back in the 3A West Regional Finals against the Tuscarora Titans of Frederick County. Coach Thompson prepared his team for this moment all season, and his team had responded by winning their last 7 games in a row to get here. Starters Tyler Henry, Austin Cooley, Nate Koenig, Jake Kriegsfeld and Jordan Wheeler were excited as they burst to an 8-0 lead in the first few minutes. Led by Henry’s inside play on offense and ferocious team defense, the Barons seemed in command. But the Titans had come to play as well, and they quickly evened the score at 8-8 with 2:55 to play. Then, Cooley sparked a Baron run with a 3-point play followed by assists to Wheeler and sophomore Zaid Hearst, respectively. In a flash, the Barons were up by 8 again. The quarter was then capped by a last-second tip-in by Luke Iraola to put the Barons up 20-10.

The second quarter continued on a positive note for the Barons. Koenig led the team with 6 points, two rebounds, a block and an assist, followed by Cooley’s 4 points. With 2:44 remaining, the Barons were up 35-19, and the crowd was sensed a possible runaway victory. But once again, the Titans refused to give up, as the outside shooters took aim with improbable shots from distances well beyond the 3-point arc. Helped by a number of unforced turnovers and a suddenly cold Barons offense, the Titans ran off a 12-0 run to end the half just 4 points down at 35-31. This was now a game.

The Barons returned from the halftime break with their confidence refreshed. Wheeler spearheaded the early scoring on assists from Cooley and a deft inside touch pass from Henry as well as an assist of his own to Koenig. Quickly, the Barons were back up by 10 points. The Titans began to answer with a series of baskets, but the Barons responded each time. At one point, Cooley brought the house down with a spectacular spinning reverse slam-dunk with 2:40 to go. Kriegsfeld added 5 late-quarter points to help the Barons maintain a 53-42 lead at the end of three periods.

Over the next 8 minutes of basketball, the Titans scored 29 points in what was nothing less than a barrage of long-distance shots. Most nights, this kind of relentless scoring would be enough to erase and possibly overcome an 11-point Baron lead. In fact, the Titans did close the gap to 4 points with 2:52 remaining. But this was not an ordinary night. With the biggest single-period offensive performance of the season from Hearst (16 points) and no less than 6 assists distributed widely from Cooley in this period alone, the Barons withstood the onslaught and even added to their lead. With 10.6 seconds remaining, and the Barons up by 84-71, Coach Thompson sat down his starters to the appreciative cheers of a hometown crowd. As the final seconds ticked down, the ball was passed to Alex Gunn, who launched a 3-pointer of his own, finishing the scoring at 87-71.

The Barons (18-7) next play at Comcast Center against the Largo Lions (22-3, Prince George’s County) on Thursday, March 13th, at 5:00 pm in the State Semifinals.

Scoring: Hearst 20, Cooley 18, Kriegsfeld 13, Wheeler 13, Koenig 12, Henry 4, Gunn 3, Iroala 2 and Williams 2.

- Reported by Trey Sunderland and Bernie Sevilla

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