Normal Community Ironmen boys basketball stacked with talent and expectations
NORMAL, Ill. — When Dave Witzig drapes the whistle around his neck for the first basketball practice of the 2023-24 season, it will be the 25th time the Normal Community High School head coach will begin preparing his team for a season.
Come March, it could prove to be a season unlike any of Witzig鈥檚 previous 24.
The Ironmen are loaded with size, talent and Division I interest. And, they have dreams to match.
鈥淲e want to win it all,鈥� said Braylon Roman, the team鈥檚 6-foot-4 senior point guard.
Lots of teams want that, but not many have the firepower to back it up. As Roman looks at the possible combinations of lineups the Ironmen can use, climbing to the top of the mountain doesn鈥檛 feel out of reach.
Senior Jaheem Webber, who now stands 6-10 and carries 25 fewer pounds than he did as a junior, and 6-9 junior Kobe Walker return to the Ironmen after last year鈥檚 20-14 season.
They鈥檒l be joined by two other seniors who did not play for the Ironmen last year.
Senior Noah Cleveland, who is now 6-9, returns after taking a year off from basketball but not from the weight room. Meanwhile, perhaps the most intriguing addition is 6-6 senior Niko Newsome, who transferred to NCHS from Bloomington High School over the summer. Among the quintet, the Division I scholarship offers and interest is considerable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a unique situation,鈥� Witzig said. 鈥淚n 25 years, I鈥檝e never had a team like this.鈥�
The best NCHS team to date was the 2015 squad that reached the Class 4A state championship game where they lost to a future NCAA champion and NBA player Jalen Brunson and his Lincolnshire Stevenson team. The Ironmen were led that year by the likes of Alex Peacock, Tyler Seibring and Zach Thompson.
That team was predictable but unstoppable. Everyone in the gym knew who the scorers were but opponents could do little about it.
This season鈥檚 team? It could be any number of players who fill the scoring column in bunches on a given night. Witzig offers a shrug and a familiar refrain.
鈥淢y main thing, like always, is share the ball and play great man-to-man defense,鈥� Witzig said.
With high expectations comes high pressure. Witzig says the team has decided to embrace the pressure while keeping a nose-to-the-grindstone approach.
鈥淓ven the 2015 team 鈥� they never talked about getting to state,鈥� Witzig said. 鈥淭hey just stayed in the day-to-day mentality.鈥�
Webber has already felt the team chemistry building from playing together in the summer and hanging out at each other鈥檚 homes during down time.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to see it coming together in the first couple of weeks of practice,鈥� Webber said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of talent on the team, but we trust each other, too.鈥�
Witzig鈥檚 teams have had multiple styles over the years. The 2015 team employed full-court pressure more than any team he had before or since. He鈥檚 also had teams that needed to make at least eight passes before a shot was taken.
鈥淎s coaches, we don鈥檛 want to be tied to things we鈥檝e done in the past just because it鈥檚 worked in the past,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would say this year鈥檚 team will probably get up and down more than any Normal Community I鈥檝e ever coached because of the kind of players that we have.鈥�
Witzig expects to also get contributions from 6-4 junior Dexter Niekamp.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also seen some other sophomores and juniors make some nice strides this summer,鈥� Witzig said. 鈥淭here should be plenty of competition in practice.鈥�
The Ironmen have a schedule to match their talent. No fewer than six weekend shootouts are booked, and that鈥檚 to say nothing of the season-opening Intercity Tournament and the always-rugged State Farm Holiday Classic in December.
鈥淧lus, our conference is going to be tough as well,鈥� Witzig said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to see what we can do.鈥�
NCHS boys basketball schedule
Nov. 20 vs. Bloomington at IWU, 6pm
Nov. 22 vs. University High at IWU, 7:30pm
Nov. 24 vs. Central Catholic at IWU, 7:30pm
Nov. 27 vs. Normal West at IWU 6pm
Dec. 1 at Urbana, 7pm
Dec. 8 at Peoria Manual, 6:30pm
Dec. 15 vs. Bloomington, 7:30pm
Dec. 16 vs. vs. Thornton Township at Univ. of Illinois-Springfield, 6:30pm
Dec. 19 vs. Rock Island, 7:30pm
Dec. 27-30 in State Farm Holiday Classic (Times TBD)
Jan. 5 vs. Champaign Central, 7:30pm
Jan. 6 in Highland Shootout (Time TBD)
Jan. 9 at Champaign Centennial, 7:30pm
Jan. 12 vs. Peoria Richwoods, 7:30pm
Jan. 13 at Wheaton Warrenville South Invite (Times TBD)
Jan. 15 at Wheaton Warrenville South Invite (Times TBD)
Jan. 19 at Peoria Notre Dame, 7pm
Jan. 20 at When Sides Collide Shootout / Benet High School (Time TBD)
Jan. 26 vs. Peoria High, 6pm
Jan. 27 at Glenbrook Shootout (Time TBD)
Jan. 30 at Mahomet-Seymour, 7:30pm
Feb. 2 vs. Danville, 7:30pm (Senior Night)
Feb. 3 vs. Metamora in Midwest Crossroads Shootout at Normal West 6pm
Feb. 6 at Pekin, 7:30pm
Feb. 10 vs. Moline, 3pm
Feb. 16 at Normal West, 7pm
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