Not much ado about Firebirds
Division I No. 1 overshadowed by NCH, Mayo
Mike Mueller's Lakota West boys' basketball team might be the least publicized No. 1-ranked team in Cincinnati-area history.
Mueller could not be more pleased, and he happily broached the subject this week.
"We realize North College Hill is the No. 1 team in Cincinnati basketball," Mueller said. "That's the reality, and I'm OK with that. In a normal year, I'd be dreading being No. 1."
Lakota West (9-1, 5-0 Greater Miami Conference) has been No. 1 in the Enquirer Division I poll all season. The Firebirds host Sycamore (6-2, 3-2) tonight.
Lakota West quietly has done its thing while O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker and Keenan Ellis have led the North College Hill Trojans to a No. 2 national rating by USA Today.
"They're the new wave, and we're old-school," Mueller said. "I don't want that to come out wrong, but our kids all came up together in this program. I've got no problem with how NCH has done it, I'm just saying that this way has worked for us."
Mueller has been a head coach for 35 years, including the past 20 in the Lakota district. He has a 547-265 career record, including the 1992 Ohio Division I title at Lakota. The state title came five years before Lakota divided into East and West.
Lakota West has flourished with Mueller's usual formula of team ball and fundamentals, with emphasis on ballhandling, passing, footwork and defense. Several players average in or near double-figure scoring.
Josh Chichester, West's athletic 6-foot-8, 210-pound senior forward, is the star. Chichester has been Enquirer all-area in both football (wide receiver) and basketball, and he will sign a football letter with Ohio State on Feb. 1. He also will play basketball for the Buckeyes.
Chichester leads West with a 14.4-point scoring average, and he also averages 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals a game.
West's second-leading scorer has been 6-7 junior Robby Schloemer, who has averaged 10 points off the bench. Matt Karaffa, Todd Mayberry, J.C. Casper, Vince Cook and Brad Gschwind all have had double-figure scoring games.
Chichester said Division I teams are targeting Lakota West and its No. 1 area rank.
"I think teams bring their 'A' game for us," Chichester said. "That's good, because it gets us up for every game."
Chichester, a former AAU teammate of Mayo, Walker and Co., doesn't begrudge NCH its stature.
"They won state last year, so they've earned it," he said. "We've got our own goals, like we want to win our own state title. First, we want to start by winning the league."
Sycamore is among those in the way. The Aviators have two of the area's top players in 6-4 senior David Buchberger (18.9 ppg) and 6-7 senior Robby Peters (17.9 ppg).
"Our kids understand this is a big opportunity, playing Lakota West," Sycamore coach Stan Kaniecki said. "If you want to get respect in the league and the city, we've got to beat somebody we're not supposed to beat. West isn't No. 1 in the city for no reason."
Kaniecki is in his first year as head coach.
The Aviators this season seek their first win over a top-10 area team and come off a 60-41 loss to No. 9 Lakota East last Saturday.
"We kind of hit a block the other night against East, where we didn't shoot well and didn't match their intensity," Kaniecki said. "Overall I've been pleased with our effort. We've got a good group of seniors, and we know what's at stake against a team like West."
