Moraine Valley men’s basketball poised for breakout season with dynamic leadership

A sophomore-heavy squad with several transfers and talented incoming freshmen give the Moraine Valley Community College men’s basketball team the perfect combo of players to yield one heck of a season.

“We’re excited. We’ll be more experienced than last year with several guys who’ve been in the program before, not just from last season. We’ll be better than last year,” said Head Coach Kyle Huppe, starting his third season at the helm.

Although the Cyclones’ national leading blocker and several battle ax players graduated, they retained six athletes and brought in enough talent to fill the gaps. They also started team building in the summer with weekly group workouts. Huppe said the biggest hurdle is playing as a unit but believes his guys already have a cohesive bond.

“They have a better connection now. We’re not feeling each other out in October,” Huppe noted. “This team has organized activities on their own. They’re policing each other and holding each other accountable. This is the only time while I’ve been a coach here that the team has done this.”

Leading the way are sophomores TJ Lee (Romeoville), a 6-3 All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference honorable mention guard and co-captain, and the big man under the basket, 6-11 center Grantas Sakenis (Andrew). “Their impact was felt last year. Over the summer, Grant lost 40 pounds and TJ put on 15. They’re working hard,” Huppe explained.

The 6-3 sophomore guard/forward and co-captain Yousef Jarad (Stagg) is Mr. Consistent in practice and games, and other players look up to him as someone who always tries to do what’s best for the team, Huppe said. Frank DeCarlo (5-10/guard/Lincoln-Way Central) is in his third year with the Cyclones after red-shirting last season. He likely will be the point guard because he’s a coach on the floor, knows the game and what Huppe wants. Sophomore 6-4 forward and co-captain Lawson Walker (homeschooled) has the experience from last season to be a top sixth man for the Cyclones.

Among the newcomers is 6-6 guard/forward transfer Ali Oralkan (Turkey), who can do it all, according to Huppe. “He plays hard on defense and offense, he rebounds, he makes the right plays.”

The true freshmen anticipated to make an impact with their athleticism include hard-working 6-2 guard and co-captain Reggie Strong (Orr Academy), 6-6 forward Noah Harris (Romeoville) and 6-4 guard Collin Miller (Lockport).

“I think we have a lot of guys who can contribute, not just one guy who averages 20 points per game. I think six or seven guys can get double figures this season,” Huppe explained. “We’re pretty solid with a lot of depth. We have all the pieces we need between the freshmen, transfers and guys coming back combined with leadership.”

The Cyclones will see how they compare to other colleges when they are battle tested during the season; if everything clicks into place, they can go far.

“We have to win our conference because it’s been three years since we have,” Huppe said. “That would put us in a good seed to make a run because that means we’ve won a lot of games. We have a good group this year that can do it.”

Joining Huppe on the bench is returning Assistant Coach Cornelius Crossley and new assistant and Cyclone alumnus Anthony Taylor.

The Cyclones open their season at the Des Moines Area Community College Classic on Nov. 7. For updates on Cyclones Athletics, visit mvcyclones.com.