Cloverdale enters new era

It is the dawn of a new era for the Cloverdale boy's basketball team under first year head coach Joey Hart. 

New coach. Check.

New faces on the roster. Check.

New expectations. Check.

It is the dawn of a new era for the Cloverdale boy's basketball team under first year head coach Joey Hart. 

After enduring back-to-back 2-22 seasons, the Clovers kicked off the season recently with an emphatic 77-64 win over Greencastle at Rose-Hulman. 

"We've got a long way to go, but it's a lot better than losing. The kids played really well and the kids stayed together. We took the hit, responded and battled some foul trouble. I thought it was a really hard played and really played game after the first quarter. They are good, and it was a good win for us" Hart told The Putnam County Post. 

The game was the first for senior Jahaven Duncan, and freshmen Tobias Hart and Ishmael Kiteka, a 6-foot-8-inch force inside the paint. 

Duncan finished with 27 points and was a near perfect 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the fourth, while Hart added four points. However, it was the play of Kiteka that took everyone by storm, as the freshman finished with a handful of blocks to go along with 21 points. 

Hart was all smiles when discussing his freshman and what he brings to the Clovers. 

"He is an extremely intelligent kid. He's a young freshman so his ceiling is ridiculous because of his intelligence, his hands, he can catch the ball on the move and has soft touch. He can do some things that I can't teach. He is a super kid. He is a winner. He is special. There haven't been Division 1 coaches in Cloverdale's gym since Jalen and Cooper and we've had them in already to see him. He's 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan and just turned 15," Hart said.

Another player that stood out to Hart was sophomore Trey Schabel, who finished with 20 points, of which 11 came in the third quarter.  

"I thought Jahaven and Trey grew as the game went on. Trey is deceptively quick," Hart said.

After falling behind 9-1 and 13-5 early, the Clovers clawed back in to knot things at 13-13 after the first quarter. The ability to get back in the game was due in part to Cloverdale's free throw shooting, as the Clovers were 6-of-10 in the first quarter and shot 23-of-31 from the charity stripe for the game. Greencastle, on the other hand, was just 5-of-9. 

With the win, Hart was pleased, but knows there is still a lot of basketball left to be played. 

"Our best basketball is ahead of us, and we have lots of ways to improve, but we are finding our way," he said. 

As for opening a new season that features a new coaching staff and new faces, Hart said it was "important" to pick up the win in the opener. 

"It is important as far as the buy-in goes. We have 18 teams on our schedule and I thought we would play three of the top six in our first games. I was going to use to use the first four games as an exhibition season to get better and go from there. To get one of those as a win is great. You can't get number two if you don't get one. We have Edgewood coming, Indian Creek coming and Southmont coming," Hart said.