by Frank Aceto
Associate Sports Editor
His teammates won't have trouble finding him.
Neither will his opponents.
Such is life for 6-foot-3-inch Streetsboro junior center Robert Wilson. If he wants some privacy, Wilson may want to stay away from the basketball court.
"I think Robert is the best player in the league," said third-year head coach Todd Muckleroy, who is 18-24 during is tenure with the Rockets.
So much for secrecy.
Of course, when you have been starting on the varsity squad since your freshman year, you're bound to get lots of attention.
And his statistics aren't bad, either.
Wilson, a first-team All-Portage Trail Conference County Division first-team performer and honorable mention pick of the Northeastern Ohio District all-star team, averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds last season.
As a result, Wilson led his team to a 12-9 overall record and a 10-4 mark in the County Division. Streetsboro finished in a tie for third in the County Division. Windham won the division last season. The Rockets' 2006-07 season came to an end when they lost a heartbreaking 53-52 decision to Aurora in the opening round of the Division III playoffs.
Wilson will have to play with some new faces in the starting lineup. Guard Ryan Parks, who played Robin to Wilson's Batman last season, graduated last season. He averaged 16 points per game. Other graduating starters include guards Landus Reed and Mike Smith.
Whoever starts will get a chance to shoot the ball. And Wilson has a lot to do with that.
"I think a number of kids will benefit from Robert," Muckleroy said. "If he gets a double- or triple-teamed, he can kick it out to our shooters."
Wilson won't be the only underclassman on the court once tip-off takes place. Also expected to contribute right away are junior forward Carrington Hanna, who averaged around five points per game off the bench last season, junior guard Mike Moore and sophomore guard Dan Spindler.
"Carrington hit some threes in key situations," Muckleroy said. "He should be more of a factor this season. Mike is very quick and is pretty good defensively. We're looking for him to step Ryan Parks' spot. Dan played a lot of JV [junior varsity] last season. We're not as deep as last year, so we're going to bring some kids up."
Senior guard John Weingart is the other returning starter from the previous season. He averaged eight points and two assists per game during the 2006-07 campaign. Weingart is recovering from an ankle injury he suffered earlier in the preseason.
Also expected to play varsity minutes are junior guards Rico Smith and Justin Sabol and sophomore center/forward Mike Zitkewicz. Smith will see some time at point guard.
"Rico is a very smart player," Muckleroy said. "He can step in either as a starter or as a major reserve."
Robert Blanton enters his third season as the varsity assistant. Fifth-year coach Nick Marcini will guide the JV team.
Like last season, Streetsboro expects to push the ball as much as possible and play a man-to-man defense. The Rockets will tinker with their defense from time to time.
Muckleroy considers Windham as the favorite to win the County Division and also mentions Garrettsville Garfield and Woodridge as contenders.
And he considers his team to be a contender, too.
"If we don't think we're going to contend, then why even play a season," Muckleroy said. "I think we can be a factor. We just need to be smart and stay healthy."
The Rockets are scheduled to open the season at home against Kent Roosevelt Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
E-mail: faceto@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3914