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Prepping for Preps: Central Bucks West (Pa.)

10/26/2015, 12:45pm EDT
By Ethan Miller

Cal Reichwein (above) and the Bucks have eight seniors on the roster. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Ethan Miller (@ByEthanMiller)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of CoBL's "Prepping for Preps," our series of articles previewing area high school teams for the 2015-16 season. For the complete list of schools previewed so far, click here)

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Central Bucks West’s elimination in the first round of the District 1 AAAA playoffs last year wasn’t the worst possible scenario for the Bucks.

Sure, losing as the No. 8 seed in the district playoffs--they were upset in the first round by No. 25 Great Valley, costing them any chance at a state playoff berth--was not the desired outcome.

So they’re using it as sort of a learning experience.

After finishing 19-7 last season, second in the Suburban One Continental with a 10-4 league record, CB West has a whole new perspective on the 2015-16 season.

“We were a young team last year, we have eight seniors coming back,” senior guard Connor Lynch said. “We are using last year’s early exit as a motivator and something to carry on our backs for this season.”

The dream of playing on the floor of Temple University come late February isn’t out of reach for this veteran team. The Bucks are ready to get back on the floor with high expectations, returning three senior starters: Luke Irons, Cal Reichwein, and Erich Hohenleitner.

Then add in Lynch, a 6-2 senior who’s had a strong offseason, plus classmates Ben Reigel and Zach Paley, all of whom will factor into the rotation.

Reichwein has been a key component to this Central Bucks team, starting the previous two seasons and averaging 12.2 ppg last year.  

A 6-foot-2, 180-pound wing guard, Reichwein like the rest of the Bucks’ guards can do a little bit of everything on the floor. A terrific 3-point shooter from all around the arc, he’s a crafty scorer with excellent court vision who makes a lot of impressive passes.

“I’ve been working on my shooting to develop more comfort on the court,” he said. “I’m looking to work on my strength to get my teammates open for opportunities.”

Reichwein is hearing from all sorts of schools, including D-IIs West Chester and East Stroudsburg, D-IIIs like Ursinus and even Division I schools, as there’s a potential walk-on opportunity at Lafayette.

His younger brother, sophomore Jake Reichwein, should see minutes this season as one of the few underclassmen who could earn a role

Over the summer, CB West coach Adam Sherman scheduled match-ups against high leveled teams like Neumann-Goretti, Imhotep Charter and Roman Catholic. Although the Bucks didn’t beat them, they gained a whole lot of experience playing against future Division I athletes.

“We really knew how to compete, it really boosted our confidence,” Reichwein said. “It gave us an opportunity to play against the best players in the area.”

In the past few seasons, CB West has known to be a guard-heavy team that loves to spread the floor. The Bucks like to run the offense at their tempo, even if it takes three minutes to find an open shot.

Breaking down their opponent's defense is what wins them ball games.

“We like to look for opportunistic opportunities,” Sherman said. “We like to have the advantage in matchups because we aren't extremely athletic and fast.”

The Bucks held their opponents to 50 points or less 15 times last season. A lot of this had to do with recent graduate Nico Munari, who filled the middle last year. The Bucks are looking for Hohenleitner, a 6-4 forward, to pick up some of the difference this season.

The Bucks should have no problem in the backcourt with defensive presence of guards Billy Power, a 6-0 combo guard, and Luke Irons, a 5-11 point guard.

“Billy puts a lot of pressure on guards full-court, while Luke gives us an aggressive boost for our defense,” Sherman said.

The Suburban One League is wide-open this year, with each of the top programs graduating at least a pair of players crucial to their success. Defending champs Abington lose the backcourt of Matt Penecale and Amir Hinton; Pennsbury graduated D-I bound Derrick Woods (St. Bonaventure) and Cameron Jones (Saint Peter’s) plus Mekhi Bryant; Plymouth-Whitemarsh lost Andre Mitchell and Jimmy Murray.

CB West has developed a unique skill that many high school teams miss out on--for this up-and-coming senior class, it’s all about team chemistry.

“People are always refer to us as the basketball squad,” Lynch said. “People think the team is hilarious and fun to be around.”  

“We are extremely close as a team, no matter if you are junior varsity or varsity we are a family.” Lynch said. “We always try to pick a teammate up if they are down, that’s the great quality about us."


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