Junior Matt Rafferty witnessed his season come to an end as the basketball team suffered a six point loss to Geneva in the first round of the playoffs last February.  Rafferty’s 15 points and 10 rebounds weren’t enough to save Central from its 49-55 loss, which occurred only weeks after claiming the Western Suburban Conference title.  With a completely different lineup of players, losing many seniors to graduation, the team will come out with new talent for the 2013-14 basketball season.

“I think our team has reloaded,” said Grant Hutcherson, junior. “We lost a lot of seniors who made huge contributions and were very effective in games and in practices, but we filled those spots and are working hard to win our second straight conference title. This year with some new guys, including myself, we have a shot to make a run in the state playoffs and go far.”

“I think that we are going to have a good season,” said Jordan Bradshaw, a junior and guard on the team.  “We have a lot of size and some very good shooters to compliment them.  Our team chemistry is also a major strength.”

Coach Nick Latorre will be returning for his third season as head coach, along with assistant coaches Lee Maciejewski and Zach Walker.  They lost Kevin Baldus and Andy Jones, both assistant coaches last year.

“Obviously it is hard losing two good coaches who really understand our team and program, but Coach Walker is also a great coach who we all like and will help out our team,” said Ryan Scales, senior.

The team consists of 10 juniors and nine seniors, making them one of the younger teams in the state. They play tonight, Nov. 25 against South.