MONTICELLO — From the outside, looking at the Monticello boys basketball team before the 2021-22 season started, it was easy to discount them.
The team hadn’t won a regional championship since the 2016-17 season and although the team was returning five seniors to the starting lineup, it didn’t have that big superstar on the court that grabbed people's attention.
Instead that senior group — Ben Cresap, Dylan Ginalick, Joey Sprinkle, Tanner Buehnerkemper and Trevor Fox — used their experience from years of playing together to find a perfect balance, ultimately leading to a second-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament.
“Every group is different and you really don't know how the season is going to unfold. I knew we had a great core of seniors that were great friends. They had a great chemistry and they enjoyed playing with each other,” Monticello head coach Kevin Roy said. “We don't start the year with how far do we think we can make it. We start with how good we can be, play to our potential and be the best we can be.”
“They all came together and they played their roles. They were good friends and you could see that in how they played the game,” said Roy, the Herald & Review’s Area Boys Basketball Coach of the Year. "They shared the ball and would pass up a good shot to get a better shot. That is great discipline on their part with their unselfishness.”
Question: At the state semifinal (a 54-38 win over Taylor Ridge Rockridge), the team set a record for shooting percentage in a state game. How did that make you feel?
Roy: “You never know how a team is going to shoot when they go into an arena like (the State Farm Center). They were relaxed and out there having fun. They took good shots and we do talk about shot selection and keeping in rhythm. They were doing that. We knocked down some outside shots which makes the defense come out to defend you and we dropped the ball down to Joey Sprinkle and he was 7-for-7 in that game. They had a great basketball IQ and were patient to find the best shot."
Q: Ben Cresap led the team in scoring this season with 15.1 points per game. What did he bring to the team?
Roy: "Ben was the heart and soul for this team with his attitude and his effort. He was guarding the other team's best player and the team fed off of him. I never had to second guess if Ben was ready to play. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the stakes and the more Ben wanted to step up. You can't coach that into a kid, he is just that way. He wanted to succeed and he wanted to win so bad."
Q: Dylan Ginalick handled a lot of the point guard duties and was unafraid to drive to the basket. How important was his role to the team?
Roy: "He was the mastermind of all of it. His demeanor and his approach to the game was always very under control and cerebral. He could read the defense and attack and understand the angles and passing lanes. He just knew when to dribble and not to dribble and when to pass and when to shoot. He had a great mindset for the game all the way around. Just his presence on the floor made the team better."
Q: Joey Sprinkle was your presence down low. How did his job get tougher as the postseason went on.
Roy: "Joey led us in rebounding this season and down the stretch, any teams that had big guys, Joey drew tough defensive assignments. His athleticism and his ability to read and react got him into the right spots. He raised his level with each game we had in the postseason. When you give a kid a challenge and they step up to it, you love to see that as a coach."
Q: The one-point loss in the championship game must have been difficult to take at the time. How do you feel about the state experience now?
Roy: "It was a dream season for us and looking back, it was fun and exciting. As you are rolling in the postseason, it is always the next game and the next game and you don't really get to enjoy it until you get a time to sit back and see the success that the guys had. I think these guys maxed out their potential and they were a great deserving group of kids to have the success that they had."
PHOTOS: Monticello vs Bloomington Central Catholic during the 2A Springfield Super-Sectional game
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Contact Matthew Flaten at (217) 421-6968. Follow him on Twitter: @MattFlaten
Monticello's Ben Cresap (5) passes the ball while Sages head coach Ken Roy (left) looks on during the Class 2A Springfield Super-sectional against Bloomington Central Catholic.