Left: 2009 F 6'7" C.J. Drago
Right: 2012 5'11" PG Scott Mammel
Bottom Left: Twin Towers (twins literally) 2010 6'9" Ben and Mike Byron
Not sure what's in the water over at Churchill, but whatever it is, they sure do grow 'em big. Coach Randy Schuster's Chargers graduated a lot of leadership off of last years playoff team. Not the least that will be missed is 7'1" Ian Markoff who is now at the University of Wisconsin. My sources tell me that Ian is now up to a chiseled 270 lbs and has acquired a bit of a mean streak. That's something he seemed missing as a high school senior, but the Badgers Bo Ryan has appeared to bring it out in him. He'll need it to compete in the Big XII, the most physical conference in the country. Same sources say he'll be two years at Wisconsin and then is a lock for the NBA. Keep up the good work Ian!
Only a freshman, keep an eye on Scott Mammel. If he develops to be anywhere near the player his elder brother Greg did he'll be pretty darn good. Greg Mammel played his high school ball for the home schooled group, FEAST. Young Mamell will give Churchil a true point guard who can also score the ball for the next few years. Greg is now playing at one of the top D-II programs in the country Barton College in North Carolina.
Back to the Bigs. Out with Markoff, and in with the Byron twins. At 6'9" and still growing these two 2010 post players should have a breakout season. Playing with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors 2010 squad, the big fellas are coming along nicely. As with most Posts, they just never seem to develop quick enough for most of our liking to really be dominant early at the high school level. Typically a 6'4"-6'6" football type body can have more high school success that the lanky true posts who are still growing into their bodies. However, when the dust settles, kids like the Byron Boys will continue on to play in college. Both have a good work ethic and will continue to develop. Look for Churchill to jell as the season progresses.
The addition of Antonion transfer 2009 F 6'7" C.J. Drago could be the wildcard which allows Churchill to put together a strong playoff run. His ability to run the floor along with the sheer size of the Byron twins gives the Chargers an opportunity to really run some mismatches with hi-lo post sets. Drago plays during the summer with the San Antonio Rohawks. An interesting sidebar is that his uncle coached at Duke University back in the day. San Antonio Churchill is clearly the biggest team in the area.
