His team had barely finished one of its most productive preseason practices two Fridays ago when Whiteland boys basketball coach Nate Cangany saw the season flash before his eyes.
The player projected to be the Warriors’ starting center, 6-foot-6 junior Max Sullivan, sustained an ankle injury that evening while playing a Class 5A regional football game. Sullivan, the Warriors’ starting tight end, needed help getting off the field and missed the rest of Whiteland’s 39-6 loss to Cathedral.
How would this impact Sullivan’s ability to play hoops?
“I was watching the game on my phone. I started getting texts and calls and was freaking out a bit,” said Cangany of the player who last season led the Warriors in rebounding (7.1) and was second in scoring (14.0). “We were well aware of what was happening. After we found out some more, we realized he would be fine.”
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In time, the worst-case scenario gave way to a collective relief.
Sullivan sprained his left ankle, but he is expected to be ready when Whiteland starts its basketball season looking to improve on last year’s 6-16 record. The Warriors could start as many as four guards in Cangany’s second season, making the 237-pound Sullivan’s presence in the paint that much more important at both ends of the floor.
“We don’t have a ton of size outside of him,” Cangany said. “Max has good size, good strength and can shoot the ball well.”
Senior Logan Willoughby, a guard whose scoring norm was 15.9 points last season, is expected to play the 2 spot for the Warriors, with junior Drew Higdon at the point. Junior Kyson Jones (5.1 ppg) and sophomore Austin Willoughby (6.2 ppg) are potential starters, as are 6-3 sophomore Brady Stanifer, rugged senior Kayden Welling, senior guards Quinten Gillespie (4.3 ppg) and Jacob Preilis and junior Dylan Gross.
Regardless of who starts, the coach feels improved defense is a must if Whiteland is going to post only its third winning season since the 2008-09 campaign. The 61.5 points opponents averaged against the Warriors a year ago were the most since the 2003-04 squad yielded 64 a contest.
Sullivan believes the team was taking steps in that direction in the latter stages of the 2019-20 season.
“I think we can get after it on the defensive end and create some turnovers,” he said. “We really picked up our energy at the end of last season, and that was one of our driving forces. It was a big learning point for us last season, but the Beech Grove game on senior night (a 73-59 Warriors victory), we came out and shocked them. I feel that was our best game.”
Seven of Whiteland’s 16 losses last season were by single-digit margins, and with Cangany’s system firmly in place, the coach believes the Warriors have the ability to win the close ones.
Sullivan is a captain for a second consecutive season. He shares leadership responsibilities this time with Jones and Logan Willoughby.
“I’ve never seen a sophomore be voted on by his teammates as a team captain,” Cangany said. “I thought that maybe he is the real deal. Max was a guy who was not going to let us quit.”
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Head coach: Nate Cangany
Last season: 6-16, lost to Greenwood in first round of Class 4A sectional
Top returnees: Quinten Gillespie, Jacob Griffith, Jacob Preilis, Kayden Welling and Logan Willoughby, seniors; Dylan Gross, Drew Higdon, Kyson Jones and Max Sullivan, juniors; Austin Willoughby, sophomore
Key newcomers: Ethan Turner, junior; Brady Stanifer, sophomore
Outlook: Logan Willoughby and Sullivan teamed to score 55 percent of the Warriors’ points last season, but for the team to take the next step, some of their teammates must emerge as viable threats offensively. Austin Willoughby, Jones and Gillespie are certainly capable. It’s also imperative Sullivan receive help along the interior defensively and with rebounds; Stanifer, Jones and Austin Willoughby will be counted on to assist him there. With most of its key players back, Whiteland should be able to take some steps forward this winter.
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1. Which nonconference opponent are you most looking forward to facing?
I would probably say Shelbyville because we played them in our first game last season, and I thought we should have beat them. We didn’t, and that really stuck with me.
2. Which unknown player on this team will become a household name this winter?
Drew Higdon. He played mostly junior varsity last season, but played a little bit of varsity at the end and really helped us. He’s a good rebounder, passer and defender from the point guard spot.
3. Given the ongoing pandemic, how concerned are you about the season being interrupted in some way?
Yeah, a little bit. The cases have been going up, so I hope we can get that under control and have our season.
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