High school basketball Preseason Fab 15: No. 10, Zionsville

From now until the beginning of the high school basketball season, I'll count down the area high school boys basketball Fab 15. Here's a look at No. 11, No. 12, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 15 on the list. We continue today with No. 10:

NO. 10 – ZIONSVILLE

With more than 67 percent of its scoring returning from a 13-7 season, Zionsville could be poised for a breakout season. Ninth-year coach Shaun Busick is optimistic, but guardedly so.

"We have a lot of areas to shore up before I'd even consider us a sectional contender yet," Busick said. "We have experience back, so with that comes a little confidence. The kids have a willingness to get better and I think that's a good start."

Zionsville, which was 11-2 through January last season, will have one of the most experienced teams in Central Indiana. Derrik Smits, a 7-foot Valparaiso recruit, is the top returning scorer (10.6 ppg) and also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots. The left-handed Smits shot 54 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line last season.

Smits, the son of former Indiana Pacer Rik Smits, has battled injuries throughout his career, but can be one of the best players in the state when healthy and motivated.

"We need to keep Derrik healthy the whole year," Busick said. "Number two, Derrik has to be assertive and ready to go. He can be really tough to stop. But at times he'll coast. He can't coast if we're going to be a great team. He has to go hard all the time."

For his part, Smits said he's ready for his senior season. With the recruiting piece now behind him, he's fully focused on trying to help the Eagles to their first sectional title since 1995. Smits was left off the IndyStar Indiana Junior All-Stars, adding a bit to the personal motivation for this season.

"We hit the hardest part of the schedule last year and started dropping," he said. "I don't expect that this year. We have too many seniors, too many leaders, too many guys with experience. We've all been playing together since third grade. I think we can do a lot this year."

The backcourt should also be a strength with senior guards Jake Mann (6-2) and Braden Hall (5-9) both returning. Mann averaged 9.5 points a game last season and 41 percent from the 3-point line (54-for-133), while Hall, a point guard, averaged 7.2 points and 4.9 assists.

"Braden handles the ball very well and makes great decisions with it," Busick said. "He guards well and can hit 40 percent of his 3s and 80-90 percent of his free throws. We like Braden a lot. Jake is as good a spot-up shooter as there is from 25 feet and in. He's added to his game and gotten a lot better off the dribble."

Hall said he look to hunt the basket a little more this year, while finding the right balance as a distributor.

"What I've struggled with a little bit in the past is distributing too much and the defense doesn't have to honor me," he said. "I'm not just going to be out there gunning because we have too many good scorers but I need to make teams honor me."

Chris Pappas, a 6-5 forward, is another senior who will play a major role, though he averaged 1.2 points and 1.4 rebounds last season. Busick called Pappas "much improved."

"He's a (power forward) who grew a lot as he got older," Hall said of Pappas. "He has a lot of guard skills but he's long and athletic."

Guerin Wagner, a 6-7 senior and lineman on the football team, played in 14 games last season and adds depth and size. Jack Pilcher, a 6-3 guard, is a junior who averaged 2.3 points a game last season.

Zionsville will get a significant boost with the return of Cassius Smits-Francisco, a 6-8, 225-pound sophomore who should be back in mid-December as he recovers from surgery from an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his knee. Smits-Francisco, the cousin of Smits, is receiving early recruiting interest from Ball State, Indiana State, Ole Miss, Purdue and Valparaiso.

"He's progressing nicely," Busick said. "He's been working hard in the weight room and is putting on a lot of muscle. He's going to have to get back into a rhythm and back into a flow, but he's going to help us."

Riley Bertram, a 5-10 guard, will also play with the varsity as a freshman. Busick was considering shuffling Bertram between varsity and junior varsity until watching him play this summer.

"Jumping from eighth grade to varsity ball is a going to be a learning curve for him," Busick said. "But he will eventually be a great guard for us. The first varsity tournament in the summer we learned right away he was going to be with (the varsity). He's been around the game his whole life and doesn't seem bothered or shook by the varsity level competition."

Zionsville took two-time defending state champion Carmel to the brink last year in the sectional before falling, 47-43. The Eagles are looking to build off that experience and take the next step this year.

"I was pretty excited with how we played because we know this year what we can do," Smits said. "I was disappointed in myself for getting in foul trouble in that game, but I was happy with the team. We played great and we're expecting more this year."

Why Zionsville could be ranked higher: There aren't many teams that have the experience of the Eagles, both in the frontcourt and the backcourt. Smits and his cousin, Smits-Francisco, will be a formidable duo.

Why Zionsville could be ranked lower: Sectional 8 is still a bear. Carmel, North Central, Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Noblesville and Westfield. Despite its size, Zionsville still needs to show it can rebound against elite teams.

Circle the date: Nov. 26. The season-opener at Carmel is a nice early test against a sectional rival.