Linn-Mar Boys Basketball

Paige nets 23 as Lions trim Waukee, 53-48

Marcus Paige has not lost a basketball game in the Linn-Mar High School gym since he joined the Lions as a freshman in 2008.

He wasn't going to let a sprained ankle get in the way of that winning streak Tuesday night.

Paige popped in 23 points as Linn-Mar rallied to defeat Waukee, 53-48, in a season opener that matched two of the premier Class 4A programs in the state.

Paige rolled his right ankle in practice Monday night and was questionable until 90 minutes before tipoff.

"I just wanted to come out here and help my team and do whatever I could," he said. "I thought if I hadn't played I would have left them hanging. I'm glad I was able to make it through the game."

Paige was limping after the game, but happy he played as the 2011 state champions rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

"I think he really wanted to play in the home opener, especially in front of the home crowd," Coach Chris Robertson said. "He knows how good Waukee is. He wanted to be out there battling.

"I don't know if he was 70 or 75 percent, but he's pretty good at 75 percent."

Paige is the leading candidate for Mr. Basketball honors in Iowa this season, but he's the only returning starter for Linn-Mar after losing Matt Bohannon, Shane Benton, Josh Montague and Ian McBrayer to graduation. It took a while for the new lineup to click.

The Lions trailed, 42-35, early in the fourth quarter when Paige and his new partners went to work. He found Matt Lassen in the corner for a 3-pointer, then scored two baskets himself with a coast-to-coast layup and lefty floater to tie the game, 42-42.

Jimmy Roth completed a three-point play to give the Lions a 45-42 advantage, then all-state receiver Andy Henry caught a pretty no-look pass from Paige for a layup and 47-42 lead.

It was a 14-0 streak that took less than 4 minutes and turned a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

"Marcus took over," Robertson said. "He took it to the basket on three straight possessions. Obviously Marcus is a difference-maker. Not many teams have a guy like that who can just take over the game. We're fortunate to have him."

Paige led his team off the court as well.

"Marcus pulled us together and said, 'We're not losing this game.' We all nodded our heads," Lassen said. "Playing with him, if you're open by just a little bit you're getting the ball. He has a pass-first mentality."

Paige hit only 3 of 10 shots in the first half, but made 8 of 12 in the second half to finish 11 of 22 for 50 percent.

"I rolled my ankle a little bit in practice yesterday and I think that made me settle for jump shots," he said, downplaying the injury. "And plus it was our first game, so there was kind of a feeling-out thing.

"I think I forced some 3's early that I probably shouldn't have shot. Then our offense got settled down and we started getting more aggressive and taking it to the rim in the second half. I think that was the difference."

Waukee (0-1) played in the Class 4A state tournament last year and returned five key players from that team, including four with starting experience. The Warriors have good shooters and good size, and for a while it looked like they'd spoil the party.

Chad Gutschenritter, a 5-foot-11 guard, hit four straight 3-pointers in about three minutes to give Waukee its 42-35 lead early in the fourth quarter, but he didn't score again as Paige and Henry took turns guarding him.

Lassen, Henry, Roth and Derik Gogg joined Paige in the new starting lineup for the Lions and all four of the newcomers contributed to the victory.

"I'm so proud of our guys right now," Paige said. "To see us come together and really click like that at the end of the game was a great start to our season. I think we can build off that."

Paige soaked his right ankle for several hours Monday night, again Tuesday morning and again Tuesday afternoon.

"I wasn't real optimistic last night. It was pretty swollen up," Robertson said. "When we left practice last night, a lot of guys had their heads down."

Paige has already signed with North Carolina and didn't have to play Tuesday night. "I think that shows a lot about Marcus," Robertson remarked.

Lassen scored 10 points for Linn-Mar, including a pair of clutch free throws with 19 seconds left after Waukee had pulled within 51-48. Gogg scored eight points.

"I like our team. I'm excited," Robertson said. "We're young. We may take some lumps early, but I think at the end, if this group keeps working, the pieces are there to make a run at the end."

Gutschenritter led Waukee with 20 points. Cole Pederson scored 11 points for the Warriors.

WAUKEE (48): Gutschenritter 8 0-0 20, Stotts 2 0-0 5, Easley 1 0-0 3, Pederson 4 1-1 11, Gehring 1 2-2 4, Allen 1 0-0 2, Lejukole 0 0-0 0, Jacobson 1 1-2 3, Wellendorf 0 0-0 0, Kollmorgen 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 4-5 48.

LINN-MAR (53): Lassen 3 2-2 10, Roth 2 1-3 6, Gogg 4 0-0 8, Henry 2 0-0 4, Paige 11 0-0 23, Martins 0 0-0 0, Dick 0 0-0 0, Schlotterback 0 0-0 0, Hutchins 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 3-5 53.

Halftime - Waukee 24, Linn-Mar 23. 3-point goals - Waukee 8 (Gutschenritter 4, Pederson 2, Stotts 1, Easley 1), Linn-Mar 4 (Lassen 2, Roth 1, Paige 1).

Paige ready for final campaign, better than ever

Marcus Paige was one of the premier high school basketball players in Iowa last year, an all-state point guard and the driving force behind Linn-Mar's surge to the Class 4A title.

Now he's even better.

"He's a lot better than he was a year ago, probably in all phases of the game," Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson said. "His entire game is improving, and I think people are going to see how special he is this year."

People noticed how special he was last year, when he averaged 17.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3 steals on a talented club. North Carolina Coach Roy Williams noticed, too, and was delighted when Paige signed with the Tar Heels earlier this month.

"He's shooting the ball real consistently. I know he's been shooting a lot in the offseason," Robertson said. "Strength-wise, he's getting stronger. His lower body is very explosive."

Paige shot 58.1 percent from the floor last season, including 50.8 percent on 3-pointers, and nailed 81.0 percent of his free throws, so it might be scary for opponents to contemplate an "even better" Paige on the floor this season.

The big question at Linn-Mar, of course, is not Paige. He's a superstar and undoubtedly one of the top prep guards in the country. The question is the supporting cast.

All four of Paige's running mates in the starting lineup last year graduated after Linn-Mar topped Des Moines Hoover, 56-42, in the state finals to cap a perfect 26-0 campaign. Remarkably, all four of them are now playing in college.

Matt Bohannon, the captain of the state all-tournament team, is playing at the University of Northern Iowa, although he'll probably be redshirted this season. Shane Benton has joined North Dakota, Josh Montague is at Maryville (Mo.) and Ian McBrayer is at the University of Dubuque, where he also plays football.

Michael Thul, the backup point guard last season, is playing at Coe College, so even a reserve from last year's club is getting a chance to continue his career in college.

Robertson has big shoes to fill.

"Well, it's going to be interesting," he said. "There's a lot of excitement because of last year and with Marcus coming back. We feel like we've got the best player in the state of Iowa.

"From that standpoint, that's exciting," he said. "But on the other side of that, we've got to find a lot of new faces to complement him."

Linn-Mar has won three state titles in the last eight years (2004, 2007, 2011) and has compiled an extraordinary 186-18 mark during that span, partially because its feeder system keeps delivering well-rounded, fundamentally sound players.

Derrick Gogg, a 6-foot-8 center, and Matt Lassen, a 6-4 perimeter player, contributed to last year's success as sophomores and should be moving into the starting lineup. "I anticipate them stepping in and playing a lot bigger roles this year as juniors," Robertson said.

Andy Henry, a star receiver for the Linn-Mar football team this season, got a small taste of the action last year and could play a prominent role for the basketball team.

"We're hoping Andy Henry has half as good a basketball season as he's had a football season," Robertson remarked. "We'll be very excited about that."

Robertson also mentioned Zach Martins and Nate Dick as two players who could make important contributions.

The Lions entertain Waukee on Tuesday to get things started.

Linn-Mar had an exceptionally well-balanced team last season. Paige, Benton and Bohannon roamed the perimeter, while Montague and McBrayer gave them size and strength up front.

"That team was just such a special team," Robertson said. "They all played a role. They all played their role very well.

"Probably my biggest concern is the physicality inside. We had that last year. With Josh and Ian, nobody pushed them around. They were very physical inside.

"That's probably the piece we're looking to find, some bodies that can go inside and bang a little bit. I think we're going to miss all those guys, but I think the hardest ones to replace this year are going to be the big guys inside."

Gogg is 6-foot-8, but skinny. They're trying to beef him up.

Linn-Mar lost 80 percent of its starting lineup from a state championship team, but Robertson said "anything is possible" as he looks ahead to a new season.

"This team is going to have to go through some ups and downs early in the year," he said. "I think in the end, I think we could make a run and be competitive if things come together. We could make a run, because when you have a player like Marcus, anything is possible."

Paige was one of several good leaders on the team last year, but now he's the main man.

"He's always been a great leader with his play, and maybe our best leader as far as on the floor," Robertson said. "I think he's going to have to be more of a vocal leader and push some of these younger guys.

"It's hard," Robertson said. "You hope he takes over a little bit more, but at the same time Marcus is the type of player that is so unselfish. He could probably go out and score 30 points a game, but I doubt if you'll see that.

"Hopefully you'll see it once in awhile, but I think he'll still get everybody involved and be that floor leader and try to make the team as good as it can be."

It was pretty good last year.

"It was a dream," Robertson said. "It was a perfect season, in so many ways. It was a special group of guys.

"It's a hard thing to do, to go through a journey like that and win every game. And to finish it off with a state championship was icing on the cake. Groups like that don't come around very often."

No contest in Lions-Indians scrimmage

Forget the fact that both teams are rebuilding with nearly new lineups. When the Marion boys crossed town for an exhibition game Monday night with Linn-Mar on the Lions' home court, it was still no contest.

Literally, since they didn't keep score.

But then no one figured it to be a rivalry for bragging rights. Linn-Mar, after all, is the reigning Class 4A state champion after a perfect 26-0 season. One ranking service tabbed last year's outfit the eighth best in the nation.

The Indians were good, too, making vast improvements as the season went on, finishing 17-8 and making it into the first round of the Class 3A state tourney.

Still, Linn-Mar's players all wear fancy matching white Nike sneakers and socks. The less-stylish Marion boys don't wear the same brand or even the same color.

"For us, it's a chance to get some game experience and get the jitters out," said Marion Coach Mike Manderscheid. "We've only had six practices, and we have almost no experienced players.

"So it's good for us to get out there, get to run up and down. We'll learn some things we need to do to get better."

Lost from last year's Marion team are the top six players, solid performers who all played together for years: Kasey Semler, Dusty Albaugh, Dan Van Gorp, Tyler Fisher, Dylan Cronk and Austin Hardman.

"We're going to have some bumps in the road," Manderscheid said. "But we'll work hard and get better. Don't look at us now. Look at us later in the year when we're a finished product."

For Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson, it's more a matter of re-loading. Gone are starters Matt Bohannon, Shane Benton, Josh Montague and Ian McBrayer as well as a number of valuable subs.

He's got talented role players from last year in juniors Matt Lassen and Derik Gogg as well as fellow junior Jimmy Roth, who grew five inches over the summer into a 6-foot-4 shooter.

Oh, and there's also senior Marcus Paige, a mere prep All-American who this time next year will be playing for North Carolina.

"He's even better than most people think he is," said Robertson of the versatile floor general. "And the thing is, he makes everybody else better."

Nobody was counting, but Paige almost effortlessly hit three 3-pointers Monday night, snatched several steals, fired no-look passes to teammates for easy buckets and jammed home a monster left-handed dunk.

He also had another dunk waved off because he was whistled for double-dribble. Even the ref seemed dubious about making the call.

"I think we'll have good depth this year," Robertson said. "And we've got a lot of good athletes. And then we've got Marcus. He's pretty  special."

Stop the rumors: Paige signs with Tar Heels

Marcus Paige heard the rumors this fall, just like everyone else.

They began after Adam Woodbury and Mike Gesell, two of his buddies on the All-Iowa Attack AAU basketball team, committed to play at the University of Iowa.

"I definitely heard it," Paige said Wednesday afternoon. "Adam Woodbury and Gesell are two of my best friends, and when they committed to Iowa the buzz started that I was considering Iowa. That wasn't true."

The rumors can officially end now. Paige signed his national letter-of-intent with North Carolina on Wednesday, honoring the commitment he made to Tar Heels Coach Roy Williams last January.

"My commitment was solid all the way through," he said.

Paige got his first Division I scholarship offer in June of 2008, shortly after finishing the eighth grade. That offer came from Ben Jacobson at the University of Northern Iowa.

Paige got his second offer the very next day, from then-Iowa State coach Greg McDermott, so he had two offers before he began the ninth grade at Linn-Mar High School.

"It was apparent at an early age that Marcus was going to be a special player," said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson, who put Paige in his starting lineup as a freshman.

Before long, many of the top college basketball programs in the country were chasing the lithe point guard.

"The who's who of coaches were here," said Robertson, ticking off North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Stanford, Iowa, UNI and others. "You name it, the heavy hitters were here."

Paige visited North Carolina last fall and fell in love.

"The weeks following the visit, I kept getting a better and better feel for North Carolina," he said. "My relationship with Coach Coach Williams was pretty strong at that point already."

Paige originally said he'd wait until after the 2010-11 basketball season to make a decision, but instead made the announcement when the Lions were in Minneapolis for a basketball event in early January.

"When it felt right, I didn't see any reason to wait," he said. "I knew the decision was going to be the right one and I stuck with it all the way."

Paige wore a North Carolina T-shirt Wednesday.

"Growing up, I've always loved North Carolina," he said. "I've been a huge fan my whole life. Having this opportunity means the world to me."

His life became a lot simpler after he announced for North Carolina, because it stopped the recruiting merry-go-round.

"Definitely," he said. "I haven't had to take any visits, I haven't had to talk to multiple coaches every week.

"I've been able to focus on improving my game and also spending more time at the high school with my teammates, working out and getting ready for the season."

Paige had a hectic summer, traveling all over the country for basketball events, with stops in Oregon, California (four times), Florida, South Carolina and Ohio for the LeBron James camp. "We've just been everywhere," he said.

"I think this summer was big in my development as a player," he added. "I got a lot stronger, and I also improved my shooting a lot. I feel like my game has taken another step."

Now he's focused on his senior year at Linn-Mar. Practice starts Monday, and Paige is looking forward to building a new team and seeing how well they can do.

The Lions went 26-0 and won the Class 4A state title, but all the other starters graduated to college programs. Paige is willing to do whatever it takes to make the Lions a winner, whether that means piling up points or piling up assists.

"I've always taken that approach of whatever is necessary," he said. "If the team needs me to be the scorer for the night, then I'll try and take on that role.

"If not, I'll try to get everyone else involved, because that makes the game easier for the entire team. Whatever they need me to do, whether it's defending the best player on the other team or scoring the most points, because winning is obviously the No. 1 priority for me."