By Bobby Narang
Oswego East High School boys basketball head coach, Ryan Velasquez, wanted to gather his team for one final Summer pep talk Sunday afternoon.
The Wolves had wrapped up the June team camp season by playing two games at the Ridgewood Shootout Sunday, June 26. The three-day shootout featured many top teams in the Chicago area.
The Wolves, who finished 33-2 and won a Class 4A regional championship last season, were among the top teams this Summer. They finished the month with stellar showings in the the Riverside-Brookfield and Ridgewood tournaments on the final two weekends.
Soon after defeating Libertyville in the Wolves’ final game of June, Velasquez rounded up his players to talk about improving for the Fall and handling expectations.
Velasquez said his team understands most teams will be motivated to beat the Wolves next season.
“They’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” he said. “But they’re a hungry team. I tell them they can’t be complacent. It’s a good group of guys who are coachable. We lost some key seniors, a lot of leadership. I’ve seen these past four weeks some other guys step up. These guys worked hard.”
Even though the Wolves lost significant talent, notably Patrick Robinson, they welcome back a surplus of athleticism, height, and playmakers. Senior guard Mekhi Lowery is at the top of the list. His solid play and versatility caught the eye of several college coaches in attendance, leading to offers from Southern Indiana and Valparaiso Monday this week.
“I’m definitely excited about the high expectations, and am ready for the season and to play the top teams,” Lowery said. “I feel I did pretty good, and am only going to get better during the season.”
The Wolves garnered the attention of the Chicagoland high school scene by shattering the school record for wins in a season and advanced to the Class 4A sectional championship game for the second time before losing to Bolingbrook.
Velasquez said Lowery is a player to watch this season.
“Mekhi grew about two inches to 6-6 or 6-7, which made things easier around the rim for him, defensively and offensively,” he said. “He’s a fantastic young man, so versatile. He can guard one through five on the defensive end and is nasty and tenacious on the glass. He plays unselfish, so everyone loves playing with him. He brings so much to the table, including his athleticism. He’s kind of like a Swiss army knife — can do it all. He’s a really nice player.”
Lowery said he’s excited to showcase his diverse game in the July AAU period to prepare for the upcoming season leading the Wolves.
“Summer has gone great, and my recruiting has boosted up,” Lowery said. “Our team looked more and more solid. We played hard each weekend, built our chemistry. I’ve been in the gym working on my strength and game. I’m going to keep working hard.”