NOTRE DAME BOYS SPORT NEW HEAD COACH

Chris Neff is only 26 years old, but he's been waiting a lifetime for the opportunity before him.

Neff, who coached Notre Dame High School's boys JV team the past two years, has taken over the reins of the varsity squad from Chris Janet.

But Neff's coaching experience goes well beyond his two years at Notre Dame. It began somewhere around the womb.

Neff's father was a head coach at the varsity level for 28 years. In addition to osmosis, the son also took an intense course in coaching as his father's point guard for three years at Lafayette High School in St. Joseph.

As a result, in contrast to Notre Dame's new gymnasium, Neff is often referred to as old school.

"I just am," he acknowledges. "I've seen my dad do it for years. It's the way I like it and can't get away from that style. I'm just real disciplined."

The players have already grown accustomed to Neff's style as the JV posted an 18-6 record last season. Some of those players will be taking the step up with Neff while nine lettermen return from a 13-13 varsity.

The Bulldogs, who will have six seniors and six juniors on the roster, enter the season a bit shorter in the height department from a year ago, lacking the likes of 6-foot-7 Anthony Ressel, but hope to make up the difference with a group of sharpshooters. "We have a lot of guards and small forwards," said Neff. "We just don't have a prototype center." The group of sharpshooters include the only two returning starters, John O'Rourke (6-0, G) and Mark Rubel (6-4 G/F), both juniors. Other returning marksmen are seniors Adam Obermiller (6-1, G/F), Michael Gosche (6-0, G), Chris Dirnberger (6-0, G) and Curtis Dannenmueller (6-5, F) and junior center Jonathan Ressel (6-4).

"I look for Ressel and Rubel to really carry us," said Neff. "They're so dedicated to their game and work so hard."

Rubel averaged 8.5 points per game as a sophomore while Ressel had a handful of starts. Neff looks for the two 6-4 players to create mismatch problems in their ability to both hit the outside shot and post up inside.

The Bulldogs add another marksman in senior Josh Eftink, who started as a sophomore but missed his junior season with a knee injury.

Rounding out the lettermen is team captain Don Franklin, a 6-foot power forward.

Added into the mix will be juniors Derrick Schlosser (6-3,F), John Hamm (6-1, G) and Michael Hoffman (6-2, F) from last year's JV.

Schlosser, an aggressive rebounder, led the JV in scoring.

"He's probably the most athletic kid on the team, but he's as raw as anybody on the team," said Neff.

Hamm is yet another accurate shooter from the outside.

"I think we have 10 kids that can really go and a lot of 2A schools would love to have," said Neff.

A deep team also suits Neff's preferred up-tempo style and man-to-man defense. He promises plenty of full-court pressure the second half of the season but wants to ingrain a disciplined half-court defense early on.

"I don't like to give up easy baskets, and that will happen sometimes with a full-court press," he said. "You're not a good full-court pressing team unless you have good half-court principles. I really think by February and mid-March you'll see us playing 84 feet of basketball."

Notre Dame, as always, will face a brutal schedule for a 2A school. It opens the season Nov. 30 at rival Cape Central and will follow with the Sikeston Tournament, where they have drawn the eighth seed in an eight-team field.

Neff took the low seed in stride.

"We have a lot to prove," he said. "We have a first-year coach and a lot of kids that haven't played a lot of varsity ball. We didn't deserve a lot of respect. We haven't earned it yet."