No other winter sports team in Lawrence, and probably very few in the state of Kansas for that matter, are placing the level of expectations on themselves like Lawrence High’s boys basketball team.


That said, not many basketball teams can match the depth and talent level of the Lions this season. LHS returns 88 percent of its scoring from last year’s 17-5 team that lost in the sub-state title game.


During the summer, several LHS players said it was state-title-or-bust this season. It’s hard to match those expectations, but you can’t fault them for dreaming big. Senior Anthony Bonner, a Colorado State signee, highlights a loaded set of guards, along with junior Justin Roberts, senior John Barbee and senior Ben Rajewski.


Add in a front court with junior center Price Morgan, junior Fred Brou and senior Logan Applegate, along with anybody else who enters the varsity rotation this season, and you can see why the Lions have so much enthusiasm.


Every team strives to have family atmosphere, creating the chemistry that leads to wins. From personal experience, I think chemistry can play a huge role as each team goes through the ups and downs of a season. That said, I don’t think there’s a closer knit of teammates than Lawrence’s basketball team, especially after leaning on each other when former assistant coach Kermit Aldridge died in March. The Lions dedicated this upcoming season to Aldridge and I think you can see that they genuinely enjoy playing alongside one another in games and practices through the way they play.


I shot video of them during a practice on Monday in the dreaded small gym, as they went through shooting and defensive drills. The video can be seen below:


http://www2.ljworld.com/videos/2014/nov/29/36015/
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Not a Kansas story (at least not yet), but one I thought was worth sharing because it could have implications for high school football in the future.


A former high school quarterback in Illinois has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois High School Association (similar to the KSHSAA) saying it didn’t do enough to protect concussions in the past and it doesn’t do enough now.


It’s the first time a class action lawsuit has been filed against a governing body over high school sports (though similar lawsuits have happened in college and in the NFL).


What does this mean for Kansas? Not sure yet, but it could lead to a similar lawsuit, especially if the one in Illinois is successful. But it will be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out because it could have a big impact on concussion protocols in the future.


If you want to read more, here’s the Associated Press story: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1bc9205bdcb74685a522996762f3aa35/apnewsbreak-high-school-head-injury-lawsuit-filed
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If you’ve missed any previous winter sports blog posts, including videos of their practices, you can find them below:


Lawrence High girls basketball: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dividing_line/2014/nov/26/a-new-era-for-lawrence-high-girls-basket/


Free State boys swimming: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dividing_line/2014/nov/27/free-state-boys-swimming/


Free State wrestling: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dividing_line/2014/nov/28/plenty-of-youth-and-enthusiasm-for-free-/
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As always, feel free to comment, email me, or find me on Twitter @nightengalejr.