Friday, March 24, 2000
Larkin's leadership carries St. X
BY CAREY HOFFMAN
Enquirer contributor
It's strictly old school and not very dynamic, as far as theories for basketball success go. But maybe there still is something to this idea of senior leadership.
Last year, Moeller broke with conventional wisdom by keeping 10 seniors on its roster and was rewarded with a Division I state championship. This year, St.Xavier kept nine seniors around, and this weekend the Bombers are in the Division I state tournament.
The senior effect definitely seems to have had an impact on 6-foot-7 center Andy Larkin, St.X's leading scorer and rebounder.
“I think (Andy) has been the difference this season in where we've gone,” junior forward Jordan Cornette said. “Maybe last year he wasn't vocal, but this year he said we're going to play with intensity the whole way. He's always been there for the big games. He's never non-existent.”
Larkin has gone from averaging about five points a game as a junior to 13.2 points a game this year. In St.X's 25 games this year, 13 times he has led the team in scoring and 11 times in rebounding.
“We lost three guys who did a lot of the scoring last year,” Larkin said. “I just pretty much entered this season thinking this team is good enough, anyone can step up and be a leader, and I had to step up.”
To that end, he worked diligently on developing his offensive skills over the summer. He practiced his moves around the basket and shot 300 jumpers a day, so that now he's St.X's smoothest offensive threat in the paint.
“He made great strides as a one-on-one post player inside,” St.X coach Scott Martin said. “He worked on playing with his back to the basket, he worked on his strength development, and he developed a nice shooting touch.”
Larkin scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the season opener with Aiken, and his confidence has been on the rise since. Twice this season he has scored more than 30 points in one game.
But he's as quick as anyone to point out that St.X's success this year can't be pinned to any one individual.
Instead, he thinks this year's seniors learned some valuable lessons with Moeller at the end of last year that have carried over. St.X beat Moeller by 25 points at the end of the regular season a year ago, but Moeller rebounded to bounce the Bombers out of the tournament a couple of weeks later.
“After we beat them so bad, their seniors pulled together,” Larkin said.
This year's St.X team went through a similar scenario when it dropped its regular-season finale at Elder.
“I think that's what our seniors have done, as well,” Larkin said. “It's been 110 percent intensity all the time. This team has been something special this year, and I think we'll show that (at state).”
Thursday story: Versatile Cornette leads St. X
Wednesday story: Coach, dad lead St. X to state
Saturday story: Sollman leads regional victory
Sports Stories
Channel 5 airing opener
Harnisch looks like Opening Day starter
No answers for No. 5 spot
Radke may be back on market
Reds Game Report
Copeland dealing with ankle
UC reorganizes football staff
