Friday, January 26, 2001
Schappel propels Loveland
Junior's hard work helped Tigers to 12-1 start
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Besides hard work and countless hours of practice, Loveland junior Kevin Schappel may have found another key to basketball success.
“I'm dating Jenna Huggins, the daughter of (UC coach) Bob Huggins,” Schappel said. “After I scored 42 points, Mr. Huggins said that was nothing because he scored 50 points in less than three quarters when he was in high school.”
The rumor is on Schappel's first date with Huggins he took the 18-year-old Loveland senior to a gym, where she rebounded missed shots for an hour before going out to eat.
“Coach (Mike) Ferone tells everybody that story but it's not true,” Schappel said. “I don't remember what we did the first time out.”
Schappel, 17, who is averaging 23.3 points a game, is one of the Cincinnati area's top scorers. He has played a key role in the Tigers 12-1 start, which includes an 8-0 record in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference Cardinal Division.
Schappel has more than filled the void left when Clint Nagel, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound center, transfered to Moeller before his senior year.
“I was upset at first when Clint told me about the transfer,” Schappel said. “He's one of my best friends, and he said he would get more college looks at Moeller. It's made me work even harder.”
Schappel's father, Ken, was responsible for getting him involved in basketball at the age of 10. The elder Chappel works daily with his 6-4, 190-pound son.
“In my 21 years of coaching in college and at Withrow and Loveland, I've never had an athlete who works as hard as Kevin,” Ferone said. “Every day after practice, he stays around for an hour or more to shoot. He also gets up early in the morning to lift weights.”
Schappel is an excellent perimeter shooter — he's 21-of-57 from 3-point range — but isn't shy about going inside.
“We've seen a lot of gimmick defenses to stop Kevin,” Ferone said. “When teams use a box-and-one or triangle-and-two, Kevin goes inside and does an excellent job getting offensive rebounds and scoring.”
Schappel spends at least three hours a day — and often five or six — practicing. Even on Christmas, when most gyms are closed.
“My friend (Garth Dugle) and I decided to drive to the Jewish Community Center because they don't celebrate Christmas,” Schappel said. “The gym was open and we shot around for three or four hours.”
Every Sunday afternoon, Schappel and Dugle can be found at the Jewish Community Center but they never play pickup games for fear of being injured.
Ferone uses such phrases as “complete player” and “polished performer,” when describing Schappel. But Schappel pointed out several things he needs to improve.
“I definitely need to improve my speed and quickness,” Schappel said. “My free throw shooting (74.6 percent) also needs work.”
The departure of Nagel has turned out to have less of an impact than expected. Sophomore Eric Van Buskirk, who is 6-7, 190-pounds, has earned a spot in the starting lineup.
“We lost everyone on the inside and there were a lot of positions to fill,” Ferone said. “This gave Eric a chance to step in along with (6-3 junior) Matt Beck and (6-10 junior) James Cripe.
College recruiters are hot on Schappel's trail. He was noticed during the summer while playing for coach Mike Price's AAU national championship team. But Schappel plans to keep his options open and make a decision later in the year.
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Schappel propels Loveland
