By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Chapman Fighting Irish will open their 2021-22 season at home against the 1-0 Sacred Heart Knights.
The Knights finished off Ell-Saline 65-48 on Friday after taking a dominant 44-19 lead into the half.
This will be a tall task for Chapman, but above all else, the Irish are excited to get back on the floor after a Covid-riddled 2020-21.
“The guys are ready to get on the floor and play,” first-year boys head coach Drew Gruver said. “I think they are getting a little tired of playing against each other in practice and want to see how our defense and offense will do against someone else.”
That “someone else” comes in the form of a Knights squad that defeated the Irish 61-49 last season, and while the two do share a common area, the rivalry isn’t a focus for Coach Gruver’s group.
“We need to come out and compete no matter who the opponent is,” he said. “Sacred Heart has a great program and their guys will play hard and won't back down. They will get after us for the full 32 min and should be a good opening game for us.”
Sacred Heart was led on Friday by Alex Disberger, the senior dropped 24 points to go along with 20 rebounds in the opener against the Cardinals.
That performance caught the eye of Coach Gruver, who has had his team focusing on defense in the build-up to the new year.
They really get after it on the defensive end,” he said. “Offensively they like to play fast and have guys that can really shoot. We have to get out on shooters and run them off the three-point line. [Disberger] plays hard, we can’t let him get easy looks and we have to keep him off the offensive boards.”
Overall, this is a Chapman team that wants to be known for their defense, and they will have a chance to establish that against a perennial offensive powerhouse in Sacred Heart.
“Our biggest focus has been on the defensive side of the ball,” Gruver said. “We want to have the identity of a really tough defensive team. We want our defense to lead to offense and we’re hoping steals and turnovers can lead to some easy baskets for us on the other end.”
Tip-off between the Irish and Knights is scheduled for 7 pm following the girl's game at Chapman High School.
For more on both teams throughout the season, stay tuned to the Salina Post.