Mars' expert for the defense
ADAMS TWP — It may be a subtle twitch of the shoulder, or a dart of the eyes or a turn of the knees.
Cade Hetzler, a 6-foot-1 junior guard on the Mars boys basketball team, has a knack for picking up on it.
And knowing exactly what the opponent he is guarding is going to do next.
“He can just read how a guy's body is going to be used,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody. “You just can't teach it. He just has some innate sense.”
Couple that with the physical gifts of quickness and strength and Hetzler is a nightmare for opponents who find him in front of them.
“He's got extremely long arms,” Carmody said. “He's extremely strong, extremely flexible so he can get down low. Cade is just as tough as nails.”
Hetzler is also cerebral about his preparation for games.
He'll pick apart film of the opponent, looking for those tells that will aid him on game night.
“It's kind of a combination of things,” Hetzler said. “Coach prepares us so well. The film obviously helps out tremendously.”
Hetzler has always had the tag of “defensive specialist” coming up through the Mars system.
It's a title that comes with both positives and negatives.
Hetzler wants to be seen as an all-around player, not just a shutdown guy, and has worked diligently on his offensive game.
He's averaging 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season as the Planets headed into a showdown with District 10 champion Meadville in the PIAA 5A quarterfinals Saturday at Slippery Rock University.
Hetzler has added some scoring punch recently.
He scored 17 points in a win over Hampton in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
Hetzler is capable of adding some offense when needed.
But his real role is shutting down the player he's guarding.
“There's no better feeling than locking someone down,” Hetzler said.
He also feeds off the frustration that causes.
“Good defense turns into good offense,” Hetzler said. “Our team feeds off that.”
