Anticipation
KARNS CITY — Don't blame Karns City boys basketball coach Chris Bellis if he's a little excited about next season.
“You don't want freshmen playing at the varsity level too often,” he said. “We've had to go with younger guys in our lineup the last couple of years.
“Now we're in a position to benefit from that.”
Two of the past three years, the Gremlins have had the D9sports.com Boys Basketball Rookie of the Year. Point guard Chase Beighley received the honor in 2018. Freshman forward Micah Rupp received it this year.
Beighley, who led District 9 in scoring this season with 24.3 points per game, was named first team all-district by the website this season.
“We also played Nathan Waltman as a freshman two years ago and Luke Garing a lot as a sophomore this year,” Bellis said. “Both are forwards. Add Micah inside and Chase running the point ... We can do some things.”
Rupp was an offseason gift to the Gremlins. He and his family lived in Japan the past two years as his father, Karns City graduate David Rupp, was stationed there in the military.
The 6-foot-2 Rupp averaged 8.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game. He scored 16 points in Karns City's first varsity game this past season.
“I played basketball in Japan, but it wasn't much different from here,” Rupp said. “Our military base had a team and we played teams from other military bases.
“I didn't want to come here (Karns City) at first. I liked Japan. I didn't know what to expect here, what the kids would be like, how the competition would be. But it all turned out pretty good.”
Rupp's family returned to the Karns City area last summer. Bellis first saw Micah as an athlete in freshman football.
“He was one of the best athletes on the field. He stood out,” Bellis said.
He's done the same in basketball.
With Waltman out of the lineup early due to a football injury, Rupp stepped into the lineup and filled a void.
“Micah really gave us an inside presence,” Beighley said. “It's uncanny how he gets into position to block shots. He can pin shots against the backboard. It's pretty impressive.”
“Nathan and Micah complement each other well on the court,” Bellis said. “Nathan defends well and grabs defensive rebounds. Micah blocks shots and gets offensive boards. Luke Garing completes a pretty strong frontcourt for us.”
Rupp knows he has a lot of work to do, both on his own game and performing within the framework of the team.
“I know I can improve on my shooting,” he said. “I'm excited about what our team will be able to do.
“We want to put a banner up in the gym.”Beighley is on board with that thought.Karns City won the district title his freshman year, but has been knocked out of the D-9 playoffs the past two years.The Gremlins finished 13-9 last season.“I know Chase is hungry to win the district his senior year,” Bellis said. “He came into last season with a chip on his shoulder. He was first team All-KSAC as a freshman and they dropped him to third team as a sophomore. That motivated him.”Beighley improved his points per game average by 10 this past season and doubled his assist total from the previous year.“My dad and I are always looking for something to light a fire under my belly,” Beighley admitted. “I thought I was better than everybody they put on second team last year. It was up to me to go out and prove it.“I need to become a more consistent shooter. I'd hit four or five 3's in one game, none the next. That needs to change.”Besides winning a championship, Beighley has Tyler Callihan's school-record 1,554 career points in his sights. He enters next year with 1,129.Bellis has no problem with him chasing that record — keeping it in perspective, of course.“That can't be our focus, but if the record comes through the course of our success as a team, I'm all for it,” the coach said.
