HILLSBOROUGH: Raiders capture tournament title

Panagos contributing on court

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Jack Panagos is the top player for the Hillsborough High School boys golf team, a distinction that helped to earn him the chance to sign a Letter of Intent to play at Rutgers University next year.
   On the basketball court, Panagos isn’t the star, but he is comfortable in what has been an increased support role this year for the Raiders.
   ”It’s a little different,” Panagos said. “I don’t mind it. I know what I have to do well. I’ll do what it takes to win. As long as I do my job and we win, I have no problem at all. I enjoy it a lot.”
   Panagos is making the most of just his second season of high school basketball — and his last before he focuses on his golf game. He scored 11 points in the Raiders’ 48-37 win over Rutgers Prep on Saturday in the championship game of the Hillsborough Holiday Classic.
   ”We’re really happy how we’re doing so far,” said the senior forward. “We definitely can get better. I think that’s the thing that’s keeping us playing harder and harder — knowing we can play better. We’re happy so far, and know we can get better.
   ”Rutgers Prep is a very good team,” he added. “To know we pulled away against a very good team gives us a lot of confidence.”
   Hillsborough got 12 points from Matt Hornich, nine points from Jalen Parham and Joe Suseck, Scott Timko and Matt Westphal combined for four 3-pointers in the win over Rutgers Prep. The Raiders topped Hightstown, 55-36, in the tournament opener Friday with 16 points from Hornich, 10 from Panagos and eight from Rob Askes. Suseck added six off the bench and Westphal had a 3-pointer.
   ”Defensively, we’ve been solid through four games,” said Raiders head coach Ian Progin after improving to 4-0. “We’ve held all four opponents under 40 points. Right now, all in all, the defense has been pretty good. We’re rebounding the ball pretty well. That was pretty important in (Saturday) night’s win and our win against Piscataway.”
   Panagos has given the Raiders a big boost in his first as a starter. Last year, he played sparingly in what was his first season back on the court. He was concentrating on his golf game as a freshman and sophomore in Orlando, Fla., but was happy to get back on the court as a junior.
   ”I really enjoy basketball,” Panagos said. “Having teammates more and having the bond you have playing, it’s different from golf. I missed it a lot.”
   Intensively competitive, Panagos doesn’t play as much as some of his teammates in the offseason, but he has come on strong in season. He worked himself back into basketball mode over the fall conditioning and open gym sessions, and he won a starting role.
   ”It’s a huge difference,” Panagos said. “I didn’t even get off the bench last year. I knew I’d be in a bigger role. I didn’t know I’d start. There were a lot of good people. I had to work hard to get the position to start.”
   Panagos has scored in double digits in every game so far, and he, Hornich and Parham make for a solid front line.
   ”This year, I have to step in and do my job, get rebounds and get in the right spots,” Panagos said. “Everything is left to the guards. I get a lot of great passes. I have to make sure I’m in the right position and finish. I just have to keep it going.”
   Panagos didn’t get much playing time last year, but he stuck with the game and has made a big impact this year in his second year back on the court.
   ”I liked him from the beginning,” Progin said. “He seemed to be a guy who had a smart basketball IQ. He’s a good passer. He just needed some coaching and playing organized basketball. By going against Jon Gregory, Jalen and Matt Hornich last year, the competition helped him improve.
   ”In the summer, he spent a lot of time playing golf. He’s a hard worker. He has a nose for the ball. He looks to rebound. He crashes and rebounds. He does have a decent shot. He finishes around the basket. He’s worked and improved. It’s nice to have a couple big guys. Matt being 6-5 and Jack being 6-4/6-5, it’s nice. Jack is a great kid. He’s a hard worker. He’s very coachable. He just goes about his job and works hard and gets after it. He shows with hard work and hustle, you can have success.”
   Panagos saw hard work pay off for the Raiders when the tournament final tightened. Hillsborough never let Rutgers Prep overtake it, and didn’t let Hightstown ever get going as the Raiders jumped out to an 18-4 first-quarter lead in the tournament opener. The Raiders are starting to establish their calling cards for winning.
   ”I thought a big factor was our rebounding, especially against Rutgers Prep,” Panagos said. “They were a good shooting team and they didn’t get many rebounds. We didn’t want to give them more chances. That’s key.”
   Panagos factors heavily in the rebounding department. The Raiders need him to be strong around the basket. He’s picked up some points that way, and contributed at the defensive end with his rebounding, though he would like to get more. He’s contributing solid numbers in rebounding and scoring.
   ”I’m lucky I’m pretty tall,” Panagos said. “That helps. I have a lot of teammates that do a lot for me. I give a lot of credit to my team for my points.”
   Panagos and any of the Raider players know that they have to perform. There is plenty of depth waiting to come help Hillsborough.
   ”Every guy is on this team for a reason,” Progin said. “They’re all on this team to contribute to win. We can rotate guys in and out to perform to what our coaching staff is looking for.
   ”It gives us an opportunity to communicate with them more. We know we can put someone else in and they can do their job and then put the other guy in after we talk to him.”
   The Raiders are starting to settle into their roles, and Progin likes the depth that he has with his players.
   ”Our bench has done a nice job so far,” Progin said. “Matt Westphal is a senior who’s come off the bench and helped us each game. Rob Askes has come off the bench, and Joe Suseck. We’re getting contributions from particularly those three guys. They’ve gotten the most playing time off the bench ad they’ve really done their jobs and played their roles. That’s important. You have to have a team. You can’t have two or three guys. We’re working every day to build that chemistry with each other.”
   Panagos has enjoyed being a part of the basketball team. They helped make his move north easier last year, and he is happy to be able to contribute even more this season in his second since moving.
   ”It’s a very big deal,” Panagos said. “Since I moved here last year, a lot of kids have been playing together their whole lives, but they accepted me. They haven’t won any championships and we want that. Senior year, you have to give it your all to get it.”
   Panagos has the right mindset for winning. He’s very driven on the golf course, where he picked up the Architects Trophy in last April’s International Junior Golf Tour tournament with a 70-69-139 performance. That same competitiveness has helped raise his level of play this year.
   ”I was a little rusty last year,” Panagos said. “I grew a lot from last time I played. I went from a guard to a big man spot. I appreciate Progin giving me an opportunity to be on the team. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten a lot better.”
   In the same way, the Raiders are striving to improve on their quick start. They aren’t satisfied with being unbeaten in December.
   ”It’s a lot of little things,” Panagos said. “Communication — making sure we’re all doing our job and knowing where we should be is important. And halfcourt offense, when we slow it down, running our offense a little better, it could improve a lot.”
   Said Progin: “It seems that we don’t fully utilize it or trust it. We have to let it come. Everyone has the option to touch it. There’s multiple options. If we can get to the point where we can trust it and run it through, everyone is going to have their touches. It’s designed for team basketball.”
   Progin has seen the chemistry of his group improve as they get more practice and game time together. Hillsborough was tested late in the Rutgers Prep game but made its free throws to hold off a county foe.
   ”It’s early,” Progin said. “We’re still in the month of December, and it’s a long year. It’s a good early season win. It’s always nice to win a tournament. Rutgers Prep is very solid. They’ll be one of the top teams in the county. Playing some good competition early in the season, hopefully it helps you as you go through the season. It’s a good win for the kids. I know they’re looking to have a good team.”
   Panagos is looking for a successful season as a change of pace coming into the golf season. He works at his golf game plenty — either hitting balls in his garage, and on weekends getting out on a course when possible.
   ”Right now, I have to keep the ball in the fairway,” he said. “I can hit it pretty far for my age. As long as I keep it on the fairway, I’m usually OK.”
   There will be plenty of time for Jack Panagos to work on his golf game. His competitive side is getting its fill in his final organized basketball season.
   Said Panagos: “I still enjoy it a lot.”