As court orders and rumors of more legal action swirl around Cheverus High School and its star point guard, Indiana Faithfull, Edward Little coach Mike Adams wants to make it clear that when it comes to Saturday’s Class A state championship, his team’s only concern is “that it will all be settled on the court.”
“One way or the other, we have no say in it (the legal process),” he said. “All we care about is Edward Little being prepared for Cheverus, and that’s all we’re focusing on this week.”
That would put them in the minority.
Faithfull’s eligibility remains a hot topic on Internet message boards and around high school basketball circles. The senior point guard was ruled ineligible for the final five games of the regular season by the Maine Principals’ Association after Cheverus reported that the native of Australia had used up his eight semesters of eligibility. Faithfull’s parents sought, and were granted, a restraining order that reinstated Faithfull just hours prior to the start of the Western A tournament. He went on to average 16 points per game in the Stags’ three victories and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The MPA has said it will appeal the Cumberland County Superior Court order, but Edward Little is determined to make the matter moot when the owner of the 2010 Class A Gold Ball is decided. And the Red Eddies want are glad Faithfull will on the floor.
“I don’t think people are getting the perspective of the players. Hoop junkies are just talking between each other talking about what they want,” said Edward Little senior guard Yusuf Iman, the MVP of the Eastern A tournament. “We want to play Cheverus as they were the whole season. We want to play the whole Cheverus team. We don’t want any help from the court. If we win that game, we want to know that we beat Cheverus, not Cheverus minus-one.”
Iman knows Faithfull well having played with him and roomed with him as members of the same AAU team in the off-season and said Edward Little fans and others unfamiliar with his dynamic game are in for a treat Saturday (7 p.m., Cumberland County Civic Center).
“He’s fun to watch,” Iman said. “He pushes the ball. He’s fast-breaking. He’s throwing it behind his back. He’s the smoothest passer in the state of Maine.”
Iman and the Eddies (19-2) won’t be doing a lot of standing around and watching Faithfull, although they would like to keep the game’s pace as slow as possible.
“We always want to run when we can, but against Cheverus, I just don’t think that you’re going to get much off of transition because they’re too good,” Adams said. “After watching what they did to Westbrook with their pressure, we certainly don’t want to go up and down the floor with them.”
Cheverus (20-1) will likely pressure EL full court. Iman compared the Stag’s pressure to Eastern A final opponent Brewer, “only more systematic and with better players.” Going over top of the press is difficult because of the Stags’ size and athleticism, and even once the Eddies’ do get into their half-court set, moving the ball will prove difficult.
“They’re bigger than people think,” Adams said. “Their guards are bigger than most other people’s guards.”
Faithfull is 6-foot-4 and is joined in the backcourt by 6-foot-2 Louie DiStasio and 6-foot-1 Kyle Randall. The forwards, Alex Furness and Griffin Brady, are both 6-foot-5.
“While they may not have that big, traditional center, with the way that they play, and what they’re trying to take away, they do a great job of it as a team,” he added. “Being so long all the way across, it’s hard to get those passes inside.”
Adams said the Eddies will have to do a better job of being patient if Cheverus coach Bob Brown emphasizes taking their inside game away. Too often, he said, they settled for jump shots in the Eastern Maine tournament. Iman and Timothy Mains helped them get through the stagnant stretches with their outside firepower, but EL will need significant production in the paint from senior James Philbrook and junior Bo Leary.
Cheverus presents some defensive difficulties as well. Faithfull can penetrate and create off the dribble or pull up from long range. He also has a knack for getting to the free throw line, having made 28 free throws in the three tournament games. Furness and DiStasio are dangerous 3-point shooters who thrive off the open looks that Faithfull’s penetration can create.
“We have to make sure that while we respect their 3-point shooting, that we take their dribble penetration away and protect the basket,” Adams said.
EL practiced at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Monday. The arena is bigger, the shooting background darker and deeper and the court longer than the Augusta Civic Center’s. The last time an Edward Little team played there was in 2003, it’s last game in Western Class A, which was a 32-point loss to Cheverus in the regional final.
The Red Eddies overcame deficits of nine, 10 and eight points to win its last three games. Adams said he isn’t worried about their ability to overcome a new setting and off-the-court controversy to win Edward Little’s first state title since 1946.
“We’re talking about a group of kids who have been through quite a bit, seen quite a bit, and hopefully will accomplish a lot more,” he said.
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