2020-21 Catholic League Outlook: Holy Cross (Video)
As we’re all painfully aware of, COVID-19 has put a stop to life as we know it since late March. That won’t stop us here at Prep Hoops Louisiana from taking a look towards next season, though, and we’ll start…
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Continue ReadingAs we’re all painfully aware of, COVID-19 has put a stop to life as we know it since late March. That won’t stop us here at Prep Hoops Louisiana from taking a look towards next season, though, and we’ll start with the prestigious Catholic League in New Orleans.
St. Augustine has reigned supreme for the last several seasons in 9-5A and we’ll take a look at each team to see who may have a chance to challenge them in 2020-21. One team will be released each day according to last year’s standings starting with Rummel and ending with the Purple Knights, which will also include a prediction for next year’s standings.
Here’s our outlook on Holy Cross:
2019-20 Catholic League Standings
1. St. Augustine | 31-2 (12-0)
2. Brother Martin | 29-6 (9-3)
3. Holy Cross | 22-12 (8-4)
HOLY CROSS
Holy Cross has been one of the top contenders in the Catholic League for the last few seasons and the same was true last year as they were one of three teams to separate themselves from the rest of the league. They put up a 22-12 record against a pretty tough schedule and were 8-4 in 9-5A with two losses to St. Aug while splitting with Brother Martin and John Curtis. Playoff wise, the Tigers took out Byrd, 58-46, in the opening round before falling to Brother Martin, 83-67, in the quarterfinals.
Of all the teams in the Catholic League, the Tigers had the most veteran group with eight seniors on the team, all of which could give them very good to solid minutes. Holy Cross also had a senior-heavy team the prior season, though, which meant a lot of this past year’s seniors didn’t necessarily have a ton of experience.
The leader of the group was Xavier (LA) signee Jeremy Lindsey and stepping into his role as the team’s top player will be 2021 G Dominic Dejoie. He’s a player that’s best getting into the paint where he can cause problems for teams with his finishing ability, but he can also knock down the three ball when given the chance.
Now, outside of Dejoie, it’s really tough to say what else the Tigers might have roster wise. They were so senior-heavy that it was tough for even Dejoie to find minutes last season, but he showed what he was capable of on the AAU circuit with Louisiana Supreme.
Mister Kirkwood is one of the better coaches in the league, though, and I would suspect him to have a player or two up his sleeve we may not know about just yet. If he does, they should fare better than expected, but if not, it’s tough to see how Holy Cross could compete in such a deep league with just one player with real varsity experience.