Countdown to tipoff: Raiders put focus on playing physical, earning minutes in Altmix’s first season

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QUINCY — Greg Altmix has embraced the challenges of fitting the puzzle pieces together.

Altmix’s tallest task as the first-year Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach is putting those pieces into the correct places to get the clearest picture possible.

“It’s going to be a challenge for me to get all these guys that are working hard and showing they want to play the minutes they deserve,” Altmix said. “Unfortunately at the high school level, when you have a group like this, some players just aren’t going to get the time they deserve.”

It’s a predicament Altmix does not mind.

“It is a challenge because now, OK, they’re filling their roles. They’re doing their due diligence to get the work done. Now it’s a matter of finding a way to get them time,” Altmix said. “The fans want the coach to make sure the team wins, but it’s high school basketball, and if a guy is coming in every day doing what I ask him to do, I’m going to do everything I can to find him minutes as well.”

A prime example of this balancing act comes with guards Alex Dance and Conner Young, two capable seniors with similar skill sets.

“It definitely opens up the playbook,” Altmix said. “We may have both of them on the floor at times, but the way we run things, both of them could be getting a break. It definitely does present more opportunities for what we can do.”

Dance sees the Raiders’ depth and understands the tenacity it will take to earn minutes.

“You definitely have to show up every day at practice and work as hard as you can because any day your minutes could be taken,” Dance said. “Every day at practice is a battle. We have a super deep team.”

Young understands it, too.

“We’re going to have to fight every practice,” Young said. “Every practice is going to be competitive, and every practice determines how much playing time we get. If we slack off one practice, two or three guys could jump above us on the ladder.”

The versatility of Jace Allensworth, an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association honorable-mention all-stater last season, presents yet another challenge for Altmix in terms of how to utilize the 6-foot-2 junior.

“He’s multi-faceted, and we need to figure out where and what we need to do to help him be successful,” Altmix said. “Not that he needs our help, but we want to take full advantage of his skills.”

Allensworth has bulked up since last season, which he said will improve his finishing ability around the rim.

“It’s a big factor,” Allensworth said. “It really energizes the team when you get those and-one plays.”

Add to the mix Gavin Doellman and Jackson Pyatt, fellow wide receivers on the QND football team with Allensworth, as well as Jackson Connoyer and several others, and Altmix has his work cut out for him.

“Having every player understand their role will be key for us, and if they continue to grow in their selflessness, these guys can do something special,” Altmix said.

When asked how people will remember this QND team, Allensworth pointed to two defining traits.

“A really physical team that likes to push the ball,” Allensworth said. “We’re going to get up-and-down a lot more this year because we have a lot of guys who can push it.”

A strong summer and an encouraging start to practice are welcomed sights for Altmix, but the third “season within the season” has yet to come.

“Summer is one thing, the first two-and-a-half weeks of practice is another, and then once the games start, then we’ll see where everybody’s heads are at and if they continue to show what they’ve shown so far,” Altmix said.

How the final picture looks once those puzzle pieces fall into place remains to be seen, but signs point toward a finished product Altmix can be proud of.

“It’ll be a lot of fun if all the pieces are to the same puzzle,” Altmix said. “If the guys have the same picture of what they want, then those pieces will fit together, and we’re going to have a lot of fun. If everybody has a different vision for what this program and what this team is going to be, then those pieces aren’t going to fit together, it’s going to be a mess, and it’s going to be ugly at times.

“But these guys seem to have the same vision. They seem to have the same picture of what they want, and if they continue to buy in even if they might not get the minutes they probably deserve, then those puzzle pieces are going to fit together wonderfully and we could have an incredible picture at the end of the season.”