Lemont, with an entire new starting five, shows development during the summer

Lemont coach Rick Runaas wanted to make a point to his team in mid-June.

Standing in a small hallway just outside the main gym at Riverside-Brookfield, Runaas gathered his team for a postgame talk after an opening loss in the R-B Shootout.

His players listened intently to their coach, even amid the chaos surrounding them with the concession stand only a few feet away and several high-profile Division I assistant and head coaches creating a buzz around them.

Led by Runaas, Lemont slowly is becoming a powerhouse in the south suburbs, winning 17-plus games annually and producing college-bound players on a regular basis.

Even with a heavy roster turnover from last season’s 26-win team, Runaas stressed to his players the importance of staying focused and working on the little – and big – aspects of their games.

Gabe Sularski was slated to be the lone returning starter for Lemont, but after playing with the team in the early summer, the 6-foot-6 highly recruited senior guard announced he was transferring to Layton Christian Academy in Utah in early July.

Sularski, a four-star recruit, said via Rivals.com: “I think it’s a great place for me to grow as a player and a person.”

The loss of Sularski is a big blow for Lemont.

Sularski had a strong season for Lemont after his transfer from Benet last summer. Sularski averaged 17.6 points, five rebounds and five assists for Lemont, earning South Suburban Blue Player of the Year honors and First-Team All-State selection.

“Everyone will have to step up now, but we will be fine,” Runaas said.

With an entire new starting five set to take the floor this fall for Lemont, Runaas said his returning players showed positive development over the course of June.

“We had a lot to do this summer because we had a lot of seniors to replace,” Runaas said. “We had several guys step up and do better and they all worked hard and did the best they could. The guys that were patient last year and were at practices have a clear advantage. We have a lot of opportunities for kids.”

Runaas said he expects senior guard Ryan Crane to become a go-to player on both ends of the court for Lemont.

“Ryan has had a pretty good summer,” Runaas said. “We are placing a lot of expectations on him based on what he showed in practices last year and his ability.

“Ryan is a catch and shoot guy, but we would like to see him expand his game more but we don’t want to do too much because that gets you in trouble. We think with his length and ability that he can guard people and shoot it and hopefully get to the basket more.”

At 6-4, Crane has quality height to find an open shot and cause havoc with his long arms on defense. Crane said he learned a lot last season on the varsity.

“Last year I didn’t play much,” Crane said. “I came in and played a few minutes to play defense and mainly to hit a few shots.

“It’s been good so far for me this summer. I got a lot of minutes and I’m excited to play with a new group this year in the high school season. I’m excited to get a lot of minutes and get to grow as a team and develop my own game and see where we go during the season.”

Crane said he added some weight since the end of last season to bump his frame up to 180 pounds and he also worked on different aspects of his game.

“I want to get better off the dribble instead of just catch and shoot, which I can do pretty well,” Crane said. “I also have to work on defense and rebounding in every practice and try and be the best I can be.”

Lemont, which finished with a 26-8 record and won the South Suburban Blue with a 13-0 mark last season, will rely on several new faces, including junior guard Zane Schneider.

“Zane is a rising junior who is going to be one of the guys who will shoulder a bigger load now,” Runaas said. “He’s a multiple sport kid and been on the varsity since he walked into the school. He was a sixth man last year. We’re expecting him to take on an even bigger load. He had a big game in June against Young and did well in live events.”