Mundelein girls basketball season preview

Mundelein Mustangs

2014-15 record (11-19)
Coach: Martin Pazanin (First year)
Key losses: Maggie Mahar, Maria DeVito, Maddie Zazas, Natalie Busscher
Key returning players: Amy Richards (Sr./G), Madison Davis (Sr./C/F), Kendall Wald (Jr./G)

After winning 20 games in 2013-14, the Mustangs struggled a year ago and had a setback despite returning the majority of its key players.

Gone is well-respected longtime coach Brian Evans, who led the Mustangs for 16 seasons and complied 400 wins, but decided to retire from coaching hoops to spend more time with his family.

Enter Martin Pazanin, a former Antioch grad who played boys basketball just over a decade ago here in Lake County. He used to coach at Illinois Valley Central, downstate near Peoria, before deciding to take the Mundelein job. He'll make his season debut tonight at the Mundelein Thanksgiving Holiday Tournament at 7:30 p.m.

Expect the Mustangs to use a pack-style man-to-man defense, which attempts to prevent teams from driving to the basket, and instead forces outside shots as often as possible.

Offensively, the Mustangs will rely heavily on Madison Davis, a skilled 6-foot center Pazanin would like to see handle the ball more, and may even use at the four-spot away from the basket at times due to her versatility and ability to attack the basket off the dribble --- as well as in the post.

"She's a matchup nightmare for teams," Pazanin said over the summer.

Also keep an eye on Amy Richards, a player Evans referred to a year ago as the "oil that keeps our team moving." She's an impact leader who's become more vocal, works hard and hustles on defense. She also has an extremely underrated first step when driving the lane, and her aggressiveness will be a huge factor if the Mustangs' offense hopes to thrive.

Junior Kendall Wald, meanwhile, can get hot in a hurry from beyond the arc. Look for Mundelein to be aggressive crashing the offensive glass looking for second-chance points, as this is a scrappy bunch that's looking to rebound from last season.

Insight: Expect the Mustangs to improve upon their 11-win season from a year ago, but how they'll fare is largely up to them, and how well they mesh with Pazanin's new style of play. There were moments during the summer when the Mustangs looked red-hot, but at times they also had some difficulty creating open shots. The NSC Lake will be tough, as usual.

-By Tim Froehlig