With Eastwood, it is not one elite player leading the way, but rather several doing the heavy lifting.

Led by a formidable trio, the Eagles currently sit atop the Northern Buckeye Conference with a 6-2 overall record and a 4-0 mark in the league.

That trio is comprised of point guard Jacob Schmeltz, shooting guard Jacob Faykosh, and center Cody Jennings. 

Eastwood guard Jacob Schmeltz drives in the Eagle's win over Otsego, the preseason league favorite. (Press photo by Lee Welch/FamilyPhotoGroup.com)

They’re not a flashy group of players, but rather ones that understands the importance of playing good, stout defense and being unselfish on offense, which is the reason for them having a balanced scoring attack. For the season, Jennings leads the team, averaging 13.8 points, followed by Schmeltz (12.8) and Faykosh (11.5). In Eastwood’s eight games, the 6-5 Jennings has led the team in scoring three times and Schmeltz and Faykosh, who both stand 5-10, have done so twice.  

Jennings spoke of the importance of having a number of quality scorers.

“We have three players who can score in bunches,” said Jennings. “That’s what makes us hard to defend at times because, if they double team one of us, then we have a good scorer wide open. And if one of us has an off night shooting, the other two can pick up the offense for us.”

The starting lineup features Schmeltz, the lone sophomore, Faykosh, Lincoln Peters (5-11, small forward), Caleb Vespi (6-4, power forward) and Jennings — all seniors. Despite the fact that Schmeltz is listed at the point guard, both he and Faykosh serve as the team’s floor general during different parts of the game, with Faykosh handling the ball when the Eagles face the press and late in games.

“It’s a nice luxury to have, having two guards who can run the show,” said Eastwood coach Todd Henline, who in his five seasons at the helm, has a record of 65-31, winning at least two of every three games.

The team, which goes ten deep, features the likes of Nick Vespi (6-2), Kevin Sweeney (5-10), Ross Bockbroader (6-0), Austin Speck (6-5) and Skylar Dierker (5-10) off the bench, which helps to form a deep, versatile lineup.

“Our role players have done well,” said Faykosh, “because they know (that) their job is to help the team win, whether that’s playing solid defense or making plays on the offensive end.”

The team, which went 8-13 overall and 7-5 in the now-defunct Suburban Lakes League last season, is experienced. The Eagles returned four starters and are just two years removed from having won back-to-back SLL titles.

So far this season, the team has had its share of close calls. Eastwood fell in the opener to Springfield, 46-45, but defeated Fremont St. Joseph, 57-54, in overtime, on a three-pointer at the buzzer by Faykosh, and rallied to defeat Woodmore, 69-62, in double overtime to secure its place atop the conference. The other league wins have come against Elmwood (44-31), Genoa (51-36) and Otsego (54-39). Otsego, by the way, was picked by coaches to win the NBC.

Defensively, the Eagles employ a man-to-man defense and, on the offensive end, operate out of the half court. Henline also notes that, because of the team’s athleticism, they try to score in transition when the situation presents itself.

What makes the team’s 6-2 start that much more impressive is the fact that they’ve practiced together as a complete unit for a shorter period of time than other squads. Because of the football team’s run to the regional semifinals last fall, Peters, Schmeltz, Dierker, and Caleb Vespi were unable to practice with the basketball team until their playoff season on the gridiron was finished. 

But, overall, Henline, an Eastwood alum, sees the success of the football team as being a good thing for the basketball program.

“It’s nice because they come off of football season on a high,” said Henline. “It’s nice having that coming into basketball (season). We don’t get as much practice (together) before our first game, (but) I wouldn’t trade that success (in football) for the practice time.”

For the Eagles to win the league for the third time in four years, they’ll have to continue to bring their A-game.

“It’s going to be a challenge every game because the teams are so close talent-wise,” said Jennings. “We have some big games coming up and I believe that will show us (where) we truly stand in the league. We can’t count on other teams to slip up, so we have to bring our best every game.”

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