In the summer before the basketball season, Community head coach Mr. David Witzig faced a flood of questions—not about his current team, but last year’s 4A state runners-up.

The same questions kept repeating: What’s next for Jaheem Webber? Where’s Braylon Roman playing in college? What’s Niko Newsome up to? The focus rarely shifted to the present. Rarely touching on the 2024-25 Ironmen.

Community was being counted out after losing all five starters from what could arguably be the best team in program history. Eight returners weren’t enough to convince doubters—it had to be a rebuilding year, right?

Wrong.

The Ironmen pieced it together, adjusted lineups and gutted out win after win. Defying expectations, they finished 28-7, repeating as Big 12 champs and reached a second straight sectional final.

Credit didn’t belong to one player or coach. The program thrived on grit, hustle and a team-first mentality that defined selfless basketball.

When the season ended in a heartbreaking overtime loss to third-ranked Quincy, Witzig felt one emotion above all—pride. Not because of flawless execution or a storybook ending, but because of effort.

“They wanted to beat us after last year. It would have been a great victory, but I was really proud of how hard we competed,” Witzig said. “We didn’t play our best—we had a lot of turnovers, and there are things I wish we did differently—but we played really, really hard.”

Down seven with four minutes left, Community could have folded as the gym roared against them. Instead, they battled. Kobe Walker’s old-school three-point play forced overtime.

“We told the guys before the game—just get to the fourth quarter with a chance,” Witzig said. “We did that. Then in overtime, it was anybody’s game.”

Though they fell short, the Ironmen stayed relentless—just as they had all season.

“Our guys just did a great job coming out and playing hard,” Witzig said.

“Quincy,” Witzig said, “had five seniors who had played together since second grade. We were playing against a team that had grown up together—with a group that we threw together.”

The Iron were playing with a new formula, “and we still almost won.”

Strong start, Stronger finish

The Iron started the season hot, winning a second straight Intercity title and opening 9-0—silencing doubters. 

Then reality hit.

They dropped three of five in the span of three weeks, forcing lineup changes. For a moment, the rebuild narrative seemed true.

But it wasn’t.

The Ironmen were learning—growing—sharpening each other.

“We weren’t really close until the end of the season,” Witzig said, slowly building chemistry over the season on road trips to Moline, St. Louis and the four-game “Wheaton weekend” over MLK break.

The turning points weren’t just big wins—like beating Moline on the road or a successful Wheaton trip. Losses mattered too—especially two “really bad” back-to-back losses in Missouri.

Community rolled into Missouri at 24-4, fresh off an 11-game win streak with wins over Downers Grove North, Peoria Manual, top-ranked Metamora, Moline and a quadruple OT thriller against Richwoods. 

They looked playoff-ready. But there was one last lesson ahead.

Principia 74, Community 50.

Cardinal Ritter 54, Community 39.

“We got hammered,” Witzig said. “We got out-hustled, out-muscled–Everyone was mad.”

But the losses, the anger, refocused the Ironmen.

“From that moment on,” Witzig said, the Ironmen were locked in “and had a really nice run.”

That run included three double-digit playoff wins over Normal West, Minooka and Rock Island—the team that handed them their first of the season loss.

Beating Rock Island stood out most to Witzig—not just for the sectional semifinal win, but for how they did it.

“We mixed and matched guys,” Witzig said.

In that contest, the Iron boasted 10 different lineups, making the win truly a team effort. 

The Walker effect

At the center of it all was 6-foot-9 Kobe Walker. The Central Michigan commit earned Big 12 Co-Player of the Year and IBCA First Team All-State honors.

Walker averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks per game—and shattered two program records.

His 24-rebound night against Richwoods set a single-game record. But his biggest mark came in total boards—his 426 rebounds crushed Harold Nord’s 1972 record of 345.

“I didn’t know I was close,” Walker said.

But once Witzig pointed it out, Walker stayed level-headed.

“I wasn’t going to worry about it, I just did my job.”

And what a job he did, tallying 651 points on the season, good for second all-time in a single-season, and the first player since 1991 to crack the top 10. 

“Kobe literally had one of the greatest seasons in Ironmen history,” Witzig said.

Walker credits his record-setting season to his effort, something, he said, he was glad to see “pay off.”

Walker’s work ethic matched his talent, Witzig said.

“He never complained. Never got mad at the refs, a teammate, or a coach,” Witzig said. “He just played hard.”

Walker prides himself on the ability to balance his competitiveness and sportsmanship.

“I want to win,” Walker said. When the ball is live, “It’s me versus everybody on the court—but I’m still respectful.”

Program guys

Walker led a senior core of what Witzig calls “program guys” in Owen Osborn and Marcus Russell, players who came up through Community’s system and exemplify the Iron’s brand of basketball. 

“They weren’t just contributors this year,” Witzig said. “They worked their way up, and when it was their turn, they made the most of it.”

Russell set the tone defensively, providing an unmatched “defensive intensity,” Witzig said. 

Averaging just 14 minutes per game, Russell ranked third in deflections on the team (25), led the team in charges (3), and contributed nearly a steal per contest. The senior was a tone setter for the Ironmen, making him a crucial piece in their rotation.

Osborn, an All-Conference Honorable Mention, was the ultimate multi-tool player.

“Owen did everything,” Witzig said, from guarding post players and wings, hitting the three to grabbing offensive boards to dishing out dimes. 

Osborn filled gaps wherever needed, averaging four points, four rebounds and two assists per game, while leading the team in free throw percentage (78%) and finishing in the top three in offensive rebounds (47).

Osborn’s contributions weren’t just on the court—he was Witzig’s post-practice ride home.

With two high school kids and only two cars, Witzig occasionally needed a lift home. Osborn was always there for the assist. 

Joining the “program guys” in the starting line-up was senior Connor Smith. In his second varsity season after transferring from Rantoul, Smith provided the Ironmen with strong “three-point shooting and ball-handling,” Witzig said. 

Smith averaged seven points and two assists per game, shooting over 30% from beyond the arc and ranking second on the team with 1.1 threes per game. His consistency from deep helped him reach a career milestone—scoring his 1,000th point during his senior campaign.

Built for the future

Despite the senior departures, Community won’t be entering a rebuild next season, either.

All season, Witzig said, the Iron “threw [players] together,” testing out new combinations and team chemistry—”and still won the Big 12, went 28-7 and made the Sweet 16.”

“This was a good program year,” Witzig said.

The result–the next generation is already battle-tested. 

Leading the charge will be junior guards Andrew Naour and Trey Birditt, this year’s starting backcourt.

Birditt provided the offensive spark, ranking second on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game while leading the Ironmen in assists (129), steals (60) and deflections (51). 

His ability to create for others and disrupt opponents made him a two-way force in the Ironmen backcourt.

Birditt’s efficiency made him even more dangerous—he shot 54.6% from the field, proving himself as a reliable scoring option.

“Trey’s always there to make a big play for us,” Osborn said.

While Birditt was an offensive catalyst, Naour was the glue—a tireless playmaker who kept the team connected, making the smart passes and hustle plays that turned possessions into points.

Naour, a gritty and unselfish playmaker, finished second on the team in steals (25) and third in assists (62), showcasing his ability to keep the offense flowing while making timely plays that didn’t always show up on the stat sheet.

Naour “always shows up, he always gives full effort,” Osborn said. “He’s just the type of guy that’ll do all the little things, which is what we need.”

That doesn’t mean the junior wasn’t an efficient scorer when called upon, posting a 54.2% effective field goal percentage and knocking down 71.4% of his free throws. 

The duo both displayed a knack for delivering in the clutch, hitting buzzer-beaters to close out quarters, and extend games, throughout the season.

They’ll be joined by two underclassmen who emerged as key contributors—sophomore Jarrel Brown and freshman Chase Kasten.

Against Rock Island, they both saw meaningful time, playing over 15 minutes—a testament to the trust they earned in high-pressure moments. 

In that contest, Brown stepped up offensively, finishing third in scoring with seven points, while Kasten made his presence felt on the boards, grabbing three offensive rebounds. 

“Next year, there will be moments where things aren’t going our way,” Witzig said, where “the crowd is going crazy, and we have to respond. But now, we’ve been in those moments. We’ve beaten Rock Island in a hostile gym. We sent a game to overtime when the whole place was against us.”

“Those experiences will carry over” into 2025-26, the veteran head coach said.

This season, Brown averaged six points per game, working his way into the starting lineup by the end of the year.

His potential? Limitless.

“He’s just gonna get better and better,” Witzig said.

Kasten, a 6-foot-5 forward, averaged five points and four rebounds per game off the bench and proved he could hang with varsity competition.

“This is my 26th year as a head coach. I’ve never had a freshman play as many minutes as Chase did,” Witzig said. “We’ve never [even] had a freshman in the rotation.”

Beyond the box score: Seniors who defined Ironmen basketball

Even the players who didn’t see extended minutes left their mark.

Seniors Gabe Nege, Jayden Orrick, Gavyn Sheets and Caleb Tyus may not have filled the box score, but their presence in practice was immeasurable.

“If you’re going to have a good season, you need everybody working hard in practice,” Witzig said. “And they did a great job.”

When their moments came, they made them count.

Orrick delivered a perfect alley-oop to Nege during the Wheaton weekend, which Nege slammed home for one of the Iron’s 40 dunks of the season. 

Tyus delivered his own jam in a home contest against the Normal West Wildcats in the final home contest of his career.

With just over four minutes remaining in the season finale, Tyus picked a loose ball out of the air, sprinted down the court and threw down a fastbreak slam.

“It was a great dunk. I mean, he hammered that thing. That was a legit, big-time dunk,” Witzig said.

“After he dunked it, everybody was so happy—the coaches, the assistant coaches, the players,” Witzig said. “Because everyone knows how hard Caleb has worked, what a great guy he is.”“

“His dunk was one of my favorite plays of the year,” Witzig said.

Sheets’ headline moment came against the Pekin Dragons, when he erupted for a 10-point fourth quarter But it wasn’t just the play—it was the reaction.

The senior contributions–in practice, off the bench, are the perfect embodiment of Ironmen basketball.

“It means doing the right thing, playing hard and filling your role,” Walker said.

It’s “showing up every day, not skipping reps,” Osborn said. “An Ironman just keeps going, keeps fighting.”

This season proved just that.

“I’m very proud of these guys,” Walker said. “It’s hard, it’s not easy, to play in the Sweet 16. We did that.”