For the first time in almost half a decade, when the Ironmen basketball season tips off against Normal West on Nov. 24, there won’t be a 6-foot-10, 6-foot-9 behemoth towering over the Community’s foes. 

The Iron, head coach Mr. Dave Witzig said, were incredibly lucky to have the luxury of literal standouts in Jaheem Webber and Kobe Walker. 

What was the game plan when those giants were on the court? 

Get “the ball to the 6’9 guys by the basket,” Witzig said.

That strategy paid dividends, earning Walker a co-Big 12 Player of the Year award as the Ironmen surged to a 28-7 record, a conference title, and a 4A Sweet Sixteen appearance. 

The big man put up big numbers, shattering Community records: Walker snatched 426 rebounds, a Community’s single-season high, while posting 18.6 points a contest.

But with Webber at Southern Illinois and Walker at Valparaiso, the two find themselves dunking on other rims now.

While the 2025-26 Iron roster doesn’t feature a D-I big man, that doesn’t mean the Ironmen aren’t equipped for the big time.

Schematic Changes

The Iron offense will adopt a new brand of ball for the 2025-26 season, utilizing space and speed instead of size. 

The team, Witzig said, is “really ramp[ing] up the pace” from last season’s “slow and methodical” approach with the offense no longer anchored by Walker.

This season’s squad is one of the fastest offensive teams Witzig said he’s coached in his 27 years at the helm of Iron basketball.

After an era of dominant post play, the Ironmen offense looks to spread the floor this season in hopes of creating shots from beyond the arc.

“Hopefully,” Witzig said,  “we’re going to see guys make a bunch of threes.” 

The Iron look to feature three sharpshooters in the starting line up in Trey Birditt, Andrew Naour and Jarrel Brown: the trio combined for over 105 3-pointers last year. 

Naour and Birditt will steer the pace and attack downhill, with more “driving and cutting,” Witzig said, “instead of throwing it to a guy who can make a good post move.”

Community won’t abandon post touches, Witzig said, but this roster isn’t built like “bruisers.”

The Iron have height in players like 6-foot-7 Brown and 6-foot-5 Chase Kasten, but in place of Walker’s boxy build and strength, they are lean and lengthy.

Defensively, expect more of the same: hard-nosed man-to-man coverage. 

But this year, they don’t feature an elite rim protector to swat away layup attempts or pull down boards like Walker’s 12 a game. Instead, the Iron will lean on Kasten to fill the void. Kasten was second on the team in rebounding last season as a freshman, averaging 3.8 a contest.

Experienced Backcourt

The new-look offense will rely on veteran ballhandlers in the two-headed attack of Naour and Birditt.

“Two guys,” Witzig said, whose return will play a “huge” role in the Ironmen scheme—and have proven calm under pressure.

Witzig pointed to the pair’s poise in last season’s Sweet 16 overtime loss at Quincy, playing in front of more than a thousand Blue Devil fans.

The duo “know what it’s like” to play big games on the road in “incredible” atmospheres, Witzig said. That experience, he believes, should translate into leadership—a need with five new varsity faces, including three underclassmen. 

Birditt finished second on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game and led in assists at 3.9. He hit the go-ahead three with 7 seconds left to beat Peoria Manual 63-61, preserving an undefeated Big 12 season. 

Naour finished third on the team in assists and led in 3-point percentage at 40.3%. In his first varsity season, Naour emerged as a steady ballhandler and an elite perimeter defender, often drawing opponents’ top scorers. 

The tandem also finished first and second on the team in steals, with Birditt’s 60 and Naour’s 25.

Length and Upside on the Wings

Junior Jarrel Brown and sophomore Chase Kasten return to the court offering the Ironmen versatility.

The two “can be counted on to do a lot of things,” Witzig said, “because they’re very highly skilled.”

Brown finished his sophomore season tied with Birditt for the team lead with 39 made 3-pointers last winter, including five against Peoria High, and averaged 6.3 points per game. The Community junior is ranked No. 6 in Illinois’ Class of 2027 by PrepHoops and holds offers from Eastern Illinois and Western Michigan.

“They can handle the ball, they can shoot the three, they can penetrate, they can pass, and they can rebound,” Witzig said. “We need to spread the floor out and give them opportunities.”

Kasten, after working his way into the starting lineup during Community’s postseason run, averaged 4.6 points and hit 22 threes on 32.8% shooting from deep; the sophomore is ranked No. 10 in Illinois’ Class of 2028 by PrepHoops and has already drawn Division I interest, including a recent game visit to Illinois.

Seniors Carter Harris (6-foot-5) and Kelan Augustin (6-foot-3) give the Iron added size and versatility, with Harris— signed to play baseball at Olivet Nazarene—pulling down 14 rebounds in 14 games and Augustin averaging 1.1 points and 1.1 boards and hitting 6 of 7 threes last season. 

Senior A.J. Ince adds another experienced perimeter piece, hitting 6-f0r-11 from deep with 9 rebounds and 3 steals in 19 games.

Tough Schedule

Community’s schedule again stacks elite in-state and out-of-state tests.

Intercity, Nov. 24–29

Normal West, Bloomington, Central Catholic, U-High await as the Ironmen chase a three-peat.

“Everybody’s kind of gunning for us, since we’re the biggest school in town,” Witzig said. “You really learn a lot about your team when you come running out at Wesleyan and there’s 2,000 fans there at game number one.”

Peoria High, Dec. 19

The Lions are coming off a Class 3A Elite Eight and a 29-7 finish, returning 6-foot-5 Fenix Foy and adding Metamora transfer Kayden Turner. Leshaun Stowers graduated to Miami (Ohio). 

Wheaton Warrenville South MLK Tournament, Jan. 17–19

Community heads north to face Chicago-area powers, including Waubonsie Valley, which has handed the Ironmen rare losses each of the past two seasons. The Warriors are ranked No. 13 in Illinois by On3. 

East Peoria, Jan. 31

The Raiders feature 6-foot-6 Quinton Kitt, with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Northwestern, and junior guard Cole Dubois, offered by Eastern Illinois and drawing interest from Illinois State and Southern Illinois. Both averaged more than 20 points and earned IBCA all-state honors. 

Peoria Richwoods, Feb. 6

Freshman standout Amarion Smith-Holley holds offers from Arizona State and Illinois after averaging 17.3 points and making the 3A all-state third team. Transfers Tony Bradford and Davion McClendon join the Knights. 

At Alton, Feb. 14

The Redbirds went 26-7 and share Community’s sectional. They play in the Southwestern Conference with Edwardsville and East St. Louis. 

Cardinal Ritter (Mo.), Feb. 16

Cardinal Ritter handed Community a 54-39 loss last season. 

Community opens Monday, Nov. 24, at the Shirk Center.