The Bishop Noll boys basketball team has had an amazingly successful regular season with Josh Belluomini as head coach considering the fact that many teams have to suffer a rebuilding year after one head coach leaves and another steps in.

“I think that the transition from assistant coach to head coach has been a pretty smooth one.  I think you do see some differences between our style of play last year compared to this year, but there wasn’t any major overhaul that happened, Belluomini said.

Belluomini credits his years as assistant coach to the successful transition.

“To me the biggest difference and adjustment has been everything off the court — the organizing, the game planning stuff like that,” Belluomini said.

The team has had several guys improve over the off-season. The two biggest that stand out are seniors Marquis Tarver and Ryan Neal. The Warriors are coming to the end of their season and sectionals is coming around. These two players will be important to help the current leaders of the team make a run in the post-season.

“I think that we have a very good chance of being successful in sectionals.  I don’t think it will be as easy as a lot of people think though,” Belluomini said.  “Lake Station has played us tough twice this year, we looked horrible in our two games against Whiting and there is a lot of unknown with Hebron and Boone Grove,” Belluomini said.

For the last few years, Noll couldn’t get past sectional championship game against Bowman. But now that Bowman’s out of the sectionals, who is the toughest competition?

“Lake Station and Hebron will be our toughest competition,” said senior guard Jasinto Carter.