On the Hardwood: Highland Park Boys

SEASON REVIEW

Ziv Tal was the headliner.

And he was a deserving one at that. The senior guard averaged 16.5 points per game and tallied 1,113 points during his career at Highland Park High School. He went over 1,000 points in late January to end up as the school’s eighth all-time leading scorer.

But you can’t disregard the efforts his basketball partners. This was a loaded — and long-awaited — senior class at HP, which wound up 15-11 overall and 8-2 in the CSL North (2^nd place) after opening the season 0-4.

It was a deep squad with the likes of senior starters Tal, Daniel Michelon, Noah Shutan, Tyler Gussis and Jonny Koenig and top senior reserves Ethan Goldberg, Lucas Fleisher, Hayden Katz and Jack Greenwald.

The schedule also was top notch. The Giants defeated nine teams, including three league champions (Maine West, Timothy Christian and Andrew). And they lost to eight teams with 20 wins or more.

And this was a milestone season for HP head coach Paul Harris, who notched his 300^th career win on the same night that Tal went over the 1,000-point mark.

Honor Roll

Special Mention All-State:

Ziv Tal (Sr., G)

All-CSL North:

Daniel Michelon (Sr., G)

Noah Shutan (Sr., G)

Ziv Tal

All-North Shore Weekend:

First Team

Ziv Tal (Player of the Year)

Third Team

Daniel Michelon

Fourth Team

Noah Shutan

Breakout Players

Ethan Goldberg (Sr., F)

Jonny Koenig (Sr., F)

Defensive Aces

Tyler Gussis (Sr., F)

Noah Shutan

Unsung Heroes

Lucas Fleisher (Sr., G)

Jack Greenwald (Sr., G)

Tyler Gussis

Hayden Katz (Sr., G)

Stat Leaders

Points (Avg.):

Tal (16.7)

Michelon (9.8)

Shutan (5.4)

Rebounds (Avg.):

Gussis (3.0)

Shutan (3.0)

Tal (2.9)

Assists (Avg.):

Shutan (4.2)

Gussis (2.1)

Tal (1.9)

Steals (Avg.):

Shutan (3.0)

Tal (1.9)

Gussis (1.3)

The Future

Player to Watch Next Year:

Andrew Natinsky (Jr., G)