Almost everyone in Lake Forest High School remembers the legendary 2014-15 Scouts team that won 28 games behind the talents of current Purdue Boilermaker Evan Boudreaux.

But ever since that season, the Scouts have struggled with consistency. After a winning record in 2015-16, the team had three straight .500 seasons. However, that has changed this season as the Scouts sit with a 14-9 overall record and a 5-3 conference record as of February 8th.

“Over the past few seasons, people have looked at Lake Forest as hard-working, scrapping teams,” said fifteenth-year head coach Phil LaScala, “Our main goal entering the season was to get better and better talent-wise and skill-wise.”

“[This year] we have a group of guys who are very committed to what they’re doing,” he added.

This season the team has a cast of talented players with the potential to be a juggernaut in not only the North Suburban Conference but the state of Illinois for years to come.

But what makes this talented group of players so exciting is their youth. Out of the four underclassmen on the team, two of them are starters in Cade Nowik and Asa Thomas, and one is a huge piece for the Scouts off the bench in Leo Scheidler.

Juniors like Jack Malloy and Will Thomas have also played huge roles for the Scouts this season, especially Malloy, who is second on the team in scoring behind another piece to this youth movement, freshman Asa Thomas. 

Thomas has received rightful and well-deserved excitement from fans due to his energy, his talent, and his lights-out three-point shot.

“When he played for us this summer,” said LaScala, “You could just see he had that drive in him to play at this level.”

The chemistry on the Scouts roster is at an all-time high, especially after the team had an incredible month of January that saw them get huge home victories over rivals Libertyville and Stevenson.

“Our senior leadership has been great this season,” said LaScala, “It has been a tough time for them because some haven’t gotten the chance to play as much, but they have just done a great job of being a positive influence and helping our young guys grow.”

Seniors like Andy Brown, Stephen Young, and Grant Kaus have played a huge role in helping the young players with the maturation process, but Brown was very complimentary of how the young players have helped many of the veterans on the roster.

“It has just been great getting to play with those guys,” said Brown. “The seniors and some of older players have learned just as much from them as they have from us seniors.”

LaScala also pointed out that the team’s depth has been a huge strength this season.

“When we began the season, we had 11 guys getting playing time. Having that kind of depth always helps,” he said.

With the playoffs nearing, the goal for every team is winning a state title, but the Scouts are also focused on improving with every game.

“Our main goal is just to keep growing as a team,” said LaScala.