Posted: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:27 AM - 11,086 Readers
By: Danny Davis
It's a surefire bet that the Erwin Center's public-address announcers will probably have trouble pronouncing parts of Lake Travis' roster during the boys state basketball tournament.
But if some names get butchered during the Cavaliers' state semifinal game against Lancaster tonight, don't expect them to mind.
It happens. A lot.
"Probably eight or nine (times) out of ten," said junior forward Billy Sherakas, whose name is pronounced SHA-ree-kas. "It's pretty funny to hear them; we always get a good laugh on the bench."
"I'd say about 80 percent of the time," said senior Cole Vucurevich (VA-cura-vich). "I always tell them just to pronounce it, just sound it out, but they just rush it and it comes out all weird."
"The only times they ever get it is home games so probably nine out of 10 (times)," said senior Zach Karczewski (KAR-chess-ski).
Whatever PA announcers call Sherakas, Vucurevich and Karczewski , it's clear the trio has helped lead Lake Travis to its first state tournament .
Karczewski leads Lake Travis in scoring (14.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.1) while Vucurevich is averaging 10.3 points per game and was District 25-4A's defensive MVP last year. Sherakas, who transferred to Lake Travis this year after spending the past two years at a boarding school in Denmark, has averaged 9.7 points per game and has emer ged as the team's top three-point shooter.
Lake Travis point guard David Eads said playing alongside Karczewski, Sherakas and Vucurevich "makes my job getting assists a lot easier."
"I don't even really have to set them up; I just give them the ball and they score."
Lake Travis' trip to the Erwin Center comes a year after a disappointing finish kept the Cavaliers out of the state tournament .
Lake Travis was 31-4 last season and, at one point, was the top-ranked 4A team in the state. The Cavaliers, however, were upended by LBJ in the Class 4A, Region IV title game, and Houston Yates went on to win the 4A state title.
Lake Travis lost All-Central Texas forward Jordan Jahr to graduation, but returned a strong nucleus in Vucurevich, Karczewski and Eads, who also was an All-Central Texas honoree last season.
Sherakas, who moved to Central Texas this past summer to live with his father, wasn't sure if he'd even make the Lake Travis roster, but he has turned out to be a nice offensive complement to Karczewski and Vucurevich.
Lake Travis, 33-5 this season, avenged its loss to LBJ in the third round of the playoffs, and the Cavaliers trailed for fewer than two minutes during their two games at the regional tournament in San Antonio.
"I knew we always had a good team; we have really good players around here," Sherakas said. "We haven't had our best game yet."
Before they square off against Lancaster , Lake Travis' unusually-named trio will pass time with a variety of pregame rituals.
Sherakas said he'll sit in his room on the night before the game and he'll envision the game like a movie in his mind.
Karczewski will munch on candy before the game. At the regional tournament, he ate Swedish Fish before each of Lake Travis' games, but tonight's menu has yet to be decided.
Vucurevich will wear his lucky item of clothing on Thursday, a pair of thermal socks that are grey, red and blue.
Then the Cavaliers will take the court.
"I'm super excited for Thursday; I don't think I've ever been so excited for a game," Vucurevich said. "It really hasn't set in yet and I don't think it will until I walk out and I see all the people and everything there."
