An embarrassment of riches. That's a saying Kris Fiore is coming to understand — both figuratively and literally.

Fiore enters his eighth season as coach at Lincoln-Way East with a 220-51 record, five regional titles and the 2014 state championship to his name. Yet there's little doubt this is his deepest roster yet.

“It's almost embarrassing to talk about, but I feel I could put five different outside hitters out there and we could win with any five,” Fiore said. “We're just that deep.”

Talent always finds a way to Fiore's door, but this season a line formed.

That's because district neighbor Lincoln-Way North closed last spring.

As a result, the Griffins, a state quarterfinalist last season, gained four of North's returning starters and the remains of a stellar program.

“We have 18 kids on our team, which is insane,” Fiore said. “I could not cut beyond that because everyone was so close and competitive.”

Poised setter Jake Snyder and right-side hitter Matt Shemanski are two especially notable editions. Snyder is a St. Ambrose recruit and should dish kills in bunches.

“Our strength is our offense,” Snyder said. “A lot of teams only have one or two strong options. Anywhere I set is an option.”

Outside hitters Ian Piet and Jason Szara, Shemanski and middle hitters Luis Zavala and Mike Herlihy lead the way. The Griffins feature nine players taller than 6-foot-2, including the 6-6 Herlihy, who touched higher than 11 feet at practice and is now garnering collegiate looks.

All the options could fluster some setters, but that shouldn't be an issue for Snyder.

“He's completely chill the whole time,” Fiore said. “Never gets too anxious, too excited or too down.”

It's easy to keep cool playing with a talent such as Piet. The junior outside hitter seems poised to become one of the state's elite players. Piet enters his third year on the varsity after leading East in kills last season.

Chemistry won't be an issue, either.

“Ian is one of my closest friends and my sand volleyball partner,” Snyder said. “We finally get to be on the same indoor team for once. … This should be fun.”

But will it be fun for the guys at the end of a stacked bench? Eighteen on a roster means three won't receive playoff jerseys due to the IHSA's 15-player postseason cap.

Won't that cause issues?

“Nobody's going to complain about that,” Piet said. “If you're not on the court, you're going to work harder to get playing time.

“We basically have everyone fighting for spots. There's no down time. It's awesome.”

Like every good relationship, Fiore said the key is communication. If the Griffins can conquer that, they should compete for a state title, come June, against the likes of two-time defending champ Glenbard West and South Side rival Brother Rice.

“I've always been fine having big teams, communicating with them so they know their role,” Fiore said. “They're going to get evaluated every day. I like to show I'll play anyone. I'm not afraid to start different lineups.”

The resources are certainly there.

Logan Malloy is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.