Boys' Basketball Previews
CHENANGO COUNTY – Some area basketball teams have already hit the hardwood floor for their opening games of the season, while the majority of the eight Chenango County clubs covered by The Evening Sun start their seasons this weekend. Below are brief capsules of each boys basketball team beginning with a wrapup of the 2010 season, and followed by a quick look at the 2011-2012 campaign. Teams are listed in alphabetical order:
Bainbridge-Guilford
Head coach: Greg Warren
2010 season: Bainbridge-Guilford flirted with its first .500-plus record in several years before losing its last three games to finish 7-11. Ryan Porter led B-G in scoring with Austin Bauerle a close second.
2011 season: Porter is back for his senior season, his fourth on the varsity, while Bauerle, too, returns under head coach Greg Warren. Warren coached high school basketball for 14 years in the Baltimore, Maryland area before returning to his alma mater. Brooks Harmon, a high-scoring guard, is also back for the Bobcats. Lucas Butcher, a sophomore guard, and junior forward Dalton Johnson were tabbed by Warren as varsity newcomers to watch.
G-MU
Head coach: Bill Hartman
2010 season: The Raiders won 14 games (14-6 overall), were in the hunt for a Tri-Valley division title, and won their first sectional playoff game under Hartman before bowing to league rival Edmeston in the Class D quarterfinals.
2011 season: Two-fifths of last year’s starting lineup return, DeMario Reed, and Eddie Ray Cotton. Reed and Cotton were last year’s top two scorers as well, and must lead a thin varsity roster that has just seven players. Greg Delaney moves in as the starting point guard, while Galen Wind and Tim French round out the starting lineup. Hartman hopes his new players to varsity make a quick transition to the varsity level to complement the experience of Reed and Cotton.
Greene
Head coach: Rick Smith
2010 season: The Trojans hovered just above and below the .500 mark, and finished 9-10 on the season after losing its first-round playoff game. The Trojans were involved in eight games decided by seven points or less, and won just three of those games. Sam Adams and Jeff Carlin led the Trojans in scoring as juniors with each earning some sort of all-MAC league recognition.
2011: Along with Carlin and Adams, Ryan Borst, Joe Beckwith, Mike Washburn, and Akeem Daniels return to the varsity. Returning guard, Dan Treadwell, is also back, but will miss part of the season as he recovers from injury. Brandon Davis, a 6-foot-3 forward, has joined the varsity and is expected to contribute on the inside.
Norwich
Head Coach: Tom Collier
2010 season: Norwich lost four games last season finishing 15-4 overall. Three of those losses came to Johnson City, and the Wildcats trumped the Tornado in a STAC division tie-breaker, while also ending NHS’s season in the first round of the Section IV playoffs.
2011: Norwich’s number two and three scorers, Dennis Oralls and Seth Thomsen, return from last year’s squad. Also back is point guard Kyle Edwards, who was coming on in the second half of the season before suffering a season-ending injury. Collier is looking for impact performances from varsity newcomers Grant Brightman, Mike Sutton, Danny Carson, Storm Cook, and Mike D’Abbraccio. Sutton, Cook, and D’Abbraccio are all sophomores with Cook skipping junior varsity basketball altogether. Ian Weaver, Grady Thompson, and Eric Walling are varsity reserves from last year who should see increased playing time.
Otselic Valley
Head coach: Dave Loomis
2010 season: The Vikings lost four out of their last six games to finish 8-11 on the season under longtime head coach, Dave Loomis. Gone from that squad are top scorers Jeff Pittsley and Dusty Davis.
2011: Expect increased offensive roles this season from returning starters Mike Larkin and Trevor Marston. Dylan Comfort and Chuck Bishop also saw time last year for the Vikings. Adding a presence on the inside is 6-foot-3 senior transfer Gideon Schena.
Oxford
Head coach: Tim Davis
2010 season: Oxford’s long string of MAC division titles ended last year, and the 8-11 record was the first losing record for Oxford in close to a decade.
2011: Off to an 0-2 start, the Blackhawks are operating at less than full capacity due to injury and player ineligibility. Andrew Golden and Justin Schray, last year’s number two and three leading scorers, are back to lead the Oxford offense. Ryan Moore, Paul Wonka, and Caden Izard are back from last year’s squad. Justin Harding, a new player to the basketball program, should add depth at forward, and eighth-grader, Kevin Davis, makes the jump to varsity.
Sherburne-Earlville
Head coach: Kevin Vibbard
2010 season: Finished 11-8 overall, and lost in the first round of the Class C playoffs. The Marauders were one of the most balanced scoring teams in the area with five players averaging between 7.8 and 11.0 points per game.
2011 season: All-Star guard Randy Briggs returns, a tough defender who averaged nearly 10 points per game. Also returning are key players from last year, Paul Romanenko, Cole Hodges, and Sam Caton. Coach Vibbard has a deep bench this year and plans to utilize nearly everyone in the lineup. He’ll favor in-your-face man-to-man defense, and an up-tempo offense. Key newcomers to the varsity are Austin Jasper, Matt Smith, Carter Cole, Mick Khoury, Jesse Yerton, and John McDaniel. Jasper is a sophomore, while the others are juniors.
Unadilla Valley
Head coach: Matt Osborne
2010: The Storm made strides back toward the form that carried them to the brink of sectional titles a few years back. Sophomore Justin Hofer was second in The Evening Sun coverage area in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Senior guard Brett Smith averaged nearly 10 points a game as well, while knocking down 23 three-pointers.
2011 season: Hofer is a contributor in almost every area of the floor, and he along with Smith will spearhead the guard play. Travis Conklin, a 6-foot-3 center, averaged 6.5 point a game last year, and is the team’s biggest player. Osborne is looking at seniors Jesse Ranger and Jack Wilcox to step up their contributions, along with varsity newcomers Nate Shackelton and Kurt Haycook. The Storm are a guard-heavy team the will look to push the tempo, Osborne said.
Bainbridge-Guilford
Head coach: Greg Warren
2010 season: Bainbridge-Guilford flirted with its first .500-plus record in several years before losing its last three games to finish 7-11. Ryan Porter led B-G in scoring with Austin Bauerle a close second.
2011 season: Porter is back for his senior season, his fourth on the varsity, while Bauerle, too, returns under head coach Greg Warren. Warren coached high school basketball for 14 years in the Baltimore, Maryland area before returning to his alma mater. Brooks Harmon, a high-scoring guard, is also back for the Bobcats. Lucas Butcher, a sophomore guard, and junior forward Dalton Johnson were tabbed by Warren as varsity newcomers to watch.
G-MU
Head coach: Bill Hartman
2010 season: The Raiders won 14 games (14-6 overall), were in the hunt for a Tri-Valley division title, and won their first sectional playoff game under Hartman before bowing to league rival Edmeston in the Class D quarterfinals.
2011 season: Two-fifths of last year’s starting lineup return, DeMario Reed, and Eddie Ray Cotton. Reed and Cotton were last year’s top two scorers as well, and must lead a thin varsity roster that has just seven players. Greg Delaney moves in as the starting point guard, while Galen Wind and Tim French round out the starting lineup. Hartman hopes his new players to varsity make a quick transition to the varsity level to complement the experience of Reed and Cotton.
Greene
Head coach: Rick Smith
2010 season: The Trojans hovered just above and below the .500 mark, and finished 9-10 on the season after losing its first-round playoff game. The Trojans were involved in eight games decided by seven points or less, and won just three of those games. Sam Adams and Jeff Carlin led the Trojans in scoring as juniors with each earning some sort of all-MAC league recognition.
2011: Along with Carlin and Adams, Ryan Borst, Joe Beckwith, Mike Washburn, and Akeem Daniels return to the varsity. Returning guard, Dan Treadwell, is also back, but will miss part of the season as he recovers from injury. Brandon Davis, a 6-foot-3 forward, has joined the varsity and is expected to contribute on the inside.
Norwich
Head Coach: Tom Collier
2010 season: Norwich lost four games last season finishing 15-4 overall. Three of those losses came to Johnson City, and the Wildcats trumped the Tornado in a STAC division tie-breaker, while also ending NHS’s season in the first round of the Section IV playoffs.
2011: Norwich’s number two and three scorers, Dennis Oralls and Seth Thomsen, return from last year’s squad. Also back is point guard Kyle Edwards, who was coming on in the second half of the season before suffering a season-ending injury. Collier is looking for impact performances from varsity newcomers Grant Brightman, Mike Sutton, Danny Carson, Storm Cook, and Mike D’Abbraccio. Sutton, Cook, and D’Abbraccio are all sophomores with Cook skipping junior varsity basketball altogether. Ian Weaver, Grady Thompson, and Eric Walling are varsity reserves from last year who should see increased playing time.
Otselic Valley
Head coach: Dave Loomis
2010 season: The Vikings lost four out of their last six games to finish 8-11 on the season under longtime head coach, Dave Loomis. Gone from that squad are top scorers Jeff Pittsley and Dusty Davis.
2011: Expect increased offensive roles this season from returning starters Mike Larkin and Trevor Marston. Dylan Comfort and Chuck Bishop also saw time last year for the Vikings. Adding a presence on the inside is 6-foot-3 senior transfer Gideon Schena.
Oxford
Head coach: Tim Davis
2010 season: Oxford’s long string of MAC division titles ended last year, and the 8-11 record was the first losing record for Oxford in close to a decade.
2011: Off to an 0-2 start, the Blackhawks are operating at less than full capacity due to injury and player ineligibility. Andrew Golden and Justin Schray, last year’s number two and three leading scorers, are back to lead the Oxford offense. Ryan Moore, Paul Wonka, and Caden Izard are back from last year’s squad. Justin Harding, a new player to the basketball program, should add depth at forward, and eighth-grader, Kevin Davis, makes the jump to varsity.
Sherburne-Earlville
Head coach: Kevin Vibbard
2010 season: Finished 11-8 overall, and lost in the first round of the Class C playoffs. The Marauders were one of the most balanced scoring teams in the area with five players averaging between 7.8 and 11.0 points per game.
2011 season: All-Star guard Randy Briggs returns, a tough defender who averaged nearly 10 points per game. Also returning are key players from last year, Paul Romanenko, Cole Hodges, and Sam Caton. Coach Vibbard has a deep bench this year and plans to utilize nearly everyone in the lineup. He’ll favor in-your-face man-to-man defense, and an up-tempo offense. Key newcomers to the varsity are Austin Jasper, Matt Smith, Carter Cole, Mick Khoury, Jesse Yerton, and John McDaniel. Jasper is a sophomore, while the others are juniors.
Unadilla Valley
Head coach: Matt Osborne
2010: The Storm made strides back toward the form that carried them to the brink of sectional titles a few years back. Sophomore Justin Hofer was second in The Evening Sun coverage area in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Senior guard Brett Smith averaged nearly 10 points a game as well, while knocking down 23 three-pointers.
2011 season: Hofer is a contributor in almost every area of the floor, and he along with Smith will spearhead the guard play. Travis Conklin, a 6-foot-3 center, averaged 6.5 point a game last year, and is the team’s biggest player. Osborne is looking at seniors Jesse Ranger and Jack Wilcox to step up their contributions, along with varsity newcomers Nate Shackelton and Kurt Haycook. The Storm are a guard-heavy team the will look to push the tempo, Osborne said.
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