Athletes of the Week: Dennis Oralls and Kyle Edwards
No local boys basketball team has a big three quite like Norwich.
Seth Thomsen was already honored on these pages a month ago, and the other two-thirds of that terrific triad – Dennis Oralls and Kyle Edwards – join Thomsen today as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athletes of the Week.
Norwich’s lineup is far from typical. It’s guard-oriented, and those who play the forward position are mostly, well, just well-disguised guards.
Oralls, a 6-foot-3 senior, is the tallest member of the undersized Tornado roster, and a third-year varsity member. Oralls put together perhaps the finest back-to-back games of his career in victories over Oneonta and Chenango Valley last week.
He displayed an all-around offensive game against the ‘Jackets hitting three-pointers, driving to the basket, and sticking mid-range jumpers that are low on the flash meter, but cruelly effective against the opposition. And in end-of-game situations, Oralls is the best free throw shooter on the team. “Dennis is just an unbelievable weapon to have for us at the end of a game,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “He’s a guy that hits 80 to 90 percent of his free throws, and he closes out games.”
Oralls ended Chenango Valley’s victory hopes in the Stop DWI finals a month ago hitting 10-for-12 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. He was similarly effective against Oneonta winding up 8-for-9 for the game, and he added 10 free throws in 13 attempts against CV in the second meeting. Again, Oralls was golden from the stripe sinking the Warriors with eight free throws in the final quarter.
In amassing 53 points in two games, Oralls was at his efficient best making 16 out of 24 shots from the field. Mind you, we weren’t talking layup after layup. He made a trio of three-pointers, and varied his offensive game with 15-footers and even slick post moves.
“When Dennis came to us two years ago, he started strictly as a shooter,” Collier said. “He’s just added everything to become a complete player. He’s developed his post game this year, and the good thing is that he is still improving this season.”
NHS fans got a glimpse of Edwards’ future potential a season ago. He was either the first or second person off the bench, and was building confidence as a varsity player until an injury sidelined him the final seven games.
Edwards was a capable shooter and scorer, but struggled at times on the defensive side of the ball, Collier said. What a difference a year has made for Edwards. “Last year, he was a defensive liability,” Collier said, who ran the defensive scheme for NHS as an assistant coach. “Athletically he had it, but he just didn’t always have it mentally. This year, he is our lock-down guy defensively. He’s the guy who always gets the toughest defensive assignment.”
Perhaps the best illustration of Edwards’ standout play defensively is his two performances against Chenango Valley guard Chris Ruffo. In the DWI finals, with Edwards checking Ruffo the majority of the game, he held the 15-point-a-game scorer to just two points – those two coming late in the fourth – and 1-for-12 shooting. In last week’s game, Ruffo had a hard-earned 10 points, again well below his season average.
Edwards’ defense now fully complements an offensive game in which his has flourished from the perimeter. After earning the DWI MVP award for scoring 37 points in two wins, he has become that much more deadly from beyond the arc. He canned two big three balls in the win over Oneonta, and had the best overall shooting game we’ve covered this season finishing a perfect 6-for-6 on the three-pointers against CV, and 7-for-9 shooting overall on his way to a career-high 23 points. In two games, Edwards was a remarkable 8-for-11 from beyond the three-point line last week, and has a team-high 30 three-pointers through 12 games.
“Kyle has always been a good scorer,” Collier said. “He’s worked really hard on his mechanics and shooting technique. He was a good shooter before, now he’s an even better shooter.”
With Norwich on the cusp of winning a STAC Central Division title (wins in the next two games will cinch that up), Oralls and Edwards are part of a Norwich team that is equal parts athleticism and basketball intellect. They, like the majority of the Norwich team, star in the classroom as well as the hardwood floor, and are playing with an urgency and determination that could lead to the Tornado’s fifth Section IV title.
“Dennis and Kyle have both rounded themselves out to become complete players,” Collier said. “We’re really lucky. We have some bright kids and some great kids on the team. Dennis and Kyle fit that description.”
Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat
Seth Thomsen was already honored on these pages a month ago, and the other two-thirds of that terrific triad – Dennis Oralls and Kyle Edwards – join Thomsen today as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athletes of the Week.
Norwich’s lineup is far from typical. It’s guard-oriented, and those who play the forward position are mostly, well, just well-disguised guards.
Oralls, a 6-foot-3 senior, is the tallest member of the undersized Tornado roster, and a third-year varsity member. Oralls put together perhaps the finest back-to-back games of his career in victories over Oneonta and Chenango Valley last week.
He displayed an all-around offensive game against the ‘Jackets hitting three-pointers, driving to the basket, and sticking mid-range jumpers that are low on the flash meter, but cruelly effective against the opposition. And in end-of-game situations, Oralls is the best free throw shooter on the team. “Dennis is just an unbelievable weapon to have for us at the end of a game,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “He’s a guy that hits 80 to 90 percent of his free throws, and he closes out games.”
Oralls ended Chenango Valley’s victory hopes in the Stop DWI finals a month ago hitting 10-for-12 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. He was similarly effective against Oneonta winding up 8-for-9 for the game, and he added 10 free throws in 13 attempts against CV in the second meeting. Again, Oralls was golden from the stripe sinking the Warriors with eight free throws in the final quarter.
In amassing 53 points in two games, Oralls was at his efficient best making 16 out of 24 shots from the field. Mind you, we weren’t talking layup after layup. He made a trio of three-pointers, and varied his offensive game with 15-footers and even slick post moves.
“When Dennis came to us two years ago, he started strictly as a shooter,” Collier said. “He’s just added everything to become a complete player. He’s developed his post game this year, and the good thing is that he is still improving this season.”
NHS fans got a glimpse of Edwards’ future potential a season ago. He was either the first or second person off the bench, and was building confidence as a varsity player until an injury sidelined him the final seven games.
Edwards was a capable shooter and scorer, but struggled at times on the defensive side of the ball, Collier said. What a difference a year has made for Edwards. “Last year, he was a defensive liability,” Collier said, who ran the defensive scheme for NHS as an assistant coach. “Athletically he had it, but he just didn’t always have it mentally. This year, he is our lock-down guy defensively. He’s the guy who always gets the toughest defensive assignment.”
Perhaps the best illustration of Edwards’ standout play defensively is his two performances against Chenango Valley guard Chris Ruffo. In the DWI finals, with Edwards checking Ruffo the majority of the game, he held the 15-point-a-game scorer to just two points – those two coming late in the fourth – and 1-for-12 shooting. In last week’s game, Ruffo had a hard-earned 10 points, again well below his season average.
Edwards’ defense now fully complements an offensive game in which his has flourished from the perimeter. After earning the DWI MVP award for scoring 37 points in two wins, he has become that much more deadly from beyond the arc. He canned two big three balls in the win over Oneonta, and had the best overall shooting game we’ve covered this season finishing a perfect 6-for-6 on the three-pointers against CV, and 7-for-9 shooting overall on his way to a career-high 23 points. In two games, Edwards was a remarkable 8-for-11 from beyond the three-point line last week, and has a team-high 30 three-pointers through 12 games.
“Kyle has always been a good scorer,” Collier said. “He’s worked really hard on his mechanics and shooting technique. He was a good shooter before, now he’s an even better shooter.”
With Norwich on the cusp of winning a STAC Central Division title (wins in the next two games will cinch that up), Oralls and Edwards are part of a Norwich team that is equal parts athleticism and basketball intellect. They, like the majority of the Norwich team, star in the classroom as well as the hardwood floor, and are playing with an urgency and determination that could lead to the Tornado’s fifth Section IV title.
“Dennis and Kyle have both rounded themselves out to become complete players,” Collier said. “We’re really lucky. We have some bright kids and some great kids on the team. Dennis and Kyle fit that description.”
Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat
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