Under the canopy that covers Chenango County basketball resides a decidely purple hue as we unveil our 2011-2012 boys’ basketball all-stars.
Ten young men, all of whom have found themselves on prior all-star lists, made the grade for this year with the Norwich Purple Tornado occupying 30 percent – three of 10 – of our allotted roster spots.
For NHS seniors Dennis Oralls and Seth Thomsen, it is a return appearance to our season-ending list. In fact, six of our ten-pack are again gracing the pages as Chenango County’s best. In that select alumni are Bainbridge-Guilford’s Ryan Porter, Unadilla Valley’s Justin Hofer, Sherburne-Earlville’s Randy Briggs, and Oxford’s Andrew Golden.
Among the new faces are Norwich junior Kyle Edwards, Otselic Valley senior Gideon Schena, Greene senior Sam Adams, and Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton senior DeMario Reed.
This group is senior dominated with just Edwards and Golden the lone athletes returning next season. Every local team but one (Unadilla Valley) sports an all-star selection and finished the regular season with a .500 record or better. B-G and Oxford qualified for the Midstate Athletic Conference final four; Sherburne-Earlville was an unbeaten Center State Conference division champion; Otselic Valley was one win away from sharing the Central Counties League division title; and Norwich, above all, won a Section IV Class B championship.
The caliber of basketball was pretty good this year, almost uniformly. UV, although under .500, qualified for postseason play for the first time in years, and with Hofer leading the way as the area’s top scorer, the Storm were a threat to every team they played.
All eight teams we cover in our readership area earned an all-star nod, and we have compiled the all-star list based on our season-long observations along with the recommendations of area coaches. Next week we follow up with our girls basketball selections along with final season statistics. Teams and their respective all-star players are listed in alphabetical order. Please read on for a summary of each player:


Note: Players listed by school alphabetically:

Ryan Porter, sr., Bainbridge-Guilford, 6-foot-4
A dominant inside-outside player for the Bobcats, Porter was instrumental in the Bobcats’ resurgence this season finishing with 16.8 points per game, 12 rebounds, and 2.3 blocked shots. Porter had five 20-point games and was a regular double-double machine for points and rebounds as he was named the Midstate Athletic Conference’s co-Most Valuable Player. “Ryan really played well this season, and I think he surprised a lot of people,” said B-G first-year coach Greg Warren. Perhaps Porter’s best all-around game was a non-league win over Windsor in which he posted 16 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals in a 14-point win. His most impressive game was the lone 20-20 game by a local cager. In a 67-54 victory over UV, Porter poured in 25 points and hauled down 20 rebounds. His finished his career just shy of 900 points, and may have eclipsed 1,000 for his career if he had not lost better than a one-third of his sophomore season due to injury.
B-G honorable mention: Austin Bauerle, jr.; Brooks Harmon, jr.; Corbin Palmer, jr.
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DeMario Reed, sr., G-MU, 5-foot-8
If anyone got the most out of his size, it was G-MU three-year starter DeMario Reed. Reed is the only Chenango County boy to reach double figures scoring in every game he played this past season, and he was also a selection to the Tri-Valley League first team all-stars. “In addition to the load he carried offensively, Demario routinely guarded the most explosive opposing player each night,” said G-MU coach Bill Hartman. “Despite his lack of size, DeMario often competed down low in our zone defensive schemes ultilizing his athleticism and strength to compete. He was a pleasure to coach.” Reed averaged 16.1 points per game exceeding 20 points four times with a high of 26 coming against Richfield Springs. He shot 46 percent from the field, and added five rebounds and three steals per game.
G-MU honorable mention: Eddie Ray Cotton, jr.
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Sam Adams, sr. Greene, 6-foot-3
Adams, a first team all-Midstate Athletic Conference selection, was the prototypical glue guy in which he contributed in many areas to the Trojans’ success. He was Greene’s second leading scorer at 11 points per game, while also regularly defending the opposing team’s best offensive player. “Sam did it all for us this year,” said Trojans coach Rick Smith. Adams had five double-doubles in points and rebounds and he blocked four shots per game, pulled down eight rebounds per contest, and shot a solid 46 percent from the field. Adams scored in double figures 14 times in 19 games reaching a season-high of 18 points against Deposit.
Greene honorable mention: Jeff Carlin, sr.; Ryan Borst, jr.
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Kyle Edwards, jr. Norwich, 6-foot-1
Edwards was a difficult cover with his ability to drive to the basket meshing well with his deadly shooting accuracy from the perimeter. Edwards finished with 14.1 points per game, second on the Class B champion Tornado, and pumped in a Chenango County-high 58 three-pointers this campaign. He had a three ball in 20 of 22 games, and almost single-handedly brought Norwich to victory against Sus Valley nailing seven threes including 6-for-6 in the second half. “He shot over 50 percent from behind the three-point arc, and that is almost unheard of,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “He was a lock-down defender for us, and made big shots for us all year. He made dramatic improvements in his game from last year to this year.” Edwards reached 20 points six times this season with his 24 against Sus Valley his career-high.

Dennis Oralls, sr., Norwich, 6-foot-3
The leading scorer on the sectional champion Tornado, Oralls made contributions to Norwich in just about every area possible, and did everything well. In addition to scoring 15.1 points per game, he led in foul shooting, and was among the team leaders in rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage. “Dennis possesses a very high basketball IQ, and he was a great leader for us on and off the court,” Collier said. “He also became a great defender for us.” Oralls scored at least 10 points in 19 of 22 games hitting the 20-point mark four times with a high of 28 coming against Oneonta. Oralls added a 25-point game against the Yelllowjackets in leading NHS to a sectional playoff victory. For the season, he led all Chenango County starting players in foul shooting making 77.4 percent of his attempts this year and was 79 percent from the foul line over the past two seasons.

Seth Thomsen, sr., Norwich, 6-foot-2
Thomsen was a difficult matchup for the opposition as an interchangeable guard or forward. He was adept at finishing around the basket, but was also a devastating slasher and finisher facing up against defenders. A consistent scorer in the 12 to 16-point range throughout the season, Thomsen had 19 double figures scoring games, and reached his season high of 21 points in a key early-season division victory over Johnson City. “He really expanded his offensive game this season,” Collier said. “He was a ‘hard hat’ type of player who brought it every day at practice and every game. He was a quiet leader who was the ultimate competitor. He did a tremendous job defending Daniel Kaigler of (state champion) Bishop Ludden, even though he was giving up several inches in height.” Thomsen played on two Section IV championship teams during his four-year high school career with Norwich with the Tornado compiling a 69-18 mark during his stay.
Norwich honorable mention: Michael Sutton, so.
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Gideon Schena, sr., Otselic Valley, 6-foot-3
A transfer to the Vikings his senior year, Schena was an impact player from his first game. During an early stretch of the season, he put up some jaw-dropping numbers including a masterful 31-point, 17-rebound game in a victory over Madison. “Gideon’s main attribute was the intensity he played with,” said OV longtime coach Dave Loomis. “He was an excellent rebounder and scorer, and a welcome addition to our team this year.” Schena scored 15.6 points per game, while averaging 11.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. He scored 20 or more points five times and was in double figures scoring 16 times in his lone Central Counties League season.
Otselic Valley honorable mention: Mike Larkin, sr.; Trevor Marston, jr.; Jason Olin, fr.
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Andrew Golden, jr., Oxford, 6-foot-4
A first team Midstate Athletic Conference player this past year, when Golden was on his game offensively, there was likely no one in the league who could stop him. He had one dizzying stretch in which he scored 20 or more points five straight times – all Oxford victories – reaching a season high of 28 points in a hard-fought six-point win over Unadilla Valley. Golden was among the area’s top scorers at 16.9 points per game to go with 8.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 2.1 blocked shots per game. Golden scored in double figures 16 of 19 times this season, and cracked 20 or more points six times as he wound up with 321 total points.
Oxford honorable mention: Justin Schray, sr.
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Randy Briggs, sr., Sherburne-Earlville, 5-foot-11,
A repeat honoree on our all-star list, Briggs did not wow teams with his scoring, but over the course of a 32-minute player, was easily indentifiable as the most versatile Marauders player. “Randy really changed his game this season taking over the point guard duties,” said S-E coach Kevin Vibbard. “He could dominate a game and not score a point because of his defense and play making.” Briggs scored 6.5 points per game, but was more than capable of putting the ball in the basket when his team needed a bucket. Most often he was more comfortable getting the ball to the Marauders’ shooters averaging just under four assists per game to go with better than three rebounds.
S-E honorable mention: Austin Jasper, so.; Sam Caton, sr.
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Justin Hofer, jr., Unadilla Valley, 6-foot
The 2011-2012 Chenango County scoring champion was a dangerous offensive player from anywhere on the court. Be it outside shooting, driving to the basket, scoring in transition or creating easy buckets out of his defense, Hofer was a threat to erupt offensively at any time. “He’s a very athletic player with the heart and desire to work hard each day in practice to get better,” said UV coach Matt Osborne. “He’s a positive leader on and off the court, and he makes all of the players around him better.” Hofer had an area-best 36-point night against Walton early in the season when he buried seven three-pointers in the first half alone. He had a 32-point game against Hancock, and 20 or more points six other times to finish the season with an 18.6 per game average to go with a team-best eight rebounds, three steals, and three blocked shots per game.
UV honorable mention: Brett Smith, sr.