(Jack Dwaileebe secures a rebound for Olean)
After losing a pair of future Division I players in Dan Scott & John Orogun, Manhattan Cup MVP Brandon Smith, and 2018 Centercourt Sixth Man of the Year Julian Eziukwu...Park still looks awesome. It's was tough to imagine how the Pioneers would replace all that talent. While the defending Class A Federation team's talent may not be matched with this year's version, expect Park to continue piling up wins against the local competition. While everyone knows Noah Hutchins, and for good reason, along with returning big man Quentin Nnagbo, there are three new players who have admirably stepped into the starting lineup on Harlem Road.
Sophomore Keonjay Carter, who saw time during the 2018 postseason run after a JV call up, was outstanding in the win over UPrep and will become a regular name in tweets all season. He led the team in scoring last Saturday and showed off a little of everything from shooting, to instincts, to toughness, and defense! Caleb Hutchins and Jai'den Dunn looked very comfortable running with the starters at Park and it was clear that team chemistry has been a focal point in the offseason, as the Pioneers looked like they were in midseason form during a season-opener in November. Zach Fahey came off the bench to punish UPrep every time they lost sight of him on the perimeter and add some timely rebounds & hustle plays.
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The rematch of last season's Centercourt Classic headliner between Williamsville South and Health Sciences was another fast & fun thrill ride for fans, not unlike the main event that featured Dolan 2K & Ticket last year. Both teams looked like life after the departed CC MVP & First Teamer respectively will be far from doom & gloom. Mike Trzybinski made his debut with the Billies and had the team flying around & playing fast. Devin Degree's touch from downtown has only gotten better, while Angel Torres also made it rain when spotting up from deep. Kingsley Mitchell will surprise some fans this season, while Mike DiGiulio racked up a game-high 18 points on the evening and will be one of the season's breakout performers.
If you came in sleeping on Health Sciences, you better wake up. While Davonte Gaines & Tayvion Nelson are gone, that's it. The rest of the Falcons returned this year and the team looked great in the win. Jalil Harvey was a mismatch all evening in the paint, while sophomore point guard Javaughn Jones played like a senior. Something that fans may not have known, Health Sciences won that game without the services of a pair of starters in Tysheen Lott & Josiah Haygood.
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Nichols looked really good in its win over Health Sciences at the Lew-Port Tournament. While Chris Stineman was a standout with his relentless effort at both ends, the whole team was a marked improvement over last season's version of the Vikings. Aidan Horan has taken another big step forward this year and has a great on-court connection with Stineman. Sophomore guards Jaylen Hearon and Jesse Adamu are a major boost to the team's backcourt, while fellow sophomore Hugh Purks looks much improved over last season and was far more confident & assertive. He should get that floater of his patented.
Kam Briggs had a 16-point third quarter in which he looked unstoppable. The frame included three consecutive 3-pointers and led to his game-high 28 points. Unfortunately for the Falcons, his play in the third, along with a second quarter Health run, were really the lone bright spots in the game. It was the worst I've seen them play in a couple years, looking largely disinterested for stretches of the game, including at the start when Nichols just poured it on.
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Olean earned a season-opening win over Tapestry in a battle of defending Section VI champions to extend its home winning streak. The Huskies have gone undefeated at home for the last six years and now have won 70 straight games in their gym after claiming the Olean Tip-Off Tournament championship with a win over Jamestown on Saturday. I made it a point to get down there to see Olean against a quality opponent like Tapestry for a couple reasons. First off, the trip takes two hours door-to-door from my house, so it's not one I'm signing up for without careful consideration. Secondly, I see them as clearly above any other team in their league which accounts for 12 of the 20 games, and would have other matchups on those nights that I wanted to be at. They do make a pair of trips north of the Southern Tier in the next two weeks, visiting Williamsville East on December 7th and Maryvale on the 11th...however I'm not missing Park at Falls or West Seneca West at Will North to catch them during those trips. It's looking like a possible game against Allegany-Limestone in the Joe DeCerbo Memorial Tournament at St. Bonaventure over the holiday break and the obvious dream matchup between Olean & St. Francis at the Centercourt Classic in February will be the only other times I see them before Buff State.
I talked in the season preview about the possibility of Olean and Cardinal O'Hara both showing up to the Federation Tournament at Glens Falls in March, which would mean both won state championships in Class B. The Huskies have at least their first seven guys from last season's rotation back and after seeing them on Friday, I really like their chances. Tapestry is really good. Even in a down year, which I believe this likely is for Jamestown, they are never an easy victory. Olean took care of both without any real threat of losing. They are such a banner program in WNY that every year is successful and no doubt, there's been some very talented teams there throughout the years. I don't think this is one of his most talented teams and I didn't think that in 2016 when I predicted in December that they'd arrive at the state tournament undefeated (which they did and then won the title with a 27-0 mark). What had me so high on the 2016 team and again this year is it's the right mix for head coach Jeff Anastasia. It's a group that seems tailor made for his style - humble, highly motivated, and super hard working. The defense this team plays is something to marvel at. The contest against St. Francis at the CC Classic has Game of the Year potential and my talk of Olean & O'Hara both winning state titles is something I'm quite serious about. We shall see.
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Every season when I click 'Publish' on the Season Preview, I envision fans scrolling straight to the bottom to get to the predictions and then working their way back up. I get a lot of feedback on them, whether it's excitement that I have a team ranked high, annoyance that I didn't predict a team to reach Buff State, confusion about why I'd even think a team would be that good (who do they even have back I'm often asked), or a motivation I've created to prove me wrong. I guess it's pretty cool that what I predict matters to people, because I remember when I first started and no one knew me or cared what I had to say. But after consistently putting my time in every year, I certainly have an audience now. While I understand all the reactions to predictions I've cited above, I don't really understand why a select few take the route of disrespecting me for my prediction or opinion. I'm only trying to put a little shine on players, teams, and high school hoops in WNY to get through a cold winter. I don't need a thank you card for it, but I also don't understand why some people get near confrontational with me about it. Dude, it was November and I spent it creating a schedule and preview that included predictions. Now it's December and I'll spend the rest of the season trying to make it fun with a narrative of my travels. You won't catch me trying to make any kid look bad - so take it all with a grain of salt!
So on the topic of predictions, I'll finish up with one that I made before seeing games and would change after seeing them - Lew-Port. I'm not making any new predictions just yet, but I will say that the Lancers will move up from where they were in my preseason poll. After watching them twice in their tournament this weekend, I can't wait to see more. There's the obvious, Roddy Gayle. He's unbelievable and truly unlike any player I've ever had the pleasure to cover. I've never watched a freshman who was this far along and consider it a privilege to watch him ball. But it's not just him, and that's why Lew-Port is going to be so dangerous. After missing the first game with an injury and not practicing all week, Trent Scott entered the game in the second quarter of the team's win over Nichols and finished with 19 points. He led the team in scoring last season, was an Honorable Mention selection as a junior, and would be the guy on most teams. The eighth grade starter, Jalen Duff, gives the team a third pure basketball player, which few public schools have. He is already an exceptional shooter from the perimeter and his instincts & court maturity are far beyond that of a kid in middle school.
So with three guys who are locks to play ball in college, the level of success this team will achieve will hinge on a couple things, in my opinion. First, they will still need contributions from their role players. You can't win in March with two warm bodies on the floor, they have to contribute. Zach Clayborne, Joe Kasbaum, and Joe Beatty all had a great tournament for Lew-Port and will be what puts them over the edge versus a group that gets away from playing team ball. Second, the Lancers will need to keep their energy up and keep the ball moving. What I watched this weekend was a team that played fast, but under control. A team that wanted to play defense and created repeated offensive opportunities because of it. And a team that didn't get too caught up in making it all about Roddy or worrying about Trent getting his shots. They just played ball and it was beautiful.
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Last thing, I have to give a shout out to Chris Stineman of Nichols. I came away thoroughly impressed with him after watching him in a pair of games this weekend. He's always had size, athleticism, and a certain vigor for the game. What I saw that was different was his polish and consistency in the post. Less dribbling, less time out on the perimeter, and a lot more production. I don't see too many players outworking him - he brings the energy for four quarters. Two games in and Stineman is already having himself a season!
-centercourt
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