bring it on
Happy Basketball-season Eve everybody. Tomorrow I will be covering my first game of the year between the Southington and Wethersfield girls teams. The boys will start next week.
Ironically, it was at a Wethersfield soccer game several weeks ago now that I first started getting antsy for basketball. I was standing on the sideline and noting to myself that almost the entire starting lineup was on the soccer field. I started thinking I thought the Eagles would be pretty good this year with six or seven key returning players and no starters lost.
I also think Southington will be improved with an extra year of experience for a very talented group of guards. This is a perfect game to start the season out with.
Just a few of my own thoughts on this season. While there is not quite as much talent in the area as the phenomenal group over the past couple (five career 1,000 point scorers graduated last year alone for the girls), there are few weak teams around here. Almost everybody will be in contention for state tournament berths or conference titles. A couple could legitimately take home a state title.
We have milestones to look for. Stan Glowiak's next win with the New Britain boys will be his 300th, an incredible number. Jim DiNello is seven short of 100 with the Southington girls. And as a junior, Symone Roberts should reach 1,000 points in her career. We will be following her point total closely to see if she has a legitimate shot at 2,000.
We will see which teams can best compensate for missing stars from a year ago, and who will emerge as the scorers and rebounders in their places.
Somebody will surprise us. A freshman will make a name for him or herself. A group of moderately talented players will turn into a true team and be dangerous come tournament time(think of the Wethersfield boys in 2005 if you can remember).
There will be buzzer-beaters, and lots of them. I can't explain why there are so many of these at the high school level, but I see three or four a year usually.
There will be smiles, and tears, shouts of joy and agony.
Here are five questions to be answered.
1) Can the New Britain girls three-peat with a new coach?
The pieces are there for Karen Buirne taking over. Roberts, Sideranko, Bell and Kimball is a great place to start. But it takes some time to build chemistry between a team and coach. And will these players be able to deal with a few losses if things don't go well from the beginning.
2) Can Desiree Pina keep Plainville near the top of the Northwest Conference?
Few teams lost more than the Devils to graduation with their top scorer and top three-point threat leaving. But there is no doubt Pina is a unique talent. If anybody can carry a team on her back, it is her.
3) Who will emerge as the top local boys players?
Almost all of the top local players from a year ago graduated: Tim Abromaitis, Jeff Veneziano, Wilfredo Cruz, A.J. Wilkerson, Doran Mitchell. That's just the start of the list off the top of my head. Somebody will emerge to take their places.
4) How will all the new coaches do?
There are new coaches in Berlin, Wethersfield and New Britain. The first year for each will be interesting.
5) Can every local team make the tournament?
This has happened before. And it's not a stretch to imagine it happening again. A couple teams just need to find some weapons.
Well, that's about all I can say for now. I can't wait. Hope to see you all in the gyms.
Ironically, it was at a Wethersfield soccer game several weeks ago now that I first started getting antsy for basketball. I was standing on the sideline and noting to myself that almost the entire starting lineup was on the soccer field. I started thinking I thought the Eagles would be pretty good this year with six or seven key returning players and no starters lost.
I also think Southington will be improved with an extra year of experience for a very talented group of guards. This is a perfect game to start the season out with.
Just a few of my own thoughts on this season. While there is not quite as much talent in the area as the phenomenal group over the past couple (five career 1,000 point scorers graduated last year alone for the girls), there are few weak teams around here. Almost everybody will be in contention for state tournament berths or conference titles. A couple could legitimately take home a state title.
We have milestones to look for. Stan Glowiak's next win with the New Britain boys will be his 300th, an incredible number. Jim DiNello is seven short of 100 with the Southington girls. And as a junior, Symone Roberts should reach 1,000 points in her career. We will be following her point total closely to see if she has a legitimate shot at 2,000.
We will see which teams can best compensate for missing stars from a year ago, and who will emerge as the scorers and rebounders in their places.
Somebody will surprise us. A freshman will make a name for him or herself. A group of moderately talented players will turn into a true team and be dangerous come tournament time(think of the Wethersfield boys in 2005 if you can remember).
There will be buzzer-beaters, and lots of them. I can't explain why there are so many of these at the high school level, but I see three or four a year usually.
There will be smiles, and tears, shouts of joy and agony.
Here are five questions to be answered.
1) Can the New Britain girls three-peat with a new coach?
The pieces are there for Karen Buirne taking over. Roberts, Sideranko, Bell and Kimball is a great place to start. But it takes some time to build chemistry between a team and coach. And will these players be able to deal with a few losses if things don't go well from the beginning.
2) Can Desiree Pina keep Plainville near the top of the Northwest Conference?
Few teams lost more than the Devils to graduation with their top scorer and top three-point threat leaving. But there is no doubt Pina is a unique talent. If anybody can carry a team on her back, it is her.
3) Who will emerge as the top local boys players?
Almost all of the top local players from a year ago graduated: Tim Abromaitis, Jeff Veneziano, Wilfredo Cruz, A.J. Wilkerson, Doran Mitchell. That's just the start of the list off the top of my head. Somebody will emerge to take their places.
4) How will all the new coaches do?
There are new coaches in Berlin, Wethersfield and New Britain. The first year for each will be interesting.
5) Can every local team make the tournament?
This has happened before. And it's not a stretch to imagine it happening again. A couple teams just need to find some weapons.
Well, that's about all I can say for now. I can't wait. Hope to see you all in the gyms.
Labels: basketball
posted by Ryan Pipke at
2:26 AM
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