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N.Eastern PA Report
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Past Columns |
ed
note: We are pleased to have the some info from the North Eastern part of the
state. We are pleased to have a long time LLHoops fan , Jon K. to contribute. Thanks Jon. Hope you enjoy. PLEASE HIT YOUR BROWSER “REFRESH” BUTTON
TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE VIEWING THE MOST RECENT UPDATE OF THE N.EAST PA BEAT. DISTRICT 2 BOYS DIVISION
PREVIEWS WYOMING VALLEY
CONFERENCE BOYS DIVISION 1 1.
Wyoming Valley West (George Reimiller) 4A 2.
Hazleton Area (Michael Joseph)
4A 3.
Crestwood (Mark Atherton) 3A 4.
Pittston Area (Alan Kiesinger)
3A 5.
Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (Mike
Day-1st year) 3A Defending
division champion Wyoming Valley West
saw a major piece of their championship puzzle disappear when their standout
athlete, Eugene Lewis, transferred
to Wilkes-Barre Meyers earlier this month.
With that development, Division
1 immediately became a much tighter race.
Despite having a very solid returning lineup, replacing his 17 ppg contribution is going to be a challenge. The Spartans play a competitive exhibition
schedule and have come up short so far, going 0-4 on the pre-season. WVW does have sharpshooter James McCann along with seniors Jon Gimble
and Ryan Hoinski. They’ve been getting balanced scoring from
juniors Brett Good and Jaquan Ingram. The Spartans are not going to give up their
crown without a fight. Knocking on
their door will literally be the entire rest of the division. Hazleton
Area is going to feature one of the more talented backcourts in the
division, but has a definite overall lack of height. Senior guards Travis Buckner and Tyler Plaska along with sensational soph
Sal Biasi
will handle the perimeter with seniors Adam
Hauze and Frank
Vito inside. If the Cougars can
establish a presense under the bucket, they will
challenge for the title. Otherwise,
they’ll have to rely on sheer hustle up and down the floor. In Mountaintop, Crestwood has a firmly established winning attitude and despite
graduating their floor general, Jon Wojnar, the
Comets will contend for first place.
They may not be as flashy as other teams, but Crestwood always seems
to do all the little things right.
Though not very deep, they do have some height with brothers John and Chris Fazzini along with senior Jake Prohaska. Early on, the Fazzinis
have been averaging a combined 24 ppg. Mike
Judge will provide added scoring from the backcourt. Mark
Atherton has proven to be one of the best head coaches in the WVC. The northern-most team in the division, Pittston Area, must feel as though
they are being a bit slighted this year.
After all, the Patriots return a nice blend of talented players, but
their inconsistency last year earned them the Katy Perry hot and cold award. Senior Steve
Stravinski leads their scoring and returns
along with Steve Sklanka
and Jordan Houseman, a slick 6-0
junior. If the Pats keep getting
strong contributions from 6-4 senior Chris
Kovaleski, they will be a tough opponent,
especially on their home court.
Speaking of tough gyms, Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin has always been an imposing place to play. Mike
Day, a 1992 graduate, takes over the Crusader program. Though they dropped 14 games year, there is
a terrific blend of veteran and young players to give Day a lot of
optimism. Seniors Marcus Cobb, Devon Davis,
Phil Trout, and Ian Jeremiah lead the way. And if soph Nate Oliver keeps playing well, look
for the Crusaders to make this a 5-team race.
DIVISION 2 1.
Holy Redeemer (Mark Belenski) 3A 2.
Tunkhannock (Bob Miller) 3A 3.
Dallas (Doug Miller-1st year)
3A 4.
Berwick (Jason Kingery-1st
year) 3A 5.
Wyoming Area (Al Brogna-1st
year) 3A The post
Peter Alexis period begins for Holy
Redeemer and maybe, just maybe, the rest of Division 2 is exhaling a long-awaited sigh of relief. The Royals’ top seven players from last
season, accounting for 55 ppg, have graduated. The rebuilding process is going to take
time and will be one of Mark Belinski’s tougher coaching challenges. A pair of seniors, 6-1 Will Cavanaugh and 5-10 Ryan
DeRemer lead the
way. The Royals do have height in 6-4 Dalton Ell and a pair of sophomores,
6-5 John Kane and 6-7 Mike Pociak. Keeping their youth movement going strong,
another pair of sophs – Mike Boutanos and Shaheal Wallace - have been getting into the
offensive flow early on. The gap
between HR and the rest of the division is razor thin, but they do get the
nod over Tunkhannock –
barely. The Tigers have gotten off to
a nice start, despite graduating top scorer Mike Papa. One of their top players from last year,
Rich Condeelis (10 ppg),
elected to sit out hoops this year to focus on baseball. Still, having 6-10 center James Hawk (14 ppg)
is going to be a nice advantage. So
far, seniors Tyrin Alguire
and A J Bevan have been solid
along with junior Brian Stephenson. Bob
Miller has been getting some nice long-range shooting from freshman, Austin Yanora. Though much of the early focus has been on
Holy Redeemer and Tunkhannock, Dallas
could surprise under first year head coach Doug Miller, but maybe not until
later in the season. The Mountaineers
had a strong football team this year and several key gridiron players will
need to make the transition to hoops. Shane Dunn (6-4 senior) averaged 13 ppg game last year and will anchor the team along with
senior Paul Brace and junior Jason Simonovich. Bobby
Saba has also been seeing playing time.
The final two teams, Berwick and Wyoming Area, went a combined 4-40
last year. So, with each having new
head coaches, optimism is up at both schools. Berwick
already exceeded their win total from last year. The Dawgs have
some terrific days ahead for them as a trio of juniors (Eric May, Kyle Miller,
and Jeremy Clausen) along with
senior Jeremy Gaizick
are playing very well. What Berwick
lacks in height, they make up for in effort.
Same goes for Wyoming Area. Though wins will be few and far between for
the Warriors, they have been quite competitive early on. 5-11 senior guard Lou Vullo and inside player junior Bart Chupka
have been steady.
And senior Mike Carey has
shown a hot hand from outside. DIVISION 3 1.
Wilkes-Barre GAR (Paul Brown)
2A 2.
Wilkes-Barre Meyers (Pat Toole)
2A 3.
Lake-Lehman (Brian Cutter) 3A 4.
Nanticoke (Ken Bartuska) 3A 5.
Northwest Area (Jerry Blazick) 2A 6.
Hanover Area (Steve
Harnischfeger) 2A 7.
Wyoming Seminary (C J Kersey)
2A 8.
MMI Prep (Joe Flanagan) 1A When West
Side Tech and St. Michaels eliminated their basketball program, Division 4
was combined into an 8-team super division.
However, most would argue that, for at least this season, Division 3 will be more like a Super
2 plus six. Wilkes-Barre GAR was the early favorite as they returned their
entire starting lineup from last year’s 16-7 squad. However, with the transfer of Division 1
MVP Eugene Lewis to city rival Meyers, the race got a whole lot more
interesting. Expect a great level of
intensity and overflow gyms when these two get together. GAR brings back a great backcourt duo in
seniors Darrell Crawford and Matt Sharpe. The two have been contributing a combined
20 ppg with Crawford already sizzling
the nets from 3-point land. Inside, Isaiah Francis will pick up from a
terrific freshman season. But, the
real force will be “The Middle”, 6-10 junior Christian Skrepenak. Always a defensive asset, Skrep has been surprisingly proficient in the scoring
column with nearly 11 ppg. The Grenadiers also have a dangerous
playmaker in 6-1 senior Shaliek Powell. Hot on their heels will be Wilkes-Barre Meyers. Working Lewis into their offense will be a
process, but he makes the difference between being a competitive team and a
potential championship one. The
Mohawks had one of the deepest lineups in all of District 2 last year, so
that will be a huge benefit to Pat
Toole. Keep in mind, though, that
they graduated about 30 ppg in losing Brown, Lavan, and Winder.
Their nucleus begins with super soph Ryan Krawczeniuk
outside with 6-5 junior Rasheed Moore
inside (a combined 25 ppg). Add in Eugene
Lewis (17 ppg last year) and a host of solid
role players (Johnson, Pape, Smith, Miller and Walters) and you have the makings of a title chase. Next in the division is a group of teams
that will be very competitive, but not as complete overall as GAR and
Meyers. Lake-Lehman is playing very well and look
for them to achieve their first winning season in almost two decades. The Black Knights have experience and
skill. They are paced by three seniors
- Cody Poepperling,
Kevin Bohan,
and Chris O’Connor. Each is averaging about 12 ppg. Jared James and inside player Pete Borum
will be the other starters. Nanticoke Area graduated two key
players, including big man Cael Evans. But, the Trojans do have some height and
always develop great ball handlers.
Early on, senior Josh Decker
has been shooting well and they have been getting balanced scoring from
several others. Northwest Area, a team that saw a fair amount of success in the
former Division 4, will have their hands full. However, the Rangers do return several of
their top players and can make a run toward the upper half of the
division. They have been getting 14 ppg from 6-3 junior guard Devon Mazonkey. Chris
Foley is a versatile player inside.
Hanover Area graduated a
bunch of their offense, but the Hawks do feature consistent scorer Shaquille Rolle. They have a bit of a youth movement going
on paced by sophomore Jeorge Colon and frosh Jacob Barber. Wyoming
Seminary is another team from D4 that will be fighting to get out of the
division basement. The Blue Knights
strong suit is their backcourt combo of senior Josh Lefkowitz and junior Jason Ellis. Freshman Seth Callahan has been a leading scorer and a threat from long
range. MMI Prep graduated a pair of top scorers in Fran Swankowski and Ryan Forte, but the Preppers
do bring back point guard Aaron Kollar and George
Gera. Cory Rogers, a 5-11 freshman, has been a
bright spot in their lineup.
LACKAWANNA LEAGUE
BOYS DIVISION 1 1.
Scranton (Tony Battaglia) 4A 2.
Delaware Valley (Kris Holtzer) 4A 3.
Abington Heights (Ken Bianchi)
3A 4.
Scranton Prep (Joe Ferguson) 3A 5.
West Scranton (Jack Lyons) 3A 6.
Honesdale (Tim Wood) 3A 7.
North Pocono (Pat Shields) 3A 8.
Wallenpaupack
(Rich McGinnis) 4A OK, so
maybe Scranton is a prohibitive
favorite to take Division 1 honors
this year. But, for
every strength, there is a potential weakness. And several teams in the division may have
the ball-handling skills (to at least try) to play at a very deliberate pace,
potentially frustrating the high-octane Knights. Scranton again features their versatile
playmaker Terry Turner. He can do it all, but will be especially
needed inside to help out with rebounding this year. Offensively, around the perimeter they have
Malik Draper, Karlon Quiller, and Holy Cross transfer Andrew Moran. Quiller in
particular has shown superb maturity and can prove to be the top guard in the
entire division. Inside, Joe McCarthy will need to continue to
play well. The Knights will definitely
get tested by Delaware Valley, Abington Heights, Scranton Prep, and city
rival West Scranton. Del-Val has high-scoring senior guard
Brandon Angradi. He can hit long-range treys as wells as be
effective getting to the charity stripe.
The Warriors also have a fine pair of juniors in guard Brent Fragola
and forward Connor Decker. DV has a great head coach in Kris Holtzer
and the long trip to play at their gym can definitely be a factor this
year. Undefeated Abington Heights (5-0) is probably in a tossup for mid-division
contention with Scranton Prep. The Comets return sensational soph guard JC
Show, but chances are that he’s going to be double-teamed a lot more this
season. Show will be joined by Kevin Elwell
and Pat Calvey. Inside,
Jason Bamford may not look the part of an
effective center, but that would be an incorrect assumption. Bamford (8 ppg) can take it to the basket and has a great knack for
smart shot-blocking moves. The Ken Bianchi formula for success is
simple – let your defense create offense.
Few teams in District 2 can disrupt an offense like their matchup
zone. Scranton Prep is going to be a very good team this year, but with
only two seniors on their roster, expect the Cavilers to a year away from a
division title. Inside, they are tough
with 6-5 senior Mike McDonald and
6-4 soph James
Fives (13 ppg).
Outside, returning senior guard Matt
Walsh is joined by juniors Matt
Knowles and Mac Temples. Prep is well-coached and plays a deliberate
style of ball. West Scranton, an exciting team from last year, does return a
pair of key starters in senior guards Matt
Langan and Malcolm
Sweeting. They are a definite
threat to shoot the trey. Early on,
head coach Jack Lyons has been
getting strong play from 6-3 soph Lou DiBileo. The Invaders are always a team to watch and
they are especially tough to beat in their band-box size gym. Honesdale
is a team that may be a dark horse in the division. The Hornets dropped an OT game to West in
the Finan Tournament. Inside, they have been getting a combined
27 ppg from senior forwards Jordan Meyer and Jesse
O’Connell. On the perimeter, soph guard Kevin
Miller has been outstanding with nearly 18 ppg. Honesdale is another tough out on their
home floor, the Red Palace. North Pocono returns a talented pair
of seniors in guard Justin Haddix and forward Jack Williams. The Trojans
will be competitive, but will be challenged to get out of the bottom of the
division. Wallenpaupack features the
steady play of 5-11 junior guard Jake
Brown (almost 21 ppg). DIVISION 2 1.
Riverside (Mike Morgan) 2A 2.
Holy Cross (Al Callejas) 2A 3.
Dunmore (Tony Lacertosa) 2A 4.
Mid Valley (Mike Abda) 2A 5.
Valley View (Larry Pegula) 3A 6.
Carbondale (Landon Gabriel) 2A 7.
Old Forge (Al Semenza) 1A 8.
Western Wayne (Mike Nepa-1st
year) 3A Division 2 is shaping up to be another
terrific battle between Riverside and Holy Cross, but don’t be surprised to
see Dunmore - or possibly Mid Valley or Valley View have a say in how it will
all play out. Riverside returns a strong offensive
attack which is led by senior Jerry Kincel who averaged 22 ppg
last year. He is joined by guards Mike King and Jaron Vishnesky. The Vikes are
stingy on defense and rarely allow opponents beyond 50 points. Extremely close behind will be Holy Cross. The Crusaders have skill on the outside
with their soph floor general Connor Callejas and junior Casey Gaughan
(a really streaky shooter). Inside,
junior Josh Kosin
is showing more confidence. His
performance will be a key barometer on how far this team can go this
season. Another talented soph, Connor Jones,
will help rebound. The loss of
transfer Andrew Moran certainly dented their chances of being the division
favorite, but look for Al Callejas to have them in position by the end of the
season. Dunmore brings back four starters from a team that was as hot as
anyone down the stretch last year. The
Bucks already defeated West Scranton and North Pocono from Division 1 and had
an 11-point halftime lead on Abington Heights, so they are more than able to
compete and contend. Guards Jordan Dempsey and John Rinaldi
have been scoring a combined 28 ppg. Inside, Matt Clark is a very talented forward and is helped out by Dennis Mundt. Another team that comes into the season
with high expectations is Mid Valley. The Spartans are building toward a very strong
team next year. They have a pair of
junior forwards in Ronny Tomasetti and Nick
Demian.
Outside, a duo of sophs look very promising
– Alex Prislupsky
and LJ DeMarco. Valley
View has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, but every indication points
to their trio of seniors being able to get them into a better offensive
flow. The Cougars are led by guards Brandon Bednash
and Cory Callejas,
as wells as forward Brian Lalli.
Sophomore guard Mike Rotell has been scoring 13 ppg. Carbondale,
Old Forge, and Western Wayne will be competitive but may have a tough time
getting into the upper half of the division.
The Chargers have senior guards Tom
Mauro and Ben Gardus. Old
Forge features Jake Manetti (soph guard) and David Argust
(senior forward) plus one of the better head coaches in Al Semenza. Western
Wayne has a duo of competent outside shooters in seniors Adam Gillis and Kevin Karabin. DIVISION 3 1.
Lackawanna Trail (Andrew Kettel) 2A 2.
Lakeland (Dave Rosenkrans) 2A 3.
Blue Ridge (Brian Woodruff) 2A 4.
Montrose (Todd Smith) 2A 5.
Susquehanna (Lawrence
Tompkins-1st year) 1A 6.
Elk Lake (John Warnero) 2A 7.
Mountain View (David Bell-1st
year) 2A 8.
Forest City (Billy Jones-1st
year) 1A As usual, Division 3 is going to be a real battle
for the championship. Upsets can and
will happen, they always do. It’s the
land of 4-way playoffs. At the top,
despite starting the season with an 0-5 record and
dropping the consolation of their Tip-Off Tourney game, Lackawanna Trail remains the pick - by a whisker. On paper, the Lions feature returning
players 7-0 center Steve Miller
plus senior guards Matt Lochen and Lyle
Sweppenhieser.
Unfortunately, they have not been getting much offensive production
elsewhere on the floor. While they have
played a competitive pre-season slate, they have been averaging losses by 18 ppg. Things have
to change quickly because there is enough talent in this division to knock
them off their throne. Lakeland is poised for a title run
behind a slew of talented guards headed by juniors Eric Grabowski and Kyle Kiehart.
Inside, the Chiefs have Mike Striefsky and Tyler
Brady. This is a balanced
squad. Blue Ridge returns Sawyer
Dearborn, a junior guard scoring about 23 ppg
along with senior guard Alex Cardoza. A pair of junior forwards, Chris
Carlsen and Mike Gathany give the Blue
Raiders a strong nucleus to be a serious contender for the division
lead. Montrose returns Colby
Major, their senior guard that scored 13.6 ppg
last season. The Meteors have senior
forward Tom Lewis inside, but may
not have enough success to reach the upper half of the division. Same with Susquehanna. The Sabers
bring back a trio of fine guards in senior Andrezej Tomczyk and juniors Austin Cowperthwait
and Dan Biegert. They’ll be competitive for sure. Elk
Lake has junior guard Rob Heft
who nailed 44 treys last year. The
Warriors will be another team to watch.
Mountain View has lots of
different players in their lineup and looks to improve as the season unfolds. The Eagles could definitely jump up a few
places if things begin to come together.
Bradley Derek, a 6-5
sophomore, could become a force inside.
Forest City has a pair of
very promising freshmen in guards Noah
Fedak and Matt
Nevins. The Foresters will be
looking to improve each game and gain some confidence. |
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