Summer League high school basketball

Looking ahead to winter

Hoopsters take to Sullivan County Community College and Orange County Community College summer league to hone their skills for this winter’s upcoming forays on the hardwood

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — Amid the blazing heat of summer, a number of local high school basketball players are spending several evenings a week preparing themselves for this coming winter.

It’s not the snow and the icy roads they are steeling themselves for; it’s basketball. While most people are swimming, playing baseball and softball or enjoying barbecues, fairs and summer’s easy pace, serious basketball players and coaches are busy writing scripts for a season of stirring drama to be staged in packed gyms throughout the region from December through March.

Anyone who has been to Glens Falls or Hudson Valley Community College in late March to witness the New York State basketball boys or girls championships knows that the best teams are comprised of players who make basketball an all-year venture.

If teams want to reach the zenith of the playoffs, they’ve got to pay their dues in the off-season by playing against tough competition to develop cohesion, resiliency, speed and efficiency.

Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) and Orange County Community College (OCCC) offer summer league games and playoffs for local high school teams. While most Sullivan County teams opt to play at SCCC, the Sullivan West boys team is playing at OCCC. Featuring a number of the larger schools in Orange County, the OCCC tournament is known for its tougher competition.

The Sullivan West boys team is coming off their most successful season. This past winter, the Bulldogs got all the way to the Section 9 Class B championships where they eventually lost to Red Hook.

With Red Hook rumored to be moving up to Class A this year, the Bulldogs, who will return four of their five starters, are preparing to make another run at the title. What better way to start on that quest than by taking on teams such as Washingtonville, Goshen, Warwick, Cornwall and Chester.

Though the Bulldogs still lack a big man in the middle, John Nober will step in to take over for Brian Parks, who just graduated. Joe Meyer, Joe Winski, Sean Kelly and Sean Semenetz will bring their sizzling speed, great perimeter shooting and aggressive defense to bear this summer in hopes of getting better and quicker.

At SCCC, the teams showing early dominance are the Sullivan West girls and the Sullivan Bearcats boys team. Though Sullivan West lost Jessica Lederman, Nadine McCarthy, Katie Cappiello and Vanessa Kline to graduation, a core of talented young players will return to the court next season with determination and drive.

Returnees include Kate Fanning, Heather Lander, Jamie Clifford, April Ackermann and Erin Bernhardt, as well as newcomers Lauren Ellison and Sarah Lander.

Ron Bernhardt has been coaching most of them in AAU this summer. Playing in tournaments around the upstate region, the team has already had lots of contact (literally) with some of the best teams in the state. The games at SCCC will be far less challenging.

In the first week, the Bulldogs made short work of a rebuilding Liberty team. They will also vie against Livingston Manor, Ellenville and Eldred.

The Bearcats lost in the finals last year to perennial powerhouse Downsville. In the first game of this year’s season, the Bearcats, put together by Tri-Valley coach Jason Semo, are being coached by Chris Russo, who made it clear that this year would be different by beating Downsville 59-53. According to Semo, “Our goal is to beat teams with good basketball, not just athleticism. If you look at the teams that won at Glens Falls last year, many of them were not the most athletic.”

The Bearcats are comprised of players from Tri-Valley and Monticello. They play an up-tempo game which feeds off of an aggressive defense.

Newcomers Woody Cherry and Robert Jones just transferred to Monticello from Alabama. Cherry is a dominant post player who will delight Panther fans with his thunderous dunks and great shot blocking. Jones plays the two-guard position and is a fine shooter and an excellent passer. Monticello’s Luis Paredes, Brad Cooper and Tri-Valley’s John Merchant round out the starting five.

Other schools competing in the boys summer league are Ellenville, Roscoe, Liberty and Tri-Valley.

Playoffs will be held from August 3 to August 4 with the championship games to be played on August 5. Shortly thereafter, returning fall athletes will begin practicing for football, soccer and cross-country. For those who are planning to hit the hardwood in the winter, fall sports are not only fun in their own right; they are also critical to maintaining conditioning for the coming rigors of basketball.