NTL BOYS BASKETBALL: FIRST-YEAR SAYRE COACH BELIEVES REDSKINS WILL SUPRISE PEOPLE IN 2022-23 (2022-12-01)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
SAYRE — First-year Sayre boys basketball coach Jon Ward believes his team will be better than people think in 2022-23, and he says his team believes it, too.

(Sayre opens the season Friday at 6 p.m. at Susquehanna in the opening game of the Bradford-Susquehanna Counties Challenge.)

“The fact we’re underdogs, and they all know it; that’s a source of strength for this team,” said Ward.

“They’re hungry. They don’t want to be at the bottom of the NTL, and they don’t want to be an after-thought in the Valley.

“They want to make a name for themselves, and get some recognition for the hard work they’re putting in,” Ward added.

The Redskins have five seniors on the 15-man varsity / JV roster this season. The remainder are sophomores and freshmen.

“For the next two years, we’re going to have a lot of youth, and hopefully, a lot of growth.”

Ward is hoping his senior leadership will help his team’s mental approach to the game.

“This group has everything it takes to be a good basketball team. It all comes down to what’s up here, and applying it on the court,” said Ward, pointing to his head. “From the start of the preseason to now, I’ve seen so much improvement — a lot more maturity and willingness to work together.

“A big part of that is having five seniors, several who have been with the program for the last four or five years,” noted Ward. “All these young guys can look up to them, and our seniors have done a really good job of setting an example of how we need to interact with one another.”

Senior Jackson Hubbard returns as the leading scorer for the Redskins, along with senior Zach Garrity and sophomore Nick Pellicano, who both saw a lot of minutes last year.

“Jackson Hubbard is our guy,” said Ward. “We’ll look to feed off of him on offense and defense. He’s a complete package, as long as he stays within himself.

“Zach Garrity is a team leader,” noted Ward. “He’s physical and does all the little things you want from a player.

“(Nick Pellicano) sets up our offense. He’s done a nice job from his freshman year to now of stepping into a more prominent role of taking control of the ball, and setting up the offense,” Ward added.

Ward will be looking to a pair of newcomers — freshman Karter Green and sophomore Ryan Ressler — to contribute right off the bat.

“Karter Green is a very strong and mature freshman,” said Ward. “He’s a little bit raw, but he has an unbelievable motor. He’s always in the right spot, and he’s working on his offense.”

“Ryan Ressler is 6-4 with a big body,” added Ward. “He’s a little raw, but he’s very good on the boards, and is solid defensively.”

Ward expects to get some quality minutes off his bench as well.

“Our bench is actually pretty deep,” he said. “We can switch out our starting five with any two or three guys off our bench, it all depends on match-ups.”

First-year player Will Trump, a 6-8 senior, and sophomores Michael Griffin and Theo Molina should see plenty off minutes off the bench, while seniors Wesley Kelsey and sophomore Hudson Trump will vie for minutes in the post.

“Will Trump  has all the tools to be a good big man,” said Ward. “He clears out space and has a nice touch around the rim.

“Michael Griffin is probably our first guy off the bench,” noted Ward. “He has shown such improvement from last year … he’s grown, he’s gotten stronger with his ball-handling, he’s a good shooter, and his IQ is perhaps one of the highest on the team. We’re looking at him putting in a lot of minutes at the 2, 3 or 4.

“Theo Molina is a small, but super-scrappy physical guard,” Ward added.

Ward does have a few concerns heading into the season.

“My biggest concern would be cohesiveness,” he said. “Last year, I saw some miscommunications from the guys on the floor, and some animosity going back-and-fourth from one another.

“This year has been much better, but we have to continue in that positive aspect.

“One thing I bring from both college and being a young coach, I want these guys to love each other.” continued Ward. “It’s a brotherhood out their on the floor. No matter where we are in this town, they always need to have each other’s back, and be patient with one another.

“Patience is another concern. We love to get out (on the break) and go, but a lot of times our mental speed bogs us down, and that comes with experience,” added Ward. “We tend to turn the ball over because we’re rushing … we’ve been working on that a lot.”

Ward has lofty expectations for a team coming off a 6-15 season in 2021-22.

“I want to see this team over .500, and I think we’re very capable of that,” he said. “I want to see us competing for an NTL title, and I think we’re capable of that as well.

“I want these seniors to have an enjoyable and successful senior year,” added Ward. “I want this team to find passion in playing basketball.”

——————

IN PHOTO: From left, Jackson Hubbard, Zach Garrity, and Nick Pellicano.