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Basketball
T h e P o st - S t a n d a r d ’ s
CNY Scouting Report
Compiled by M.F. Piraino
Top 10
PRESEASON
Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard
Frontcourt
Forces in the
1. Jamesville-DeWitt (262): With an all-star lineup
featuring blue-chipper
Brandon Triche, there will
be no stopping the Red
Rams this year as they go for
another state championship.
2. CBA (19-4): Point guard
Stefan Thompson and
forward Mike Goodman,
both returning starters, give
the Brothers a strong insideoutside combination this
season. Seven players from
an undefeated JV squad will
bolster CBA’s depth.
3. Fayetteville-Manlius
(13-9): Coach Tom Blackford
said the Hornets have the
potential to be a good
offensive team and it
doesn’t hurt to have doubledigit scorer Brian Zapisek
back on the floor.
4. Henninger (21-3):
Although the Black Knights
lost four starters, slick guard
Kihary Blue is a talented
holdover to build a team
around.
5. Central Square (812): The Red Hawks plan
on shaking things up in
the CNYCL with the return
of four starters including
perimeter sharpshooter Kyle
Miller.
6. Marcellus (16-6): The
Mustangs will cause a stir
in the Liberty behind the
scoring ability of Will Fiacchi
and point guard Will Nolan.
7. Oneida (9-12): Expect
the Indians to be among
the top teams in the TriValley League, led by league
scoring king Ryan Kramer,
one of four starters back.
But eight football players
are coming off a lengthy
state playoff run so early
season conditioning might
be an issue.
8. V-V-S (18-4): An
experienced backcourt and a
low-post presence in 6-foot10 Adam Kemp will help
the Red Devils put together
another league title run.
9. Hannibal (21-3): The
two-time defending Class
B-2 sectional champs return
a good portion of their
offense and have some size
up front led by 6-foot-7
Brenden Nollet.
10. Westhill (17-5):
Highly regarded Dan Ross
can put up points but
with only three returning
letterwinners, than play will
be key for the Warriors.
Boys
Li-Hua Lan / The Post-Standard
came from beyond the arc.
He ranked first in Section III
with 66 3-pointers, scored
a team-high 17.8 ppg and
made first team all-league.
Andrew Lucio, Solvay:
Although Lucio doesn’t play
for a title contender, he ranks
among top returning guards
in the Liberty. The 6-foot-2
senior nailed 42 3-pointers
last year while carrying a
team-high 14.1 ppg.
Shots
SURE
Brandon Triche, J-D: With athletic moves that
defy defenses, Triche is a sight to behold with the
basketball. The all-state guard led the Red Rams
to a state title while averaging 20 points, seven
rebounds and six assists. He starts the year with 1,258
career points. Check out this tremendous talent while
you still can before he moves on to play at Syracuse.
Ryan Kramer, Oneida: Kramer is a gifted athlete
who became Oneida’s all-time leading
scorer with 1,166 points a year ago.
Kramer does it all for the Indians as
he averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds
and five assists. The four-year starter
also hit 36 threes last year.
“Ryan Kramer is a dynamic player,”
Oneida coach Jeff Didio said. “His
strength allows him to score from the
low post while his quickness allows him
to create his outside shot or drive and
dish.”
Kihary Blue, Henninger: Blue, the
lone returning starter for the Black
Knights, is a capable scorer and floor
leader at the point. His experience will
be vital while Henninger breaks in a
new lineup. Blue, a two-sport All-CNY
player, made all-state last season in
hoops after averaging 11 points and
six assists per game. He also led the
team in 3-pointers (44).
Will Fiacchi, Marcellus: Fiacchi is
another two-sport standout who can
make things happen for his team.
Fiacchi averaged a doubledouble last year with
a team-high 13.6
points and 11.4
rebounds.
“He can play
every position
on the
floor, has
outstanding
range on
his jumper,
can drive
well and
possesses a
great vertical
jump.” Marcellus coach Jim
Marsh said. “He will be one of
the best wings in the area this
year as a junior.”
Dan Ross, Westhill: Ross is a
talented player who provides
plenty of excitement to the
Warriors offense. He led his
team in scoring with 13.6
ppg a year ago.
a rd
Malcolm Bryant, Auburn:
Somewhat overshadowed
last year, Bryant is ready
to step into the scoring
spotlight this winter and
help the Maroons defend
their CNYCL American
crown. Bryant ranked fourth
on the team in scoring last
year with 10.7 ppg.
Dan Heil, Marcellus: Heil
can step out and drain a
three with the best of them
in the Liberty. He sank a
team 36 last season.
Derrick Cenicola,
Hamilton: Cenicola is a
well-rounded player who
fired in 57 threes last season
for the Emerald Knights.
He also averaged 20 points,
seven rebounds, four assists
and three steals per game.
Kyle Miller, Central
Square: Miller isn’t shy
about putting it up from
the outside. More than half
of his field goals last year
Pos t
-Stan
d
Coleman, who transferred
from Fowler this year.
The 6-foot-8 Coleman, a
freshman, averaged just
4.4 ppg last year at Fowler
but his athleticism and
potential were undeniable.
Surrounded by exceptional
talent at J-D, look for
Coleman to play a key role
this winter.
Jeff LaMont, Hannibal:
LaMont, a 5-foot-11 senior,
is a serious zone-buster. He
led the Liberty Conference
in 3-pointers (45) and
averaged 12.9 ppg for the
Warriors.
T he
Mike Stone, Bishop
Grimes: This 6-foot-1
sophomore guard is poised
for a breakout season after
scoring 9.7 ppg last year.
Bishop Grimes coach Jamie
Evans said Stone played
a vital role in the Cobras’
sectional championship run
last year. Stone also finetuned his game in the offseason playing with a select
team in the spring as well
as being invited to college
prospect camps, Evans said.
“We are expecting very
good things from him this
year,” Evans said.
Dajuan Coleman, J-D:
There’s been plenty of
preseason buzz regarding
Shooters
Long-range
cci /
To Watch
the ONES
Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard
e nt u
Ted Zabel, Onondaga:
This 6-foot-4 senior
averaged 12 ppg last season
and is a hard matchup
for some Patriot teams in
the low post. No longer a
secondary scoring option,
Zabel should emerge as the
Tigers’ primary weapon.
Jack Conboy, West
Genesee: At 6-foot-6,
Conboy is a big body in the
middle for the Wildcats. He
finished with 12.1 points, 8
rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per
game last season last year.
“On offense he is a tough
matchup for many teams
because of his ability to play
with his back to the basket
and face-up and shoot the
three with consistency,”
West Genesee coach Steve
Dunham said. “We need to
get him a touch on offense
as often as we can.”
Com
m
Brian Zapisek, F-M:
Regarded as one of the
top forwards in the CNYCL,
Zapisek is coming off a solid
sophomore season where he
averaged eight rebounds and
a team-high 16.7 ppg. The
6-foot-3 junior also happens
to be a strong perimeter
shooter with a team-best 33
threes last year.
Chris Gilkes, Fowler:
Gilkes earned first team
all-league honors in the
Freedom National last
season after averaging a
team-high 12.7 ppg and
leading the Falcons to the
Class A sectional final four.
Jim
Mike Goodman, CBA:
Goodman, a four-year starter,
has the size (6-foot-6) and
aggressiveness to dominate
down low. He is also CBA’s
top returning rebounder and
scorer (14.7 ppg). Goodman
enters this season with 935
career points.