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wins , and we did , and we want to improve on that . That ’ s our ultimate goal ,” Coloutti said . “ I guess a . 500 season would be a positive .”
“ The kids are optimistic . They see the difference from last year .”
While only nine deep on the varsity , Coloutti would like to take advantage of his team ’ s athleticism .
“ We ’ ve got some kids who are in pretty good shape ,” he said . “ We ’ re looking to play a bit faster this year .”
Scoring leader Robbie Brill is back to lead the team as its senior captain , and Levi Haviland returns as the chief inside presence . The improvement of Haviland and 6-foot-4 Heith Mason have been pleasant surprises , Coloutti said .
“ We ’ re expecting a lot from Robbie , and Levi has put in a lot of work over the summer ,” Coloutti said .
Caden Capman and Levi Allen are athletic guards who could wind up at the point , while Taylor Dunlap is a good shooter . Eli Rosario is another guard .
Poultney is likely to use a four-guard lineup most of the time .
Coloutti will be assisted by his son , former Castleton University standout Rob Colotti .
“ We knew last year we were really young , and hopefully it ’ s going to work out better this year ,” Coloutti said .
PROCTOR
The boys basketball Phantoms are encouraged to make their own history . Gone are the five starters that constituted the bulwark of back-to-back Division IV state championship teams in 2015 and ‘ 16 . In their place is a blend of strong seniors and underclassmen , ranging in levels of varsity experience from some to none .
“ We had a great run but that is over and this is a chance for these players to make their own history , discover their own identity ,” Phantoms coach Jake Eaton said . “ We need to get tougher , to learn to compete and to learn that we need to earn it .”
The centerpieces of this Phantoms team are the two senior leaders : Derek
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Almond and Jake Bartlett , whom Eaton is counting on for stability as well as leadership .
Almond came off the bench last winter and played significant minutes . The 6-foot-3 swingman is long and athletic , with good balance and the shooting touch to hit the medium-range jumper or pop treys from behind the arc . Almond will also be a disruptive force on defense and hit the boards .
Bartlett is a transfer from West Rutland , whom Eaton calls the “ hardest worker on the team .” He ’ s quick and athletic , and will contribute high energy on both ends of the floor .
Eaton is hoping that Bartlett can fill the void created by the loss of the multifaceted Gavin McKearin .
Proctor has some nice assets complimenting the senior duo .
Joe Valerio is only a sophomore yet was involved in many big plays for the Phantoms last year . A playmaker with a coolness and poise beyond his years , Valerio is blessed with a high basketball IQ . He will run the point and control the Phantoms offense .
Freshman Connor McKearin may be small but he is savvy and can shoot . With the loss of so much offensive production through graduation , McKearin will be counted on to fill up the score sheet .
There may not be a lot of depth but there ’ s size on the Phantoms . The two true big men are a pair of 6-foot-3 inside players , Jacob Plucin and Nate Greb . Plucin will be the power forward , while Greb is a true post player . Greb is coming off a great soccer season ; he ’ s lost some weight and worked hard on his body .
“ We have decent size and athletic guards but we don ’ t have the depth we ’ ve had inyears past ,” Eaton said , stressing to his club the importance of taking care of their bodies , getting rest , eating right and most of all staying on the floor . “ We ’ ll take our lumps . We have a tough schedule , but the goal is to be playing our best basketball in mid February .”
Eaton is excited but expectations are
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always high in Proctor , especially at tournament time in March . Still , teams that take Proctor lightly do so at their own peril .
RUTLAND
The Raiders had an excellent top eight players last year and one of their goals is to get back to that point . Rutland is already pretty close with returnees Noah Tyson , Jamison Evans , Jack Morgan , Jared Nelson and Keegan Bliss ( or possibly Jacob Lorman ) on the floor as starters . Little-used Nelson and Bliss will really have a chance to shine this season .
Rutland should weather the loss of 1,000-point scorers Nathaniel Kingsley and Kyle Cassarino . The Raiders can be balanced but Tyson could have a monster year , and he might not be alone .
Rutland can go big under the basket low with Tyson , Nelson and Evans just for starters . The Raiders can shoot the 3-ball , are also quick enough to run the floor hard and will have some of the most athletic players around .
That starts with Tyson , who played tough defense , rebounded , passed and let his teammates do most of the scoring last year .
“ He makes everyone around him better ,” said Wood of his blue-chip senior swing man . “ He ’ s the consummate team player , but this year he ’ s going to have to be a little selfish ( shooting the ball ).”
Wood also looks for Evans to have a breakout year as an inside-outside scorer and Nelson , with his big frame and soft hands , will be a challenge to defend down low .
“ We have to establish our inside scoring ,” Wood said .
Wood said Morgan will make a tough and aggressive point guard . “ He ’ s ready to embrace it ,” Wood said . Last year ’ s playoffs should also serve this team well . Getting past Burlington , a school Rutland had not beaten in years , was a huge hurdle .
“ I think we remain hungry and want to build on momentum we were able to get going last year ,” said Wood . “ Our goals for the program are the same .
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Those guys know what they are and hopefully they will run with that .”
Once more a brutal schedule challenges Rutland ; The Raiders ’ first nine games are mostly against Northern Vermont Athletic Conference Metro teams .
Some home dates to watch : Dec . 30 , vs . CVU ; Jan . 8 , vs . St . Johnsbury ; Jan . 30 , vs . Burlington .
WEST RUTLAND
It ’ s pretty much all fresh and new for the Golden Horde varsity boys team .
Jordan Tolar is stepping up to take on his first varsity coaching job at West Rutland and as many as nine of his former junior varsity players are stepping up with him .
“ It ’ s fresh for all of us ,” said Tolar , a former Woodstock player and Castleton football player , who graduated from CU with a degree in sports management . “ We are very young and are starting from ground zero . We are trying to be in better shape , to out-work you and be physical , while we find our identity .”
Tolar greets 21 players , but has only one returning varsity player in senior center Roo Forrest . The pivot man will not only be the center of the offense but provide leadership . “ He ’ s going to be a force ,” said Tolar .
Otherwise , most of the remaining players that will form the varsity spent last year with Tolar on the junior varsity , which had a highly successful 19-1 season . This gives the first-year varsity coach a huge advantage : he knows his players and they know him , so together they can move forward .
Sophomore Kyle Laughlin , who will swing from a small forward / shooting guard to power forward , is seen as a key player because of his versatility . Freshman Tyler Serrani has also impressed both on offense and defense and will get big minutes . Ryan Smith , another sophomore , will be in the mix somewhere after he transferred back to West Rutland .
But some of the slots in the starting five and in the rotation are open , so the competition is heightened this week
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