10 Rutland Herald Winter Sports Guide 2019-2020
Girls Basketball Preview continued from 11
Naaah. The Phantoms will instead use
their strong guard play and ‘positionless’
approach to generate offense with a very
fast pace.
“We’ve got a lot of smart kids,” said
Proctor coach Jake Eaton. “We’ll play to
our strengths. Our main thing is we’ve
got to play harder, faster and tougher
than anyone else.”
Solomon Parker, who comes closer
than most to fitting the description of a
post player, was one of the Phantoms to
pop out and hit a 3-pointer against Fair
Haven in last weekend’s scrimmage.
But despite having shooters like Joe
Valerio, Brennon Crossmon and MSJ
transfer Logan Starling the Phantoms
didn’t shoot very many. Speed, quick
cuts and passing and will likely account
for much of their scoring.
And if they need a 3, they have plenty
of options.
Eaton says freshman Bryson Bourn, on
the JVs as an eighth-grader last year, has
a big upside.
Proctor has other veterans like rangy
Connor McKearin, and Jed Nop, Peter
Carlson, Tyler Eugair and Hunter Bridge
return and will figure into a rotation
needed to play a break-neck pace.
Senior DeAndre Burns joins the team
and will give Proctor a little more size.
Though the team is smaller than last
year, Eaton expects them to do a better
job rebounding.
The Phantoms opened the season
Thursday night against Twinfield at their
Bob A Tip-Off Tournament. The event
also includes Twin Valley and Poultney,
teams that will join Proctor in the mix as
D-IV title contenders.
RUTLAND
It’s been a long time since Rutland
had a team with so little savvy with only
junior guard Evan Pockette returning as
a player with significant experience.
“I think we need to find a balance
sharing the basketball,”’ said coach Mike
Wood, who has guided the Raiders to
218 wins in his 12 years.
Wood will do a lot of teaching this
year and it will take time before his new
charges stop thinking and just play.
over the floor, meaning Channer Gin-
toff, Garrett Trombley, Brody Perham
and Owen Thibodeau won’t be picking
up many splinters.
The Division II Cosmos get a big test
to start the season when they play D-II
state champion MSJ Tuesday in the
Green Mountain Tip-Off Tournament.
They have their home opener against
Leland & Gray on Dec. 23.
WEST RUTLAND
JON OLENDER PHOTO
Proctor High School’s varsity boys basketball team during practice.
The Raiders, who will not have a
dominant post presence, will play a
fast game and try to take advantage
of a full-sized floor. The College of St.
Joseph gym, the Raiders’ home this
season, is 10 feet longer than Keefe
Gym.
The Raiders return a handful of
varsity minutes from last year and picked
up transfer Maddox Traynor, an accom-
plished 3-point shooter.
Forwards Kyle DelBianco and Malik
Hendrickson and guard Finn McGuiness
saw some minutes last year, but the rest
of the 13-man squad will be sampling
varsity action for the first time.
With so many players on an equal
footing, Wood hopes to use 10 or
more to keep the Raiders trapping and
pushing the ball.
Noah DePoy, Cameron Greene, Jevan
Valente, John Foley, Jack Coughlin and
Trey Davine join the squad after a solid
season on Chris Wood’s JVs last year.
Foley is nursing an injury, but will slip
right into a rotation when he returns in
about three weeks.
Rutland opens the season Saturday
night, hosting CVU in the North-South
Challenge Saturday at 5 p.m.
SPRINGFIELD
Keep it simple, work hard and get
better.
Maybe that’s not what the Cosmos will
have on their warmups, but it’s cer-
tainly the philosophy they’ve adopted.
Eleven Cosmos are buying in and Mike
Hatt intends to keep them on course
years after their school’s last playoff
appearance.
“I think they are hungry for success.
No one likes what’s been going on at
Dressel Gym the past four years,” Hatt
said.
That the Cosmos turned over the ball
15 times in five periods of scrimmage
is a solid step for a team that has been
plagued by giveaways.
Damien Warner and Brendan Dwin-
nell do most of the ballhandling so thus
far they are doing the job.
Noah Zierfus is the team’s most
accomplished scorer but will be charged
with doing a lot of things this year other
than shooting.
Some scoring pressure figures to be
relieved by rugged Jake Stepler, who
takes up space in the middle and is one
of the Cosmos shooting the ball well.
The Cosmos struggled shooting the
ball against a good Rivendell team’s
zone but had yet to install their halfcourt
offense. They still played the Raptors to
a virtual standoff.
Greg Otis, Dylan Merrow and Sam
Presch are also among Springfield’s top
seven, and will also see a lot of minutes.
But Hatt anticipates using as many
people as possible in a man defense all
The Golden Horde were a league
doormat when Jordan Tolar arrived and
now they are eager to take a big next
step.
“We go from 1-20 to 12-10 to being 50
seconds away from going to Barre last
year. There is a sense of urgency and
there should be,” said Tolar.
Recent success is translating to a
program-high in participation with
assistant coach Mike Davis also fielding a
full squad.
The Horde returns nearly every key
piece from last year and can match up
with quality opponents in both size and
speed.
Ryan Smith is set to bring his solid
passing game to the point and will be
joined on the starting five by veterans
Tyler Serrani, Timmy Blanchard, Kyle
Laughlin and Liam Beaulieu. Beaulieu
looks to anchor the Westside frontcourt
while Laughlin can play close to the
basket and is well known for his for his
3-point range. Laughlin, Beaulieu and
Smith are the only seniors.
Westside won’t have to wait long to
test its progress with a game at White
River Valley on Saturday and one against
rival Proctor at home next week.
Noah Davis, MacAlyster Perry, Brady
Fenton, Mason Galante, Drew Plem-
mons, Patrick Smith and Levi Petit com-
prise the bench to begin the season and
will get plenty of work given Westside’s
desire to play man-to-man defense.
“We’re super excited to get working.
We want to compete every day because
Division IV is really stacked,” Tolar said.
“They are eager to get after it.”
BOB.FREDETTE @RUTLANDHERALD.COM