CHSAA basketball: Could by anyone's title
St. John's Kyle Williams (44) with the one handed jumper over Wandanch's Alex Williams (31) in the first half. (Jan. 15, 2011) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Wide open, evenly matched, up for grabs. Those are some of the terms being thrown around this season in the CHSAA.
"I can't remember a year where parity was the key word," said Chaminade coach Jim Quinn, who is in his 25th and final year and entered the season with 412 wins. "I think all seven teams can win the title and I don't recall that ever before. You'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite."
With such parity, there is no clear favorite and most likely won't be any teams finishing 29-1 as St. Mary's did last season en route to a state championship. With the Gaels graduating their entire starting five, the focal point of the offense is now the 6-4 Travis Whitfield, an athletic shooting guard that has a good jump shot and can get to the basket. Wilson Molina will run the point and 6-9 freshman forward Jessie Govan will be a force in the middle for the two-time defending league champs.
Kellenberg, with a mix of senior leadership and junior talent, may be a threat to St. Mary's supremacy. Shooting guard Kevin Bowles can shoot from the outside and drive to the basket. Jeremy Arthur, a 6-3 swingman, is a great slasher that has developed an outside shot. They are joined by 6-9 center Bryan Gellineau and point guard Rob Gomiela.
St. Dominic enters with some new faces and a new mind-set. The Bayhawks will run a three-guard set with Travis Dickerson, Darren Chew and Jake Kiernan. The frontcourt will consist of Mark Flynn, a banger down low, and 6-5 Kieran Ryan, who can shoot the ball well.
St. John the Baptist features 6-9 sophomore center Kyle Williams, a double-double threat and great defender who is improving offensively. He is surrounded by senior combo guards Timothy Rowland, a creator who led the team in scoring and assists, and captain Kevin Jacobs, who has good range and can put the ball on the floor. Shooting guard Vincent Abbondola can put points up in a hurry.
Holy Trinity has a balanced team that will be aggressive defensively, led by shooting guard Mike Callaghan, who can create shots and get to the free throw line. The Titans have a deep team that also includes swingman Jason Oder, who shoots the three and rebounds, forward Tom Callaghan, who can defend and rebound, and point guard Damon Coleman, who will run the offense.
League runner-up Chaminade graduated all five starters but return two seniors in Pat Farrell, a 6-5 swingman who is a double-double machine, and John Gallego, a point guard who can penetrate and shoot from downtown. The senior duo, along with a talented junior core, will pressure defensively and get up and down the court when they can but also run multiple sets in the half-court offense.
St. Anthony's is a small and inexperienced but talented team that will stress speed and defense. Leading the way is 6-2 guard/forward Danny Pierrot, who has developed an outside shot to complement his rebounding and shot blocking ability. He is joined by Kris Teape, a guard with a nice handle and good shot, Andre Walker, a 5-10 point guard who seeds the floor well, and Nigel Carter, a 6-2 guard/forward with a strong inside game.
