Optimism and excitement abounds in the Madison High School gymnasium this week, where the first practices for the Junior Varsity and Varsity Basketball teams have begun in earnest. Last week, tryouts took place over the course of 3 days – where the endurance, speed, intelligence, and overall skill of each player was thoroughly tested in various drills. Some came down mainly to athleticism, others demonstrated skills like finishing at the rim and shooting at various points around the court, and still others simulated in-game situations and challenged players to think on their feet and demonstrate their ability to play effectively; all taken into consideration by Coaches Joe Reel, Curtiss Sallie, and Stephen Hughes. 

After the conclusion of tryouts, the players of this season’s JV/Varsity Team are as follows: Seniors: Drew Stack – who committed recently to play basketball for the University of Portland, a Division 1 Program – Jack Stuart, Robert Roche, Daniel Oyederian, Carson Pacheco, and Tommaso Maher. Juniors: Sean Mariani, Jared Barnes, Jack Eckhard, Colin Melvin, Todd Hanson, Will Boyer, and Zach Taddeo. Sophomores: Greg Randall, Quinn Reagan, Jackson Maloney, Jack McGuire, Brandon Quintero, Marco Rosselli, Thomas Bland, and Daniel Dacy. Freshmen: Evan Colao.

Head Coach Joe Reel has been quick to recognize the challenges posed by the loss of 9 Seniors from last year, but remains as confident as ever in the ability of each of his players to find great success on the court: “We need to use this preseason to find leadership and a team identity… The way I see it, there are three phases of the game that we need to excel in if we want to have a successful season: rebounding, taking care of the ball, and defending at a high level. If we can out-rebound our opponent and win the turnover battle, we’ll have a chance to win every game on our schedule.” Having learned from some of the top college coaches in the nation during his time at Miami (OH) University, Reel will seek to imbue the virtue that Defense wins games. “When I was at Miami, we set the record for the longest streak of keeping teams under 70 points until Kansas [the eventual national champion] hung 74 on us in the 2007-08 season. Tough, man to man defense with great help principles has always been a staple with every team I’ve coached.” 

As the preseason kicks off, no one can be sure of exactly how the team will perform; such is the case for anything in life. However, one thing is for certain: When that first game finally comes, excitement will hang in the air as MHS wonders how close to the stars this new team will reach. Go Dodgers!