RCAC Upper Division
EAST HIGH EAGLES
Last season: Finished 15-7 and lost to Greece Athena, 54-53 in the Class A1 semi-finals.
Coach: Darrell Barley/ 16th season.
Top returners: Maurice Coney and Chaz Washington.
First game: Friday, December 1st at Leadership Academy.
Outlook: East will make the move to Class A2. The Eagles will need to replace the offensive production of Windell Lucas and Zion Morrison. The tandem both topped the 1,000-point plateau during their careers.
EDISON TECH INVENTORS
Last season: Finished 12-10 and lost to Fairport, 88-56 in the second round of the Class AA sectionals.
Coach: Jacob Scott/10th season.
Top returners: Dylan Foster So. PG (12.6 PPG, 5 assists, 2 steals), Tristian Flowers Sr. F (10 PPG, 8 RPG), Jeremiah Caldwell Sr. G (5.0 PPG) and Da’Shawn Sims-Jones Sr. F (8.0 PPG, 5 RPG).
Top newcomers: Marquan Anderson Sr. forward 6-foot-4, 130lbs, Natrell Colbert Jr. F 6-foot-3, 120lbs, Alton Knight Jr. G 5-foot-11, 120lbs.
First game: Friday, December 1st vs. Franklin.
Outlook: Edison Tech’s biggest challenge will be to find their identity, and they will rely upon the leadership of a young backcourt in Foster and Knight. The Inventors will look for newcomers to step up and play big minutes. Blending a new group will make it imperative to learn how to trust each other.
FRANKLIN QUAKERS
Last season: Finished 1-20 and lost to Canandaigua, 66-40 in the opening of Class A1.
Coach: Eddie Lee/13th season (121-132 overall)
Top returner: Keeashman Hendrix Sr. F 5-foot-8.
First game: Friday, December 1st at Edison Tech.
Outlook: Eddie Lee has a young group that he will be looking to bring together. The Quakers baseball coach, which claimed the RCAC title last spring, will look to channel that success during basketball season.
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY LIONS
Last season: Finished 16-5 and won the RCAC Lower Division before falling to Wilson Magnet, 67-62 in the Class A2 quarter-finals.
Coach: Reggie Simmons/fifth season (62-27 overall).
Top returners: Desmere Ellis Sr. G (18 PPG), Rondell Watson Sr. G (15 PPG/8 assists), Davon Brown Sr. F (11 PPG/10 RPG), Lee Mcknight Sr. G and Nate Doyle Jr. G.
Top newcomers: Marcus Barr Sr. F 6-foot-3, 175 lbs, Tyler Banks Sr. F 6-foot-5, 190lbs, Shamir McCullough So. G 5-foot-9 140 lbs and Shaheem Britt So. G 6-foot, 145 lbs.
First game: Friday, December 1st, vs. East High School.
Outlook: One year after claiming the No. 1 seed in Class A2 before falling in the sectional quarter-finals Leadership Academy makes the move to the RCAC Upper Division where the Lions will compete against Class AA/A1 schools. The Lions have the offensive firepower to hang with anyone. Will they consistently play defense? Share the ball in transition?
McQUAID JESUIT KNIGHTS
Last season: Finished 16-7 and lost to UPrep, 72-53 in the Class AA semifinals.
Coach: Jack Leasure/fifth season (48-35).
Top Returners: Anthony Iglesia Sr. G (1st Team RCAC 12.8 PPG, 4.1APG), Kobe Long So. G (9.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG), Divine Williams Sr. G (2nd Team RCAC (9.2 PPG, 2.1 APG), Connor Zamaria Jr.F (2.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG), Josh Purcell Sr. G (5.9 PPG, 2.0 APG), Aidan Ruppert Sr. F (1.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG).
Top Newcomer: Jermaine Taggart So. G.
First game: Friday, December 1st vs. Monroe.
Outlook: McQuaid faces a tough test in attempting to win a fourth RCAC title in five years. Iglesia and Long can fill up it from long range. The duo will be relied upon after the departure of inside presence Isaiah Stewart, who left to play at prep-school powerhouse La Lumiere in Indiana. Can the Jesuit Knights win every opportunity they have in practice each day and continue to improve?
MONROE REDJACKETS
Last season: Finished 11-12 and lost to Wayne, 53-49 in the Class A2 semi-finals.
Coach: Matt McCormick/14th season.
Top returners: Chris Gibson Sr. F (Section V All Tournament Team), Jonathan Jones Sr. F, Tyquil Glasgow Jr. F, Trevor Glasgow Jr. F, Devante Mateo Jr. G and Chris Williams Sr. G.
Top newcomers: Jo-Nathan Jones Jr. G, Kerone Kearse Jr. G and Giovanniel Santiago Sr. G.
First game: Friday, December 1st at McQuaid.
Outlook: Monroe returns four starters from last season’s squad which cut a nine-point second-half deficit to one before falling to eventual A2 champion Wayne. Gibson is a three-year starter who is closing in on the 1000th point plateau. Jones, Mateo, and Tyquil Glasgow provide consistent offensive output. The Redjackets are counting on solid contributions from newcomers Jo-Nathan Jones, Kearse, and Santiago. They will need to get into a rhythm quickly as their schedule includes games at HF-L, Pittsford Sutherland, Webster Schroeder, Aquinas, and Williamsville-North. That non-league portion along with the RCAC slate has Monroe focused on a higher level of commitment with a championship in mind.
RCAC Lower Division
EARLY COLLEGE COBRAS
Last season: Finished 15-8 and lost to Mynderse, 59-58 in the Class B semifinals.
Coach: John Geglia/ sixth season (68-49).
Top returners: Shedrick Smith G and Prophet Hampton G
Top newcomers: Ahmir Buckhannon Jr. F 6-foot, 190 lbs, Marquis Crawford So. G 6-foot, 150 lbs and Jahkier Moore So. G/F 6-foot-1 170 lbs.
First game: December 1st at Wilson.
Outlook: After graduating 10 seniors, both Prophet and Shedrick are stepping into new roles as top contributors. With 10 newcomers replacing graduated seniors, the beginning of the season is going to be important for Early College’s growth as they learn the game and acquire experience at the varsity level. The potential is there for the Cobras to be a dangerous team entering sectionals. That will require Early College finding its identity and defining individual roles.
NE DOUGLASS PANTHERS
Last season: Finished 13-8 and lost to Monroe, 81-67 in the Class A2 quarterfinals.
Coach: Kyle Crandall/fifth season (51-34).
Top returner: Jiahmere Mitchell Jr. G (19.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 steals).
Top newcomers: Adonis Flagler So. G/F, Maurice Glenn Jr. G, Nicolas Jeanty So. F, Lamar Lovelace So. G, Tre’vion Miller Jr. G/F and Miguel Santos Sr. G.
First game: December 1st vs. Vertus in the Eastridge Tournament.
Outlook: NE Douglass is looking to advance in sectionals this season. With only one returning starter and three returning players the Panthers will need to do so with the core group of JV players that went 15-5 last season. The team is guard heavy and will need to find ways to rebound and compensate for their lack of size. Overcoming the lack of experience at the Varsity level will be a challenge. This team has some talent but lacks experience and size. Getting every player to accept his role will be a priority in developing team chemistry.
SCHOOL OF THE ARTS SILVERHAWKS
Last season: Finished 7-14 and lost to Wilson Magnet, 67-40 in the Class A2 opening round.
Coach: Al Nash/14th season (133-124).
Top newcomers: Ke’vion Mitchell Fr. G 5-foot-9, Reginald Smith Fr. G 5-foot-10, Ethain Clarke Desouza Fr. G 6-foot and Logan Hayes So. G 5-foot-10.
First game: Wednesday, November 29th vs. Pembroke High School.
Outlook: The Silverhawks may struggle early from lack of varsity experience but hope to be playing their best basketball in the second half of the season. That lack of experience will be their biggest challenge to overcome.
WILSON MAGNET WILDCATS
Last season: Finished 11-12 and lost to Wayne, 50-43 in the A2 sectional finals.
Coach: Brendan O’Toole/ sixth season (49-72)
Top returners: Robert Davis Jr. PG (16 PPG, All-Tournament Team) and Desi Floyd Jr. G/F (12 PPG, 7 RPG, All-Tournament Team).
Top newcomers: Rickey Gamble Jr. G and Brennan Clark So. F.
First game: Friday, December 1st vs. Early College.
Outlook: In addition to Davis and Floyd, seniors Anthony Jubray and Richard Rollin as well as junior Malikk Johnson are returning varsity players who bring added experience. This experience along with the addition of several newcomers should help Wilson be competitive again this year. After losing in the finals the last two years, this team is motivated to get back there. Overcoming the graduation the Wildcats best defender and rebounder in Patrick Phillips will be their biggest challenge. While he was not a big scorer, he was a presence inside at 6-foot-7. Anything can happen in the post season. No team knows this better than O’Toole’s group. After beating No.9 SOTA last February, Wilson knocked off top-seeded Leadership Academy and reigning champion Batavia. Their focus is to play their best basketball at the end of the season.
WORLD OF INQUIRY GRIFFINS
Last season: Finished 4-16 and lost to C1 finalist, Gananda, 65-63 in the opening round of sectionals.
Coach: Stephen Campe/ third season (17-26).
Top returners: CeyQuan Salmon Sr. G/F (scored his 1,000th career point last season as junior, 1st Team All RCAC, Section V AGR honorable mention), Charles Maurice Brown Sr. F (four-year varsity starter), Javonte Burrell Sr. G (two-year varsity starter) and Bobby Searight Jr. C.
Top newcomers: Frankie Santiago Sr. G, Tremier Dollar Jr. G/F and Jahmir Douglass Sr. G.
First game: Friday, December 1st at Greece Odyssey.
Outlook: World of Inquiry is making the move to Class B and looking to build from last year’s learning experiences. The Griffins had some tough losses where they gave the game away at the end. Veteran leadership will be important to overcome those hurdles. Establishing roles early in the season will be an emphasis.
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