Monroe County Division IV
BATAVIA BLUE DEVILS
Last season: Finished 14-8, won the Division IV title and lost to Wilson Magnet, 57-55 in the Class A2 semi-finals.
Coach’s Name:Buddy Brasky/28th season (topped the 400-win mark last year).
Top returners: TeeSean Ayala – Sr. G 6-foot-2 (21 PPG/ 1st team All County, Division IV Player of the Year, 2nd Team AGR) and Antwan Odom Jr. G 6-foot-1 (16 PPG 1st Team All County).
Top newcomers: Naz Pratt Sr. PG 5-foot-11, Steve Gilebarto Sr. G 5-foot-11, John Kindig Sr. F 5-foot-11 and Jonathan Liciaga Sr. F 5-foot-11.
First game: Friday, Dec. 8th vs. Eastridge.
Outlook: One year removed from winning the Class A2 title, Batavia returns an experienced team. Four starters and eight players are coming back from a squad which took a Blue Devils program , which had reached the finals for four straight years, to the semi-finals last season. Batavia is small but athletic and fairly skilled. Look for the Blue Devils to play an uptempo game to combat their lack of size. A balanced scoring attack is the focus as Batavia looks to compete for another divisional title.
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EASTRIDGE LANCERS
Last season: Finished 3-17 and lost to Brighton in the opening round of Class A1.
Coach: Dan Roser/ fifth season (19-78).
Top returners: Kyndal Taggart Sr. (2nd Team All County), Tony Arnold So. (1st Team All County), Robert Clark Sr. and Terrence Reid Jr.
Top newcomers: Jalen Hannah So. PG 5-foot-8, Jordan Capers Jr. G 5-foot-10, Jaden Keech Jr. G/F 5-foot-11, Adrian Rodgers Jr. G 5-foot-8.
First game: Friday, December 1st vs. Brighton.
Outlook: Eastridge has a deep team and despite being young, the Lancers have a bunch of guys with varsity experience. Taggart and Arnold will lead the team on the offensive end. Can they overcome their lack of size in order to rebound and play tough defense consistently?
GREECE ODYSSEY LEOPARDS
Last season: Finished 10-12 and lost to Mynderse, 61-51 in the Class B quarter-finals.
Coach: Jim Guzielek/ third season (20-24).
Top returners: DJ Billings Sr. F (9.3 PPG, two-time All-County second team), Ronell Joseph Sr. F (2.4 PPG, signed to play football at Bryant University) and Aric Williams Jr. F (late-season call up last year, 2.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG).
Top newcomers: Darren Davidson Sr. F (transfer from Eastridge), Travon Harper Jr. PG, Ray Colbert Jr. G, Jaden Hartsfield So. F (transfer from Vertus) and Romell Griffin Jr. G (transfer from Indian River/Section III).
First game: Friday December 1st vs. World of Inquiry.
Outlook: While Greece Odyssey lost a lot through graduation they still return a lot of talent and leadership in Billings, Joseph and Williams. The team brought up a lot of talented players from a successful JV program in Harper, Colbert and Khyree Smith-Roberts. These players will be asked to fill starting spots or important bench roles early on in the season. Odyssey was lucky to add some talented players through transfers including Hartsfield, Davidson, and Griffin. The Leopards will be tested early as they open up the season with two Class B opponents in World of Inquiry and Penn Yan with a non-league game against Sodus in between. Odyssey is looking to continue to improve during its Monroe County schedule of mostly Class A teams. The Leopards had some nice conference and non-conference wins last year but will look to be more consistent throughout the year play in county games.
GREECE OLYMPIA SPARTANS
Last season: Finish 4-18 and lost to Monroe, 68-45 in the Class A2 quarter-finals.
Coach: Joey Tisa/ third season (8-55 including one year as varsity girls’ coach).
Top returners: William Green Jr., Sr. G (14.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.66 SPG First Team All-County, Honorable Mention All-Greater Rochester, Team MVP), Jeff Jung Jr., Jr. G (7.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG) and Dan Castro Jr., Jr., G (3.76 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.38 SPG).
Top newcomers: Wesley Elmore Jr., Jr. G/F 5-foot-11 194 lbs, Sam Wright IV, So. G 5-foot-10 170 lbs and Trey Sharpton-Clark, So. G 5-foot-4 134 lbs.
First game: Wednesday December 6th at Churchville-Chili.
Outlook: Olympia’s roster has a good mixture of experience and youth. The Spartans will play an up tempo pace that will allow them to utilize their speed and shooting ability. Look for them to mix in multiple types of defense to keep an up-tempo pace throughout the game. Their biggest challenge will be rebounding due to lack of size.
HONEOYE FALLS-LIMA COUGARS
Last season: Finished 10-11 and lost to Batavia, 59-49 in the Class A2 quarter-finals.
Coach: Kevin Neenan/ 16th season (172-134).
Top returners: Dan Hayes Sr. F/C 6-foot-6 (15 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1st Team All County), Garrett Ruff Sr. PG 5-foot-10 (5 PPG, 6.0 APG, 2nd Team All County, three-year starter), Tyler Selke Sr. G 6-foot (6.0 PPG), Owen VanNewkirk Sr. F 6-foot-4 (7.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG), David O’Connell Sr. F 6-foot-2 (4.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG), Jack Eastman Sr. G 5-foot-11 (5.5 PPG), Matt Cardon Sr. G 5-foot-11 (3.0 PPG) and Will Gaylord – Sr. F 6-foot.
Top newcomers: Trevor Chamberlain Jr. G 6-foot, Jack Emerson Jr. G 5-foot-10, Turner Wilson So. G/F 6-foot-3, Owen Stein Sr. G 6-foot and Hayden Smith So. G 6-foot-2.
First game: Friday, December 1st at defending Class A2 champion Wayne.
Outlook: HF-L returns eight seniors this year, and the experience gained last year should help the Cougars take another step forward. HF-L had 11 games decided by six points or less last year, and they won seven of them – a good sign for the upcoming season. The addition of some underclassmen will help fill key roles. Expect the Cougars to run in transition and take advantage of size, versatility, and depth that the Cougars should have after recovering from some preseason injuries. Last season, the Cougars were young and inexperienced but battled. Can they use that experience to get better each day, and play with more mental and physical toughness in order to be a contender for Division IV and Class A2.
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