McQuaid’s Kobe Long goes to the basket during an RCAC battle last season. East High’s Chaz Washington (22) defends on the play. (Photo: RON KALASINKAS)

RCAC Upper Division

EDISON TECH INVENTORS

Last season: Finished 9-12 and lost to Fairport in the Class AA quarterfinals.

Coach: Jacob Scott (11th season).

Top returners: Natrell Colbert Sr. F (6.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Alton Knight Sr. G (12.0 ppg).

Top newcomers: Edgar Bass IV Jr. G, Kevis Heard Jr. G, Torrean Lewis Jr. F and JaVonte McKnight Jr. G.

First game: Friday, November 30th at McQuaid.

Outlook: The Inventors will look for leadership from Alton Knight, the only returning starter and leading scorer from last year’s team. This year’s junior-laden squad has been playing together since freshman year within Coach Scott’s program. The Inventors basketball schedule is probably the strongest of any of their opponents this season, as they compete in Class AA.

FRANKLIN QUAKERS

Last season: Finished 1-20 and lost to Canandaigua in the first round of sectionals.

Coach: Eddie Lee (122-152/ 14th season).

Top returners: Tahjir King Sr. F (8.8 ppg) and Tyree Spann Sr. G (7.6 ppg).

Top newcomers: Tyrone House 6-foot-1 Jr. F, Brandon Moore 5-foot-10 Fr. G and Timothy Small 5-foot-10 Jr. G.

First game: Friday, November 30th against Leadership Academy.

Outlook: Returners from last year’s squad combined with a solid group of newcomers has Franklin looking to improve its record. They will have to overcome a lack of height by being a cohesive group on offense and defense.

Leadership Academy’s Rondell Watson averaged 23 points per game during the 2017-18 season. (Photo: PAUL GOTHAM/ PICKIN’ SPLINTERS)

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY LIONS

Last season: Finished 18-4 (RCAC Upper Division Co-Champions), lost to NE Douglass in the A2 semifinals.

Coach: Reggie Simmons (80-31/ sixth season).

Top returners: Nate Doyle Sr. G (6.0 ppg), Shamir McCullough Jr. G (8.0 ppg) and Rondell Watson Sr. G (23.0 ppg/6.0 assists).

Top newcomers: Kennyh Hardeman Jr. G, Marquise Sabalier Sr. F, Maurice McKinney So. G and Kris Martin Jr. C.

First game: Friday, November 30th at Franklin.

Outlook: Leadership Academy lost seven seniors from last season and will rely on four new starters and reserves to have an immediate impact. Non-Lease games at Wayne, against Rush-Henrietta, Northstar Christian, Pittsford-Mendon and and Aquinas will get the Lions prepared for sectional play.

McQUAID JESUIT KNIGHTS

Last season: finished 17-9, won the Section V AA championship, Far West Regional title and advanced to the NYS Final Four.

Coach: Jack Leasure (66-45/ sixth season).

Top Returners: Kobe Long Jr. G (14.0 ppg, AA All-Tourney Team), Jermaine Taggart Jr. G (16.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, AA NYS All-Tourney Team) and Connor Zamaria Sr. F (9.5 ppg, 8 rpg, AA All-Tourney Team).

First game: Friday, November 30th against Edison Tech.

Outlook: The Knights will face the challenging task of defending the AA crown while replacing five seniors that include Anthony Iglesia (Class AA MVP) and Josh Purcell (Class AA All-Tourney). Newcomers and returners alike will be asked to step up and play new roles and sacrifice for the good of the team. A challenging schedule that includes Irondequoit, Leadership Academy, Edison Tech, Wilson, Fairport, Niagara Falls, Canisius, East, Bishop Kearney, Aquinas, St. Joes, Park School and defending state champion Liverpool will be a tall order.

Wilson Magnet’s Malikk Johnson averaged 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 2017-18.
(Photo: NOAH BRYANT)

WILSON MAGNET WILDCATS

Last season: Finished 13-8 and lost to NE Douglass in the A2 quarterfinals.

Coach: Brendan O’Toole (65-77/eighth season).

Top returners: Brennan Clark Jr. F (14.8 ppg, 12.7 rpg), Robert Davis Sr. PG (23.0 ppg, 3.1 assists), Desi Floyd Sr. G (12.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Malikk Johnson Sr. F (8.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg).

Top newcomers: Christian Harmon Fr. F.

First game: Wednesday, November 28th at Pittsford Sutherland.

Outlook: Wilson returns four starters and should be competitive with everyone on its schedule. After reaching the championship game the previous two years, Wilson suffered a disappointing quarterfinals loss last year. This season the Wildcats hope to make a deeper run in sectionals in a very competitive Class A2 bracket. Robert Davis enters his senior season with 1,277 points and will most likely move into second all-time on the Wilson career scoring list behind Raul Hagins.

RCAC Lower Division

ROCHESTER EARLY COLLEGE COBRAS

Last season: Finished 4-17 and lost in the first round of sectionals.

Coach: John Geglia (72-66/ sixth season).

Top returners: Ahmir Buckhannon G and Sam Jackson G/F.

Top newcomers: Jahan Richetts 5-foot-9 Fr. G and Joe Williams 5-foot-11 Jr. G.

First game: Wednesday, December 5th against East High.

Outlook: After losing three seniors and an extremely athletic junior from last year’s team, Early College is still rebuilding. As the smallest school in the RCAC, the regular season schedule will be a challenge as will a move up to Class B for Sectionals. There are a lot of younger players on this team with the potential to develop into quality players. If this happens quickly, the future could be promising. After losing their top two scorers, Sam Jackson and Ahmir Buckhannon will look to fill that void offensively.

Maurice Coney (3) scored 10.1 points per game for East High last season. (Photo: PAUL GOTHAM)

EAST HIGH EAGLES

Last season: Finished 8-13 and lost to Leadership Academy in the A2 quarterfinals.

Coach: Darrell Barley (269-103/ 17th season, 11 City-Catholic Championships, Six Section V titles).

Top returners: Kaori Barley Jr. G (4.5 ppg), Freddy Brock Jr. G, Maurice Coney Sr. G (10.1 ppg) and Chaz Washington Sr. G (18.5 ppg).

Top newcomers: Damani Barley Fr. G,Trequan Coney So. G, Howard Eagle Sr. F Kai Mccullough Fr. G Seven McGee So. G, Dyllon Scott Jr. G and Zachariah Scott Jr. F.

First game: Monday, December 1st at Monroe.

Outlook: After a disappointing season a year ago, East reloads with a deep squad that should be ready to make a deep run in the sectionals.

MONROE HIGH RED JACKETS

Last season: Finished 12-10 and lost to eventual A2 champion Wayne in the semifinals.

Coach: Matt McCormick (13th season).

Top returners: Tyquil Glasgow Sr. F (12.6 ppg), Jo-Nathan Jones Sr. G (4.5 ppg) and De’vante Mateo Sr. PG (11.2 ppg)

Top newcomers: Axel Mejias Jr. G, Derek Rivera Sr. G and Jamar Williams Jr. F.

First game: Thursday, November 29th vs. Victor in the Finger Lakes Tip-Off Tournament.

Outlook: Monroe returns two starters ( Tyquil Glasgow and De’vante Mateo) along with Jo-Nathan Jones, Trevone Glasgow, and Kerone Kearse. Fidel Brock, Axel Mejias, and Derek Rivera will provide additional depth at the guard positions. Jamar Williams moves up from the JV team and will see significant minutes. Although Monroe moves to the lower division this year due to enrollment, the schedule gets even more difficult. The Red Jackets play NE Douglass, East, and SOTA twice each. Non-league contests include the Finger Lakes Tip-Off in Canandaigua, HF-L, and Aquinas.

NE DOUGLASS PANTHERS

Last season: Finished 15-8 and lost to Wayne in Class A2 finals.

Coach: Kyle Crandall (66-42/ sixth season).

Top returners: Adonis Flagler Jr. G/F (13.4 ppg, 6.7 rebounds), Maurice Glenn Sr. G (6.9 ppg, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists), Nicolas Jeanty Jr. G/F (3.8 ppg, 3.3 rebounds), Lamar Lovelace Jr. G (9.1 ppg, 3.3 rebounds), Tre’vion Miller Sr. G/F (5.2 ppg, 5.5 rebounds) and Jiahmere Mitchell Sr. G (22.9 ppg, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 3.1 assists).

Top newcomers: Casey Diometre Sr. G and Jonathan Rowley Sr. G.

First game: Friday, November 30th vs. Webster Thomas at Eastridge.

Outlook: NE Douglass is looking to build upon their trip to the A2 finals and avenge its 3-point loss to Wayne. The Panthers have six key contributors from last year’s team returning. NE Douglass is guard heavy and will need to find ways to rebound and compensate for their lack of size. The biggest challenge facing the Panthers will be making sure that everyone is committed to team basketball. With a deeper and more improved A2 sectional bracket the Panthers will need to develop the chemistry they had at the end of last season in order to compete for their first sectional title in school history.

SCHOOL OF THE ARTS (SOTA) SILVERHAWKS

Last season: Finished 10-11 and lost to East High in the first round of sectionals.

Coach: Albert Nash (135-108 losses/ 16th season).

Top returners: Jotham Denegal Sr. C (6.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG), Ethain Clarke DeSouza So. wing (18.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.0 steals, 3.0 assists), Logan Hayes Jr. wing (11.0 PPG, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals), Ke’Vion Mitchell So. PG (9.0 PPG, 8.0 assists, 2.0 steals) and Reggie Smith So. wing (13.0 PPG, 3.0 steals).

Top newcomers: Keshaun Chatman Fr. Wing/Forward.

First game: Friday, November 30th vs. World of Inquiry.

Outlook: A young SOTA squad will look to build on its .500 season from a year ago. Ethain Clarke DeSouza is a dynamic player who seamlessly switches from scorer to facilitator. Reggie Smith will force opposing defenses to extend and try to prevent him from scoring behind the 3-point arc.

WORLD OF INQUIRY (WOI) GRIFFINS

Last season: Finished 13-8 and lost in the first round of sectionals.

Coach’s name: Jeff Curtis (first season coaching WOI/ 142-79 in 11 seasons with five sectional titles at Charlotte High.

Top returners: Jahlil Bell Jr. PG, Tremier Dollar Sr. G (6.2 ppg) and Bobby Searight Sr. C (4.7 ppg).

Top newcomers: JaQuan Close Sr. G, ZhyAire Gray Sr. F, Joshua Shaw So. F and Michael Thomas Jr. F.

First game: Friday, November 30th at SOTA.

Outlook: World of Inquiry (WOI) will utilize its speed and be very defensive-minded. Most points will be coming from turnovers and transition. The Griffins will have a mismatch against most teams in the center position with the size and strength of Bobby Searight. They will need leadership and perimeter shooting from Tremier Dollar as he and Searight were the only members of last year’s team that played significant minutes. Team goal is to get better every day and compete for the Class B2 title.