Corning-Painted Post East High School

Boys Basketball

Going into any season, a coach needs to assess the talent and skill level of his players, consider the time spent in the off-season attempting to improve their physical strength and determine, through their off-season participation in summer league games, AAU and individual basketball camps who can help us athletically, who can score for us and who will be role players. In examining our players’ off-season improvement, there were a few players that clearly spent time to improve their skills to become prolific scorers and major contributors to our team’s success. There were players who did just a little bit to improve their game or maybe focused on their upper body strength but did little to gain experience in our system. Then there were those who wanted to contribute but couldn’t because of injuries.

To add to the picture, our football team went all the way to the State Championship Game in Class A and won. This meant that a few major pieces of our team would be delayed in joining us as we prepared for the upcoming basketball season. Wishing well to the football team but knowing that our progress as a basketball team would be cloudy at best, we would likely be slow getting out of the gate as we attempt to mesh the football players with our team who had been practicing for 3 weeks.

Do we have all of the pieces? ABSOLUTELY!

How long will it take us to make a collective effort towards success, if ever?

How will the injuries to Carter Bloor (dislocated shoulder in the State Championship lacrosse game in June) and Eric Garvey (broken leg suffered in early June) affect their play during the season? Will they recover and if so how much will they contribute?

In looking at our roster, for the first time, we have size and strength. 6’2” 190lb. Senior forward John Cramer has added 15 lbs. of muscle to his frame to go along with his tenacious rebounding attitude; Juniors Tyler Mizerak at 6’4” and 215lbs. and Max Appelt at 6’5” and 210lbs. all provide us with muscle and size, something we haven’t enjoyed ever since Coach Hopkins took over 8 years ago.

Combine this size and muscle with solid guard play beginning first with All- STAC selection, co-MVP, first team ALL-LEADER, first team ALL-TWIN TIERS as a junior(!), senior guard Shawn Roe (17.7pts, 2.1 assists, 2.3 steals and 4.0 rebounds), 3-year varsity performer senior guard 6’1” Carter Bloor and junior guard (2^nd year on Varsity) 5’7” guard Simon Bailor.

Then you add 6’2” junior sharp-shooting guard Andrew Matson up from the JV’s, 6’3” junior forward Eric Garvey (2^nd year on Varsity and starting forward for 16 of our 21 games last year) and the first freshman Coach Hopkins has ever had on a high school Varsity team in 5’11” guard Corey Stonerock. Rounding out the roster are the ever-improving trio of 6’1” junior guard Devin Brucie, 6’3” forward junior Laudon Stonerock and 6’ guard Anthony Tohafjian.  

We have the talent. We have the size and muscle. We have great guards who are capable of playing solid basketball night-in and night-out with their outside shooting, penetrating skill, passing skill and solid decision-making with the ball. It will be, however, our ability to play team defense that may key our success once all of the pieces are together. Once this happens, this young Trojan basketball team may be able to make another run at the Class A Sectional Title for the 3^rd year in a row, something no other East Boys’ Basketball team has ever done.

Good Luck! Go Get ‘Em Boys!

GO EAST!