PLENTY OF TALL TALENT RETURNS
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Thursday night, December 4, 2014
BRECKSVILLE – For the last two or three seasons it was building. The Southwestern Conference was getting better and better. And last year the talent level peaked. The league was loaded with stars. Not only did those standouts make an impact within the loop, but the conference was laden with players who made headlines far beyond.
For years the SWC didn’t get the love it deserved. That all changed last season. The league was a darn good one. Veteran coaches from high-profile programs, some of them finding out the hard way, realized just how good the conference was in 2013-’14.
A given with the SWC is that, within its 7-team framework, its games are highly-competitive. The rivalries are strong and the quality of coaching, top-to-bottom, ranks right up there.
Six of the Southwestern Conference’s first-team members graduated. It was a true all-star squad. Most Valuable Player Alex Brown, from Berea-Midpark, was a big part of the reason why Duke Barther’s Titans ran away with the league title in the schools first year of existence.
Westlake and Olmsted Falls finished two games behind B-M in a race that wasn’t that close. The Demons bid farewell to 6-9 center Gavin Skelly, who is now playing at Northwestern. And who could forget about first-teamer Makis Beach’s ability to can long range jumpers, one after the other?
It seemed like Adam Asadorian played at Olmsted Falls forever. That’s because he was a four-year varsity player who ended his career as the states all-time three-point field goal percentage leader.
The Bulldogs tied the Demons for second place, and a game behind them was Brecksville-Broadview Heights. Jon Balhorn earned first-team recognition in a season where he registered 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. Balhorn was as consistent as they come.
Garrett Klekota was another one of those guys whom you thought would play forever at Amherst. Klekota, a known Bee killer, graduated as the Comets all-time leading scorer with well over 1,200 career points. If BBHHS head coach Steve Mehalik didn’t send Klekota a graduation gift he should have.
Heck, even Avon Lake, which finished in the logjam at the bottom of the SWC standings with Steele and North Olmsted, had two of its players go on to play Division I college ball in sports other than basketball. Brad Hamilton is playing baseball at Kent State and Ben Oxley is playing football at Northwestern. D-1 athletes don’t come around too often, no matter the sport. That just further illustrates the caliber of athletes that battled each other throughout the home-and-home round-robin series of conference clashes.
This will be Brecksville’s tenth and final season as members of the Southwestern Conference. They Bees make their official move to the Suburban League on July 1, 2015.
When the Pioneer Conference, which Brecksville (along with Berea and Midpark) were charter members of in 1977, broke into two divisions (who can forget the Heritage and the Frontier?) and eventually fell apart, the Bees found a home in the SWC. And it has been a very good one.
Brecksville put together a three-year run where it was either co-champions or out-right league titlists. The merger of Berea and Midpark made the freshly-minted Titans an instant juggernaut. And last year the blue and orange claimed the leagues crown without seriously being challenged.
With the addition of Avon, Lakewood, Midview and North Ridgeville the SWC expands to ten teams next year. But for the moment lets take an alphabetical look at the loop as we currently know it. And the players, both former and present, who have helped shape it.
AMHERST STEELE
As always John Srnis’ club will have solid guard play. Senior Adam Srnis will be a fourth-year starter in the back court where he will be joined by his active and effective classmate, Rees Rua. The Comets lack size and will have to overcome the departure of Klekota who had a natural knack of controlling a game and the uncanny ability to beat opponents in a variety of ways.
AVON LAKE
The Shoremen said so long to Hamilton and Oxley, and the versatile Christian Jones. However Avon Lake’s biggest graduation loss was with Seth Muck. The 6-1 guard was a second-team all-league selection and topped the scouting report when teams prepared to play A-L.
However the Shormen are guided by two of the best coaches in the league in veteran head coach Eric Smith and his trustworthy assistant Dave Borish. That is hardly a footnote. Smith and Borish always get the Shoremen to play hard and they are well-prepared. Look for Avon Lake to improve as the season goes on. That’s a given. The only question is: how many times will Smith wear his maroon shirt and yellow tie?
BEREA-MIDPARK
Replacing Alex Brown is a tall order. But Brown, as dynamic as he was, didn’t make B-M a 19-3 club on his own. The Titans put two players on the SWC’s second-team a year ago. Michael Schuller was a guard who could flat out light it up from the outside. Devon Posey was a 6-2 beast on the boards and a formidable scorer. And 6-3 forward Marlon Robertson did the dirty work. B-M, because of the merger, had depth like no other squad in the circuit. And it took full advantage of it.
“This will be a different boys team over here this year. We may not be as fast, but we are very tall,” one of the guys that is a fixture in the Bob Purdy Gym said last night at the B-M/Lakewood girls game.
Different. Yes. Still good? Very much so. Tall? Big-time tall.
Nolan Gerrity is every bit of 6-11. He is smooth, skilled and experienced. The senior center recently announced that he will attend the University of Maryland-Baltimore County next year. Gerrity was a unanimous first-team All-SWC performer a year ago when he averaged 12 points and as many boards per outing. “Gerrity is a difference-maker,” Mehalik said.
Also back are a pair of juniors who made their mark on the football field for the Titans this fall. Brett Swinnerton is a 6-6 wing who was a nightmare for your average 5-10 SWC corner back to defend. On the court he has a sweet jump shot and his length will be a factor in a variety of ways. Joey Bachie, a 6-1 junior guard, is a load when he has the ball in his hands and is driving to the basket. Pity the poor soul who steps in to take a charge against the full back and linebacker.
And that is the tip of the Titans iceberg, which has been known to melt foes away in the sunken sauna on Bagley Road. Only the ghosts in the hallowed halls of the old school know who else will step-up to make an impact for the SWC’s reigning coach-of-the-year, Duke Barther.
B-M will play defense. You have to to play for The Duke. Odds are the Titans are still respectfully deep. However Berea-Midpark won’t be as dominant as they were last season. And adjusting to life without Alex Brown will be a key factor, especially early in the campaign.
The Titans non-conference schedule is on the Dick’s Bakery side. That will enable B-M to rack-up wins and be in the running for another high tournament seed. Last March Berea-Midpark made it all the way to a Division I district final where it staged an incredible comeback before being nipped by St. Ignatius on a buzzer-beater.
BRECKSVILLE-BROADVIEW HEIGHTS
There is no bigger fan of the Southwestern Conference than Bees head coach Steve Mehalik. The respect he has for the coaches in the league comes from the heart. He knows that he and his hard-working staff have to routinely burn the midnight oil in preparation for the other half-dozen clubs in the circuit. The eighth-year bench boss revels in the rivalries and enjoys the comradeship of his coaching colleagues.
Mehalik may be able to sleep a little better this season because he has one of the SWC’s top returning players in senior shooting guard Luke Cipolla. Cool Hand Luke had the hot hand as the Bees leading scorer in 12 of the teams 21 games. Cipolla is as tough as they come. He suffered a broken finger on his left (non-shooting) hand prior to the Bees fifth game, which was a night-marish 20-point loss at Olmsted Falls. Cipolla sat out the Falls’, Rhodes and Barberton contests and returned to score a team-high 21 (on five 3’s) in a non-conference defeat at arch rival North Royalton.
From there on out there was no stopping Cipolla. He and Balhorn carried Brecksville to a 6-3 record down the home stretch of the season, and Cipolla did it with a broken finger. He had surgery to repair the fracture shortly after the Bees first-round tournament loss at Lakewood.
In fact, the Rangers, who are on the Bees schedule again this season, dealt Mehalik’s squad two of those three late-season losses. The other? You may have guessed it. Berea-Midpark.
Cipolla, a second-team player, will have help this season and that will make the Bees swansong season in the SWC a decent one. Junior point guard Dan Auble is ready for prime-time. Senior wing Demetrius Maddox, at 6-4, brings skill and length to the court. And a cast of heretofore unheard of fellas will become well-known names in the fabulous Bee Hive before pitchers and catchers begin long-tossing in the auxiliary gym.
Junior Dan Harwood is a rugged forward who takes no wooden nickles. He will be undersized on the low blocks all season, but he is the kind of guy that doesn’t mind. Andrew Bruno and Jake Sweeney are a pair of high-energy junior guards that can be unrelenting pests on defense and hit shots. And multiple-sport standout Danny Shirilla, a junior guard, brings leadership, poise and a host of other intangibles to the club. And those are the qualities Mehalik appreciates.
Look for sophomore post Jared Bazil to possibly have a break-out year. The 6-6 Bazil grew an inch and worked hard in developing his body and game in the off-season. The Bees will need his size down low.
Brecksville went 12-9 overall last season. That was a comedown after a three-year stay at the top of the SWC standings. Cipolla and Company are looking to make the Bees final go-round on the west side a memorable one.
OLMSTED FALLS
Only at the Dog House can you graduate talent like; Adam Asadorian, Alex Mitchell, James Sabatka, Patrick Hynes and Brian Kurz and replace it with the likes of; Nick Fritz, Ryan Sosic, Kevin Meehan, Ryan Hanna and Troy Hurrell.
It’s usually best to let a sleeping dog lie, but these Bulldogs never sleep. They never have. Chris DeLisio’s team gets after opponents with the best of them. And playing at Olmsted Falls is like walking into a kennel where the canines just guzzled Monster, especially on Friday nights.
At 6-4, Meehan, a junior forward, is likely to be the Bulldogs tallest starter. He will be joined by fellow football players Nick Fritz and Ryan Sosic.
Meehan was an all-conference receiver who is just as smooth and competitive on the court. Fritz was Falls’ three-year starter at quarterback. And Sosic is a Bulldog of an enforcer down low who brings physical football qualities to the hardwood. Hanna and Hurrell are a pair of 5-11 senior guards who can raise the roof from the outside.
You know you are in a game when you play O-F. And you can bet the Bulldogs will make life miserable for league opponents from now until March. “No team plays harder. And no team is as dangerous or streaky,” said Mehalik of the Bulldogs. “And Falls has a tremendous home court advantage.”
O-F will definitely find it difficult to replace the one-two scoring punch of Asadorian and Mitchell. And they will be vertically challenged in the post. However, night-after-night, DeLisio’s dogs will keep coming at opponents as if they wore Milk Bone wristbands.
NORTH OLMSTED
Jason Frolo enters his second season in the Eagles Nest. And he will do it with three players who are expected to have solid seasons.
It starts in the paint with junior forward Andy Lucien. At 6-5, Lucien is drawing interest from Division I programs. He is skilled and can get to the rim at both ends of the court. Lucien has been tagged as a sleeper. Not in this corner. He is the real deal. The Eagles will be in contention all season because of him and a pair of other guys who are more than just complimentary players.
Matt Starcovic is a 6-1 senior guard who earned all-league laurels on the gridiron this season. Starcovic can hurt you with a pull-up jay, even in traffic, and or get to the rim. Josh Hufstetler is a 5-10 sophomore guard who had an impressive rookie campaign a year ago when the Eagles were beginning to put it all together.
North Olmsted is young and talented. And Frolo has his program in the position to be one of the better public school ones on the west side for the next several years.
WESTLAKE
You just don’t replace one of the best players in Ohio and stay close to the top of leader board. That was the daunting challenge which faced Demons head coach Shawn Hood the moment after Westlake was eliminated from the tournament by Brunswick in a Division I district semi-final in Broadview Heights.
Gavin Skelly averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots per game. At 6-9 he dominated. Beach kept opponents honest because of his ability to dial 8 for long distance. And second-team wing Joe Hadib-Nissan, a 6-3 slasher, also graduated. Further depleting the roster was the graduation of 6-0 baseline glass-eater Conner Meek.
Another key loss that Hood has to deal with is that of sweet-shooting senior guard Anthony Trujillo. Trujillo was an off-season transfer to Olmsted Falls when his family moved to The Township in June. And, unfortunately, Anthony was injured during the summer. He missed the football season. And it is not known if and when he will return to the basketball court. When he does, it won’t be wearing forest green and white.
Westlake gained a player via transfer and he will help. But even with 6-2 senior post Cameron Brown, yet another football player, patrolling the baseline and banging on the boards, the Demons have to re-tool.
Hood has established a culture of winning on Hilliard Boulevard and its new gym is a nice venue in which to watch a game. But replacing a once-in-a-generation player like Skelly is impossible. It could be a long winter in the Demons Den.
Lets take an even deeper look inside the Southwestern Conference.
2014′-15 SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE TEAM CAPSULES:
AMHERST STEELE
Nickname: Comets.
Head Coach: John Srnis.
Last Year: 11-11.
SWC: 3-9 (T4)
VS Bees: Split.
Tournament (15-seed): Lost to #22 North Ridgeville at home in first-round.
Season Opener: December 5 at Midview (DiFranco Tournament).
Key Players Graduated: Garrett Klekota and Danny Fortney.
Key Players Returning: Adam Srnis and Rees Rua.
AVON LAKE
Nickname: The Shoremen.
Head Coach: Eric Smith.
Last Year: 9-13.
SWC: 3-9 (T4).
VS Bees: 0-2.
Tournament (19-seed): won at #9 Elyria, lost at #5 Olmsted Falls.
Season Opener: December 5 at North Ridgeville.
Key Players Graduated: Seth Muck, Brad Hamilton, Christian Jones and Ben Oxley.
Key Player Returning: A.J. Outcalt (5-9, senior guard, minimal experience).
BEREA-MIDPARK
Nickname: Titans.
Head Coach: Duke Barther.
Last Year: 19-3.
SWC: 10-2. (Champions)
VS Bees: 2-0.
Tournament (3-seed): Bye, beat Avon at home , beat #5 Olmsted Falls at Midview, lost to #4 St. Ignatius at Midview.
Season Opener: December 5 vs Oberlin at home.
Key Players Graduated: Alex Brown, Michael Schuller, Devon Posey and Marlon Robertson.
Key Players Returning: Nolan Gerrity, Brett Swinnerton and Joey Bachie.
BRECKSVILLE-BROADVIEW HEIGHTS
Nickname: Bees.
Head Coach: Steve Mehalik.
Last Year: 12-9.
SWC: 7-5 (3rd).
Tournament (10-seed): Lost in first-round, 61-54 in overtime, at #8 Lakewood.
Season Opener: December 5 vs Solon at home.
Key Players Graduated: Jon Balhorn, Timmy Tupa and Adam Kalinsky.
Key Player Returning: Luke Cipolla.
OLMSTED FALLS:
Nickname: Bulldogs.
Head Coach: Chris DeLisio.
Last Year: 16-6.
SWC: 8-4 (T2).
VS Bees: Split.
Tournament (5-seed): Bye, beat #19 Avon Lake at home, lost to #3 Berea-Midpark at Midview.
Season Opener: December 5 vs Strongsville at home (Mayor’s Cup).
Key Players Graduated: Adam Asadorian, Alex Mitchell, James Sabatka, Patrick Hynes and Brian Kurz.
Key Players Returning: Nick Fritz, Kevin Meehan, Ryan Sosic, Ryan Hanna and Troy Hurrell.
NORTH OLMSTED
Nickname: Eagles.
Head Coach: Jason Frolo.
Last Year: 8-14.
SWC: 3-9 (T4).
VS Bees: 0-2.
Tournament (13-seed): Lost to Midview at home.
Season Opener: December 8 at Parma.
Key Player Graduated: Jah Tyler (an underrated 5-11 guard).
Key Players Returning: Andy Lucien, Matt Starcovic and Josh Hufstetler.
WESTLAKE
Nickname: Demons.
Head Coach: Shawn Hood.
Last Year: 16-5.
SWC: 8-4 (T2).
VS Bees: Split.
Tournament (6-seed): Bye, beat Lorain at home, lost to #7 Brunswick at the Bee Hive.
Season Opener: December 5 at Elyria.
Key Players Graduated/Transferred: Gavin Skelly, Makis Beach, Joe Hadib-Nissan, Connor Meek and Anthony Trujillo (transfer).
Key Player Returning: Cameron Brown.
2013-’14 FINAL SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:
Berea-Midpark ….. 10-2 ….. 19-3.
Westlake ….. 8-4 ….. 16-5.
Olmsted Falls ….. 8-4 ….. 16-6.
BBHHS ….. 7-5 ….. 12-9.
Amherst Steele ….. 3-9 ….. 11-11.
Avon Lake ….. 3-9 ….. 9-13.
North Olmsted ….. 3-9 ….. 8-14.
Most Valuable Player: Alex Brown (Berea-Midpark).
Coach-of-the-Year: Duke Barther (Berea-Midpark).
2014-’15 PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE:
Shortly after Brecksville’s first-round Division II football playoff loss at Madison the red three-ring binder was pulled from the shelf, dusted off and opened. Rosters were dissected. The memory bank was taxed to the max and names and numbers were penciled onto a yellow legal pad. That is what happens every November at the worldwide headquarters of this website. The final analysis? The Southwestern Conferences top seven players heading into this season.
1) – Nolan Gerrity ….. B-M.
2) – Luke Cipolla ….. BBHHS.
3) – Andy Lucien ….. N-O.
4) – Brett Swinnerton ….. B-M.
5) – Adam Srnis ….. A-S.
6) – Kevin Meehan ….. O-F.
7) – Nick Fritz ….. O-F.
Preseason Most Valuable Player: Nolan Gerrity (Berea-Midpark).
Preseason Coach-of-the-Year: Duke Barther (Berea-Midpark).
2014-’15 SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS:
As fun as this is, and as much as it is looked forward to, the closer we get to opening night the more difficult it is. During the off-season you think the pecking order in the Southwestern Conference is pretty clear. You hear and see things throughout the summer, during summer-league games, at shootouts and at camp. And the crystal ball comes more into focus.
Then school starts, and you visit with coaches at football games, talk to fans and insiders and the crystal ball suddenly appears cloudy because of a dizzying array of details. During scrimmage season you see teams in action, talk to more coaches, players and gym rats and, like Professor Marvel in The Wizard of Oz, the picture then becomes quite clear.
So join this scribe on his annual trip over the rainbow for a fearless prognostication of this seasons Southwestern Conference title chase. The house has just landed and we’re not in Brecksville any more. Were in Oz, The Emerald City or, in this case, the Bob Purdy Gym.
1) – Berea-Midpark ….. Duke is Duke. Gerrity is a D-1 player. Purdy’s bandbox is brutal. The Titans win again.
2) – North Olmsted … Andy Lucien makes this team worthy of 2nd place. Starcovic and Hufstetler should keep Frolo’s flock in the hunt most of the way.
3) – Olmsted Falls … The Bulldogs have more experience in varsity game action than the next team on the ladder.
4) – BBHHS ….. If the Bees hard-working cast of unknowns can play to their potential look for the red and gold to climb the totem pole quicker than expected. If Mehalik gets production from his bench then Cipolla and the hard-hat gang might make things interesting.
5) – Amherst Steele ….. Srnis and Rua can keep the Comets in games with their shooting, especially at the pace they play at. But a lack of size really hampers Steele.
6) – Avon Lake ….. Smith and Borish are good at practice and even better on game night. Good enough to keep the Shoremen out of the cellar.
7) – Westlake ….. The cupboard isn’t totally bare on Hilliard Boulevard, but you can see the back wall. Cameron Brown, a somewhat heralded transfer, and a devil-may-care mindset might lead to an upset or two.
Thanks for coming along on this years magical mystery tour deep inside the Southwestern Conference. It will be Brecksville’s farewell tour around the loop this winter. And I’m looking forward to talking hoops in person at every gym from Burns to Avon-Belden Roads. Tip off is tomorrow night. It feels like Christmas Eve.
Disclaimer: These predictions, whether the projected preseason list of the Southwestern Conference’s top players and or team standings are those of this writer only. And not those of Brecksville-Broadview Heights head coach Steve Mehalik or any member of his staff.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
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