December 11, 2013 by Justin Penman
The Saratoga boys’ basketball team is off to a 3-0 start. They’ve been great in transition, and have had really great chemistry. Don’t be fooled by the record, however, because they still have a lot to work on. They’re taking bad shots, they’re not playing strong enough defense, and they have spurts where they have very bad ball handling.
Coach Usher, the boy’s brand new coach, said after the win against Niskayuna Friday, “We need to work on the post more and we are not the biggest team in the league. (Zach) Kircher and Jesse (Alexander) did good rebounding and we need that. When we get boards and have great d we will turn it into points. We need to play hard and work on the intangibles.”
This was clear through out the first full week of games. It seemed like both Queensbury and Niskayuna had the height advantage. The Bluestreaks could have easily won by a lot more if they had better shot selection. However, they’re still 3-0. The boys seem to be getting a little better each game.
“We have great defensive energy, and we love to play in transition. This was our most complete game. We played better and were more balanced on the offensive side of the ball,” Usher said after the Nisky game.
The team ran their plays well, and were able to get to the hoop one way or another. The game against Queensbury there were a few spots the team should’ve been worried about on offense, but the game against Nisky eliminated any worry. The offense during the second half was superb. The chemistry that the team has is the backbone of the offense.
Chris Byno, the starting point guard of the Blue Streaks said, “We have had a lot of progression. We are coming together as a team. We’ve played together since travel basketball and modified to now. Our chemistry is something that our team strives on.”
The boys still want to improve from where they are though. The starting center Jesse Alexander said, “We’ve got to have more focus and concentration. We were more confident this week, and our undefeated record was on the line. Since the opposing teams seem to be big we need to box out better. We have to improve on everything.”
The boys seem to have the right mind set looking forward. It’s just a matter of how much they improve on the things they say they’ll work on. It’s clear as to who are the star players on the team. Chris Byno, Sean Grecco, Jesse Alexander, and Noah Arciero have each made huge contributions to the team in their very own way. Byno has done a great job of distributing the ball and looking for scoring opportunities. Grecco has had great ball control and has been very effective on defense. Jesse has been the backbone for the team in the post. Noah Arciero, despite taking too many bad shots is one of the best all around players on the team. Looking ahead, if the team rebounds more, and is able to hold down the defense on the post they should be alright.