Chemistry key to Shipley’s early-season success

Bryn Mawr >> Shipley boys’ basketball head coach Phil D’Ambrosio knew he had a talented team and wasted no time providing early-season tests for his Gators, who had advanced to the Friends’ Schools League championship finals the past two seasons.
With the loss of Sam Sessoms, who graduated and is now starring at Binghamton University, D’Ambroio was hoping that senior Ray Somerville and junior Khai Champion would take the leadership reins.
With Shipley hosting defending PAISAA champion Hill School to open the season, the senior and junior captains exemplified the next play mentality the coaching staff preached throughout the pre-season, as the Gators pulled out a 56-51 win behind a game-high 25 from Champion.
“I learned from my mistakes last year and that I just need to play my own game,” said Champion, following his team’s 71-59 win over Malvern Prep Dec. 14 that raised their record to 8-0. “I just needed to relax and embrace the next play mentality.”
Cal-State Bakersfield recruit Ray Somerville added, “It was a great way to start the season with a good win over a good team. I think we are going to show other teams that although we lost one of the best scorers that we are still a team and that everyone has improved from last year. That win against Hill definitely helped kick start the year because not only would we not be 8-0 but we may not be 7-1.”
Looking to build off of the victory over Hill School, Shipley traveled to Mercersberg Nov. 30 and handed the hosts a 67-62 loss behind Champion and Chaz Owens, who each finished with 18 points.
Although Somerville’s offensive production may not have been eye-popping, he has produced in other key areas, collecting big rebounds that help limit the opposition’s shots, and he has also come up with key blocks.
“Ray (Somerville) and Khai (Champion) have done a pretty good job leading the team and getting the team to buy into the next play mentality,” said D’Ambrosio. “What has pleased me the most is their ability to help the team stay resilient and not give up. We have had to come from behind a few times this year and their leadership has been a key.”
Faced with many challenging games to help prepare for FSL play, the Gators have passed with flying colors even without playing their best every game. Although they have not played their best every game, the silver lining has been their ability to persevere and find a way to overcome and, most importantly, stick together as a team.
“The take away is even if we have bad games internally as a team, we can still be a team and at the end of the day when we needed to make plays, needed to make shots and needed to make stops we did that,” said Somerville. “We have a little bye week because we have had games every one or two days since beginning of season, it will be a good time to get chemistry and the energy and the unselfishness back into the team so we can out and play strong as a team.”
Champion added, “I think the team chemistry has been everything. Team chemistry gives everybody more confidence individually and as a team so think it just helps us play a lot better.”