Boys Basketball Notes: Stilted season served as growth opportunity for Sun Valley

Steve Maloney isn’t exaggerating – and isn’t alone among coaches in this assessment – when he calls the 2021 season “a mess.”

The cancellations, uncertainty and lack of preparation hit every team hard. But at Sun Valley, with its roster studded with sophomores, many getting a first taste of varsity, the disruptions were that much more severe.

A 2-10 season, while not what he and his players hoped for, wasn’t the ultimate aim for anyone. And at Sun Valley in particular, the way youthful setbacks can translate to sustained success is etched indelibly in recent memory.

It’s showing this year, as the Vanguards sit at 12-7 on the back of five straight wins. That puts them seventh in the District 1 Class 5A rankings through Wednesday, closer to the crowd vying for first-round byes than those fighting to scrape into the 12-team playoff field.

The change from last season to this season has been noticeable for Maloney, in what he has been able to do with his group.

“Having an offseason this year was huge,” he said. “We got to go to tournaments, we got to play in showcases and all that, which really helped us grow as a team. From a coach’s perspective, we got to put some things in that really worked out for us.”

The 2020-21 season, in whatever form, was bound to be transitional for the Vanguards, with a slew of sophomores bubbling up. With no preseason, a diminished fall slate and an abbreviated season, Maloney had most players pull double-duty on JV and varsity – anything to get more games.

As juniors, it’s paying off. Chris Kwaidah is leading the way at 14.8 points per game. He’s among the Delaware County leaders with 54 made 3-pointers.

Four others average between seven and 10 points per game, led by Evan Richardson (9.7) and Noah Griffin (9.6). It’s remarkable balance that Maloney thinks is built on chemistry on and off the floor.

“The environment we’ve created, the culture that we’ve created, it really is a family,” he said. “They all hang out outside of basketball. They hang out with each other, which I think is huge, and this offseason, we were able to hang out a little more.”

There’s also historical precedent. The last time Sun Valley relied on a talented corps disproportionately composed of sophomores was 2016-17, a 6-16 campaign. That group matured to qualify for states the following year and won a District 1 title as seniors in 2019.

That group was special and unique unto itself, Maloney cautions. But that notion of year-over-year growth is the same for a program on the smaller end of Class 5A.

“It’s kind of a blueprint for us,” he said. “… We try to refer to that group and let them know this can be done. A turnaround from a 2-10 COVID season can be done and then get some wins the next year.”

• • •

When Justin DiBona found out that Jordan Bochanski had moved into the Marple Newtown school district, he was excited.

Bochanski spent two seasons at Penncrest, but he played his CYO ball alongside a number of Marple Newtown players at St. Anastasia. After years of playing together outside of scholastic competition, DiBona knew all about what the Tigers were getting.

“At Penncrest, we played against him and he was a force there,” DiBona said. “We had the scouting report for him and we knew what he was all about. So he came in here and we knew he was going to make a big contribution for us, and he has so far. So we’re excited about it.”

Bochanski hasn’t disappointed. He’s become one of the prime auxiliary scorers for the Tigers, averaging a touch under 10 points per game. Marple is 11-8, sitting fifth in the District 1 Class 5A standings.

Particularly given Marple’s style, with its rapid ball movement and the dribble-drive capabilities of Eric McKee and DiBona, Bochanski is an ideal catch-and-shoot option. He showed it in January’s win over Upper Darby, where he hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points.

• • •

Speaking of additions, Upper Darby had a fine one fall into its lap at the semester break in Niymire Brown. He moved into the district after playing at Sayre High in West Philadelphia, and the 6-4 junior has made an instant impact.

He’s averaging just shy of 15 points per game, able to attack off the bounce, hold his own in the lane and shoot from 3-point range.

“We just try to feed him the ball, try to get him open shots,” UD guard Nadir Myers said. “He’s big, so teams squeeze in on him.”

Brown is still adjusting – performances like 8-for-20 shooting against Marple for 17 points illustrate that he’s still trying to find a balance within the team. But with Myers, who has hit 45 3-pointers this season, and a handful of heady guards, Brown provides additional ball-handling and an inside-out contrast.

The record shows it: The Royals were 0-6 before he arrived and 5-8 since.

“It feels good because of how we started off the season,” Myers said. “We started off bad, and he brought in the energy and he brings intensity to the court.”

• • •

You may not see a more perplexing season than Springfield’s. The Cougars are 11-8, the 28th seed in District 1 Class 6A (24 make the playoffs). Based on recent history, that’s improvement: Springfield had won just six games the last three seasons combined.

But oh, what might have been. The Cougars have had six games decided by four points or fewer and are 1-5 in them. And the magnitude of those games is stunning: A three-point loss at Coatesville. One-point losses to Lower Merion, at Conestoga and to Haverford. (They do have a one-point win at Garnet Valley). Those are agonizing setbacks to teams occupying the second, fourth, eighth and 22nd seeds in Class 6A.

With Penncrest and Radnor, both of whom they lost to earlier, remaining and a game at No. 25 West Chester Henderson, the Cougars need a winning streak to get into districts.

Contact Matthew De George at mdegeorge@delcotimes.com; you can follow him on Twitter @sportsdoctormd.