Thursday, 17 January 2019 13:11

Blue Streaks Boys Basketball

By Damian Fantauzzi | Sports
Blue Streaks Boys Basketball Photo provided.

I’ve been on the hardcourts for many years as a player and a coach with the majority of my coaching career of 40 plus years were at Saratoga. I have coached boys and girls and have seen the game change by leaps and bounds. As a kid, when I was a player, basketball was more of a deliberately controlled game; most of the time we would set up the offense and execute. There was no need of urgency to beat the clock except for certain situations that usually evolved through the game’s progression. Then along came the three point arch, an off-shoot of the now defunct American Basketball Association (ABA), followed by the shot clock in part to speed up the game, first with the women/girls and then the men/boys. I’m putting it mildly when I say that those two changes have had a profound effect on the way the game is played in today’s world of scholastic and intercollegiate basketball, and I believe it’s a good thing!

Those profound changes have given me a new perspective as a basketball coach. Watching the boys of Saratoga Springs High School run the floor is a real treat for me. I do like the “uptempo” style the Blue Streaks play as it’s exciting to watch and satisfying to see how these kids look for one another. Every team has a catalyst and Aidan Holmes is definitely the giddy-up-and-go man for the blue and white. He’s the fuse that sparks the team as they play as an explosive attack on both ends of the court. Aidan’s dad, Kevin, played for me during the late 80’s- that’s when Kevin, as a senior, along with his team made it to the final four of the state tournament.  Aidan’s grandfather, Rick Holmes, and I go way back into the Mechanicville High School history book of the early 1960’s- that’s when we played using peach baskets...not really, just kidding.

This past Tuesday night the Blue Streaks had a big game with Suburban Council rival, the Bethlehem Eagles.  Both teams entered the game unbeaten and the Eagles, who started five seniors, came out with the blocks on fire. Bethlehem made 11 three-pointers, demonstrating what it means to have a home court advantage. If there’s any irony that comes with basketball, here the leading scorer of the game was BCHS’s senior guard Pat Ryan, scoring 20 points in his first game of the season where he had double figures and previously only scoring one three-pointer the entire season until this game. Ryan netted six three-pointers on Tuesday with three in the first quarter.

Saratoga hung in there the first half with Aidan Holmes fueling the way. Bethlehem ended the half up 37 to 34, off a buzzer beater three-pointer from the Eagles’ Jake Laclair.  In the third quarter, the Eagles came out fired up to increase their lead to 15. Saratoga was caught in a whirlwind of raining jumpshots as Bethlehem netted 25 points to Toga’s 16.

The atmosphere in the BCHS gym was electric with the student bodies of both schools going at each other with cheers and jeers, but it was all in good spirit. As junior Aidan Holmes kept Saratoga in striking distance throughout the first half, senior Will Fox picked it up in the second half to keep up a good fight for the Blue and White Streaks, they scored 16 and 18 respectively. Six foot eight senior Nate Chudy scored 13 with 8 rebounds for the Blue Streaks.

The majority of the game was well officiated, with three refs assigned to this game. Both teams displayed good aggressive man-to-man defense throughout the game with Saratoga moving into some zone during the second half.  Numerous times both teams applied full court pressure in the progression of the game.

Coach Matt Usher, who was an outstanding player himself for the Blue Streaks class of 2000, played for former SSHS varsity coach Mitch Snyder.  Matt and his staff have the Streaks playing an impressive style of the running game, with the “bigs” running the floor like guards, Toga is led by 6’8” senior center/forward Nate Chudy, son of Robin Chudy; 6’ junior, Aidan Holmes; 6’1” junior, Aidan Dagostino; 6’5” sophomore, Mike Rogan; 6’6” senior, Will Fox; 6’1”senior, Marcus Davis; 6’3” sophomore, Chris Dufort; 6’ senior, Charlie Beck; 6’2” junior, Dan Spillane; 6’2” senior, Dan Signor; 6’2” senior, Graham Patton; 6’ junior, Bryce Emery; and 6’1” senior, Justin Kislowski.

The week before against gutsy CBA on Tuesday, January 8, CBA was led by their junior point guard Jordan King, an impressive player in his own right. In the first half, CBA’s veteran coach Dave Doemel had the Brothers executing at both ends of the floor.  As the buzzer went off, after the first eight minutes, CBA was up by by 12. The Streaks cut that lead to one point as King scored on a driving layup to make it 26 to 23.

Coach Usher utilizes a defensive strategy coming out of a man-to-man defense in the first half to a 1-2-1-1 full court zone press combined with an extended 1-2-2 half court zone trap. This strategy turned the game around against CBA with the zone strategy taking the King factor away from the CBA offense. At the finish it was Saratoga 63, CBA 53.

Friday, January 11, the Streaks traveled to pesky Niskayuna with the Blue and White leading duo of Chudy and Holmes. Saratoga defeated the Silver Warriors 67 to 54 with Chudy scoring 24 and Holmes 19. Nisky tried a special defense in the second half hoping to neutralize Nate Chudy using a diamond and one, which is a 1-2-1 zone (diamond shape) and putting man-to-man defense on Chudy. At first it had some effect, but Aidan Holmes turned on his offensive magic in the third quarter with 11 points, including three three-pointers, negating a Nisky run that closed in on Saratoga’s lead 44 to 37. Holmes’ hot hand turned into a 10-2 run with plenty of support from the boys inside, as senior 6’6” Will Fox scored 10 and some key rebounds while 6’5” sophomore Mike Rogan netted 9.

High school basketball is a sport of peaks and valleys with the human element always part of the game. Going unbeaten in such a long season is not an easy task, practically impossible. Losing to Bethlehem, in my opinion, will not hurt the Blue Streaks because losing can actually be a positive teaching tool in the preparation of the remaining second half of play. The Blue Streaks are impressive to watch: I like the way they play and their aggressive style fits their personnel with much credit going to head coach Matt Usher, and his assistants Jason Armstrong, Kevin Himmel Wright, Jim Murphy, and JV /assistant coach Geoff Loiacono. 

The Blue Streaks are just barely past the halfway mark of their season at 11 and 1. The remaining schedule is as follows: Jan. 18 at Schenectady, Jan. 22  Green Tech at home, Jan. 25 Troy at home, Jan. 29 at Shenendehowa, Jan. 31  Columbia at home, Feb 5 at Colonie, Feb. 8 at Averill Park, Feb. 12 Niskayuna at home (senior night), Sectional playoffs to be determined

In the Suburban Council there are no easy takes, it’s a very tough league with the majority of the larger schools of Secton II where any team can present a challenge.

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