Last year our basketball team had a great season as they made it it to states, but unfortunately lost in the first round to Morgantown, 77-33. The team lost many key players due to graduation last year with almost all of them having been starters. Four coaches were asked questions about their perspective and hopes for the upcoming season.

Coach Venable

The first coach is one of the newest coaches added to the staff, Coach Venable. Coach Venable is a former alumni for the basketball team and is now going into his second year coaching here.

Q: What is your season record prediction?

A: “I believe we’re going to be 18-6 at the end of the regular season.”

Q: “What is your end of the season goal for this year?”

A: “My goal this year is to be able to sweep the EPAC.”

Q: “Who do you think the key players will be this year?”

A: “I think the key players this year will be Troy Woolaston, Matt Mahood, and Nathan Whyte.”

Q: Who do you think has the biggest shoes to fill?

A: “I think Austin Sines and Gavin McClain will have the biggest shoes to fill.”

Q: “What is the biggest challenge for the team this year?

A: “I think the biggest challenge this year is just staying hungry, coming to practice everyday, wanting to get better, and not getting satisfied with our success.”

Q: What are the team’s biggest strengths this year?

A: “The biggest strengths we have this year is easily our size with our bigs will be huge for us. The next biggest thing I think is our chemistry that we have as a team with most of the guys playing with each other for a long time.”

Coach DeMasi

The next coach that was interviewed was Coach DeMasi. She is the head JV coach and an assistant to the varsity team. She has been coaching for 18 years including eleven seasons with the boys and seven with the girls.

Q: What are your record predictions for this year?

A: “I think we’re going to have double digit wins and single digit losses, so I think we’ll go 18-6.”

Q: What is your goal for JV this year?

A: “The end goal is the same every year and that is to just have enough kids to fill the kids that are leaving from varsity next year.”

Q: What are your goals for varsity this year?

A: “To make it to states, but not only make it, but be able to win a game down there.”

Q: Who do you think the key players will be this year?

A: “The key players on the team will be the kids that are going to come in and do what we ask them to do and buy into the program.”

Q: Who do you think has the biggest shoes to fill this year

A: “I think Austin Sines will have the biggest shoes to fill being the point guard of the team. He really has to be the leader on the court after having a great point guard in Trenton Wolf last year.

Q: What is the team’s biggest challenge is going to be this year?

A: I think that the biggest challenge will be to get everyone on the same page at the same time, because we can’t have some people have the same mindset at the start of the season and some get that same mindset half way through. We need everyone to get on the same page at the same time.

Q: What are the teams biggest strengths?

A: “I think the biggest strength is our size and length we have this year but another strength is that I think every kid is brought into the program.”

Coach Hartman

The next coach that was interviewed was Coach Hartman. He has been a part of the program for 15 years.

Q: Who do you think the key players will be for the team this year?

A: “We have a lot of good players on the team, but the ones that are the most important are, Jayson Gordan, Troy Woolaston, Matt Mahood, Gavin McClain, Nathan Whyte, and Austin Sines.

Q: What is the biggest challenge for the team?

A: “The biggest challenge is probably the little varsity experience that we have on the team this year, only having two kids that actually played full varsity last year.”

Coach Basile

The last coach that was interviewed was the varsity head coach, Coach Basile. He has been the head coach of the varsity basketball team at musselman for 20 years now.

Q: Who do you think the key players are this year?

A: “Jayson Gordon is definitely one. He’s coming back with the most varsity experience out of all of our guys. His brother Jacob Gordon and then Kyle Jarrett as well, who both have a little varsity experience but played mostly JV last year. However, I think the bulk of our guys this year is going to be in the junior class with guys like Troy Woolaston, Matt Mahood, and Gavin McClain. We have a big junior class this year so we’re hoping for a lot out of them.”

Q: Who do you think has the biggest shoes to fill this year?

A: “I think it’s going to have to be everyone. It’s kind of an all for one kind of attitude, and if everyone comes in and pulls their weight we’ll have a pretty good chance of being successful this year.”

Q: What do you think the biggest challenge will be for the team this year?

A: “The biggest challenge is going to be finding our way a little bit. Having so many new pieces this year, and replacing arguably five staters, at least four is a challenge. Just trying to find our way and mesh as a group. Once we do that we’ll be fine.”

Q: What are the team’s biggest strengths this year?

A: “I think our size is our strength. We got a big team with players like Troy Woolaston, and Mat Mahood and we have a lot of length. So I think our size will pay dividend. I think we’re, if not the biggest, one of the biggest teams in the area.”

Q: What the end season goals this year?

A: “The end season goal is always the same and that’s to end in Charleston, you know, give yourself a chance to play for a state title. That’s the goal every year and it’s no different this year and we are going to work hard to try and succeed that goal.”