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12/28/2016 11:00 PMAfter returning many upperclassmen from a squad that qualified for both postseason tournaments last year, the Guilford boys’ basketball team is looking to use its playoff pedigree to build itself into a force in the conference this winter.
In 2016, Head Coach Jeff DeMaio’s club had some ups and downs as Guilford was 6-10 through 16 games. However, the Indians responded by capturing victory in their final four regular season contests to qualify for the SCC Tournament, as well as the Class L State Tournament. As the No. 13 seed in SCCs, Guilford upset No. 4 Notre Dame-West Haven on the road, 46-45, before losing to Amity in the quarterfinals. The Indians were then defeated by Harding in their opening matchup of the state draw.
This year, the Indians welcome back a set of six seniors, along with several juniors who saw valuable minutes as sophomores. Coach DeMaio said that his practices have been moving smoothly because so many athletes are familiar with the lay of the land at Guilford. The team is off to a solid start at 2-0 after having posted a 62-49 home win over Hand on Dec. 22 that was followed by a 78-58 triumph at Whitney Tech on Dec. 28.
“Not only do we have those six seniors, but it also helps that we started three sophomores last year that are also back,” said DeMaio. “Even our underclassmen are experienced. It has helped us have a productive preseason and it’s helped keep our practices moving at a good speed.”
At the top of that senior class is Guilford’s lone captain Jordan Krause. Krause was an All-SCC Hammonasset Division selection a year ago and DeMaio said the point guard provides everything a coach could ask for in terms of his attitude and approach to the game. Krause scored 16 points in Guilford’s season-opening victory versus Hand.
“Jordan was voted as captain by his teammates and coaches at the end of last year and he was certainly the clear-cut choice,” DeMaio said. “As a point guard, he plays major minutes. He’s vocal, positive, and holds the other kids accountable. He does the things you want a good captain to do.”
Another athlete who’s already contributing early is varsity newcomer Matt Donlan, a junior guard who notched 13 points in the Hand win. Junior center Noah Rubino scored 16 points that night and than tallied 21 against Whitney Tech.
“Matt’s emerged as a starter this year after predominantly being a JV player last season,” Coach DeMaio said. “He’s been a major player for us so far and has stepped up big time.”
The Indians are still in the Hammonasset Division this winter, but with the SCC having been realigned, Guilford will face a new cast of divisional opponents in Fairfield Prep, Xavier, Cheshire, and Sheehan.
“The league, top to bottom, is the best I’ve seen in years. You have teams like Notre Dame-West Haven, Hillhouse, Hamden, Prep, and Cross at the top, but the middle and bottom of the league has improved,” said Coach DeMaio. “The teams in our division we haven’t played regularly in past years, so we do have some unknown elements there.”
DeMaio feels the Indians have a deep enough talent pool to go toe to toe with any conference foe as they strive toward making some more postseason noise, while also trying to make Guilford a household name in the SCC.
“We finished strong last year and return a lot of people. Our goals are lofty and the SCC is tough, so I’m cautiously optimistic and I believe we can compete in every single game and have enough weapons to do so,” he said. “What we’ve always been trying to do is to establish and build Guilford basketball as a program within the SCC. It’s what we are trying to do in the big picture, but we always keep the same goals each year in making SCCs and states, and we’d like to win in the postseason.”
From the Sidelines
This is Jeff DeMaio’s eighth year as head coach of the Indians.
Guilford’s assistant coaches are longtime JV coach Jim Lamb and new freshman coach Dante Parisi, who was a captain on the 2013-’14 Guilford squad.
Guilford’s non-conference schedule this winter includes a game against Masuk at home on Thursday, Jan. 26, a contest at Platt Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and a home game with Amistad on Friday, Feb. 17.