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Old Saybrook Boys’ Hoops Trying to Find its Footing

The Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team is off to a tough start in the 2019-’20 season as the Rams get used to life without star player Shane Henderson, who graduated last year. Old Saybrook is sporting a record of 0-4 after dropping contests against Old Lyme, Cromwell, East Hampton, and Hale-Ray to begin the campaign. Despite the struggles, Head Coach Patrick Quinn’s squad is still putting its best foot forward and making adjustments to try to get that first win.

Right now, the Rams are trying to figure out who is going to pick up the scoring load this season. Senior captain point guard Davis Brown is leading the team in scoring, while fellow senior captain Mike Almada is looking to become another solid option.

“I think part of it is that we are missing Shane right now, but with Davis and Mike, we can make up for Shane. He was a one in a million kid, but we just have to click,” Quinn said. “We’ve been in single- digit games, and in the second half, we’re just not clicking. I put that on me. We certainly miss Shane, but we have a lot of young kids coming up who are extremely promising. We’re optimistic.”

On Dec. 19, the Rams dropped a 80-47 road contest against Old Lyme. The Wildcats got out to a hot start, outscoring the Rams 16-5 in the first quarter, and Old Lyme’s lead only grew from there. The bright spot in the loss was Brown’s play, as he put up 32 points with four assists and two rebounds. Senior Gino Gallitto added seven rebounds in the loss.

Two days later, Old Saybrook lost to Cromwell in a 60-34 road game. Once again, the Rams fell into an early hole against the Panthers and trailed 21-5 after the first quarter. Old Saybrook wouldn’t draw any closer as the game progressed. Brown had another strong scoring effort against Cromwell with 21 points to his credit.

According to Coach Quinn, Old Saybrook has room to improve in the paint, especially in hauling in rebounds.

“I think we need to get a little stronger down in the paint defensively. Offensively and defensively we’re coming up with rebounds, but we’re not capitalizing,” Quinn said. “Our opponents also seem to be shooting the lights out against us.”

On Dec. 27, the Rams lost a 82-49 game to East Hampton in their home opener. Old Saybrook, played the Bell Ringers pretty even in a 13-10 first quarter, and then trailed 29-20 by half time. East Hampton went on a big run to in a 23-13 third quarter that put the game away.

Major contributors for the Rams were Brown (12 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds), Riley Lawson (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists), and senior captain Mike Almada (9 rebounds, 6 points).

On Jan. 2, Old Saybrook lost a 75-62 home contest versus Hale-Ray. The Rams took a narrow lead with a 14-13 first quarter, and maintained the one-point margin at the half with a 15-15 second quarter. Both teams put up 18 points in the third quarter to give the Rams the 47-46 advantage heading into the fourth, but the Noises put up a 26-15 fourth quarter for the win.

Brown put up another impressive effort with 33 points, six assists, and four rebounds, while Tucker Gometz had 10 boards and four points. Mike Almada had 11 points and four rebounds, and Gallito added seven points.

Old Saybrook’s senior captains Brown and Almada have been a great source of positivity for the Rams during the slow start.

“They’ve stepped into a nice role. After taking over for a good senior group that we had last year, despite us going 0-4, they are keeping the guys positive,” said Coach Quinn. “I’m happy with the role they’ve stepped in and what they have brought to the team so far.”

Another pair of starters who have earned a bigger roles this year is Gallitto and sophomore Riley Lawson out on the wing.

Senior Gino Gallitto is “long and can shoot the ball from the corner and get to the rim as well,” Quinn said. “Riley Lawson is a sophomore. Going into the season I don’t think he was thinking he’d be in the starting role that he is. He’s done a nice job though.”

The man in the middle for the Rams is first-year player Tucker Gometz. Gometz has some good size at the five and has been learning the center position on the job.

“At center we have senior Tucker Gometz. This is his first year coming out. We’ve had to work the kinks out, but everyday he’s improving,” Quinn said. “He can go out and get any rebound. He’s a big strong kid. We’re working on his offensive and defensive footwork.”

Making his way to the basketball court from the soccer field this year is Shon Ryan.

“This is Shon’s first year. He waited until his senior year to come out like his brother Paddy,” Quinn said. “He’s working himself into the mix. He can play the one or the two.”

Tobey Marineau has provided some size on the inside for the Rams, but he’s also able to shoot with a bit of range as well.

“We have Tobey Marineau. He provided some strength inside the paint and he can step out and shoot,” Quinn said. “Tobey’s good at getting the ball inside and then dishing it out if he can’t get to the rim.”

As of now, the Rams are dependent on their potent back court, but Coach Quinn believes that if they are to hit their stride, all facets of the team have to be working in the future.

“Our bigs are getting better by the day. Between Ben Yost, Tobey, and Tucker, those are our three bigs,” Quinn said. “Our guards right now are running the show, but the bigs are starting to catch up. Once their there with the guards, we should have some more success.”