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05/04/2020 12:00 AMThe Old Saybrook Middle School boys’ basketball team recently raised a new banner in the gym after a historic 2019-’20 season. The Rams posted an undefeated, 16-0 record for the first time in school history. Head Coach Mark Carroll’s squad was filled to the brim with determined student-athletes that practiced as hard as they played, and that effort yielded the greatest single season in school history.
Coach Carroll knew pretty early on in the year that he had a special group at his disposal. The Rams ust loved to play the game, and they just as focused on improving their skills at practice.
“On the second day of practice, I knew we had quite a team. On the first day, everyone shows up with excitement and there’s electricity in the gym every year. The second day of working everyone very hard, practice tends to be more mellow,” said Carroll. “These guys showed up with passion, enthusiasm, and intensity, and that was our motto the whole year. They showed up with that on day one, and on the very last day of practice, they were the same kids playing with a fire that I don’t think I’ve ever seen from a group that I’ve coached.” One of the biggest reasons that Old Saybrook did so well this season was the leadership exhibited by the players, especially the 8th-grade class.
“I’m was big on just game captains just because we truly had a team of leaders. I don’t know if I’ve seen that before. All of our 8th-graders were leaders in every way and not just on the court. We’re always preaching to the kids what it mean to be a leader, on the court, in the classroom, and in life. We had a lot of the boys rise to that challenge. I felt like naming just one or two captains would do them a disservice.”
The Rams’ opponents on the year consisted of Eliot Middle School, Westbrook Middle School, Old Lyme Middle School, John Winthrop Middle School, North Branford Middle School, Haddam-Killingworth, Hale-Ray Middle School, and Portland Middle School. Colloquially, that collection of schools is known as the Shoreline Conference.
Old Saybrook had a number of memorable contests this year, but there were a couple of games that really stuck out to Coach Carroll.
“We had three really good games this year, two of them were against Eliot. They are always a good, well-coached team,” Carroll said. “Both games with them we ended up winning by about 12 points, but they both came down to the last three to four minutes. They were back and forth. They are going to be a tough group in high school, too.”
By the time the end of the season came around, the Rams were completely geared up for the last game against Westbrook. When the final whistle blew, Old Saybrook had secured a decisive victory to complete the perfect season.
“Heading into that last week, we had H-K and Clinton. Our last game was against Westbrook. Their coaches are fantastic and they are always well prepared. We always have close games with them, but the last one we played really well, and our kids were ecstatic,” said Carroll. “The kids knew what was on the line, and that last game, they came in just locked in. They were like caged animals coming onto the court. There was no way that they would let that final game slip past them.”
One of the biggest contributors for the Rams this year was 8th-grade guard Connor Lane. He led the team in scoring with 17 points per game.
“Connor was our leading scorer this year. He’s combo guard that can do a little bit of everything,” said Carroll. “He’s going to be a talented kid at the high school level, no doubt. Most of what we ran, the ball would go through his hands at some point.”
The Rams also had significant size playing in the paint with the pair of 8th-grade big men Auggie Albert and London Sweeney.
“They were both about 6-foot-2 with unbelievable athleticism,” said Carroll. “They would run the court well and played center and power forward. They passed the ball well, too”
With solid defenders on the inside, Coach Carroll was offered the luxury of being able to run smaller perimeter players in three-guard line-ups. That would lead to guards like 8th-graders Drew Kulmann, Brayden Cody, and Wes Nobile getting the bulk of the time on the wing.
“Brayden and Drew were like pesky gnats. They played defense with so much tenacity. They ended up mostly starting other than a few games. We had size we had in the front court so you could go small in the back,” said Carroll. “Wes is about 6-feet tall, a good shooter, and a good passer. He has a really good understanding of the game. If anyone was our small forward it was Wes. He could handle the ball, and he was big enough to go in and rebound. He could shoot the 3, as well. He was a good contributor.”
Old Saybrook also had a deep bench that featured players like 8th-graders Luke Webb, Jacob Speed, Connor Cassella, and Aidan D’Anna. Also among that group was a surprise contributor in 8th-grader Adrian Garcia, who had served as team manager during the 7th grade.
“They were smart kids who knew what they were doing. They all had a good understanding of the game. They could score and play good defense for us. They came in and gave us whatever we needed at the time,” said Carroll. “Adrian was our team manager last year, and he came out for the team again this year. He got in some of the games and knocked down a few 3-pointers. He was a good spark for the team off the bench.”
Next year, the bulk of this historic team will be moving onto Old Saybrook High School where Coach Carroll anticipates great things for the Rams. Carroll believes that this season’s success was started by the current freshman at the high-school level, and he hopes that trend continues with this year’s 7th-graders, next campaign.
“The 8th graders from last year really set the tone for these kids. They went 12-3. These two teams back to back should really help the high school. They are going to have all the pieces to make a run. The next two to four years, I think they could hang a banner or two,” Carroll said. “Playing against this group of eighth graders who were eally good big and quick made the seventh graders so much better throughout the year. They improved dramatically during the year. I’m sure they’ll be working in the off season. Being around guys who are winners, that will certainly rub off on them and they can continue winning next year.”
From the SidelinesThe Old Saybrook Middle School boys’ basketball roster included 8th-graders Auggie Albert, Connor Cassella, Brayden Cody, Aidan D’Anna, Adrian Garcia, Drew Kulmann, Connor Lane, Wes Nobile, Jacob Speed, London Sweeney, and Luke Webb, as well as, 7th-graders Brendan Cassella, Brandon Hester, Ethan Lane, Cole Lawson, and Wes Percival.Head Coach Mark Carroll marked his seventh season coaching for the Rams, and he was supported by Assistant Coach Nick Yacovou.Coach Carroll has taught at Old Saybrook Middle School for 27 years. He began his coaching tenure during his first three years at the school, stopped coaching to help raise his family, and resumed coaching the Rams in the 2016-’17 season.