Old Saybrook Boys’ Basketball Ready to Make Noise in 2019
With a talented roster that features a strong senior class, the Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team is setting its sights on having another successful year this winter. Last season, the Rams finished with a record of 16-8 after reaching the semifinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the quarterfinals in the Division V State Tournament. This year, Head Coach Patrick Quinn’s club is looking to use what it learned from those postseason experiences to go on an even deeper run. Facing a challenging schedule, the Rams are out to a 1-3 start to the season, having defeated East Hampton by a 45-43 score for their victory on Dec. 17.
Old Saybrook’s biggest factor any given night is senior captain Shane Henderson. Henderson was an All-Shoreline Conference First Team guard for the Rams and also scored his 1,000th career point last year. This season, he put up a 33-point performance during Old Saybrook’s come-from-behind victory over East Hampton. Coach Quinn feels fortunate that he gets to pencil Henderson’s name into his starting lineup each game.
“I believe that Shane’s the best player in the Shoreline, and he’s probably a top-25 player in the state. He’s one of the best kids that I’ve ever coached in terms of his attitude,” Quinn said. “I couldn’t ask for a better kid as a captain. He can shoot obviously, and his speed is great. I don’t think there is a kid in the Shoreline that can guard him. He just blows by everybody.”
Senior Dan Cote is leading Old Saybrook alongside Henderson this year. Cote give the Rams a strong defensive presence in the paint, but he can also provide some offense. Coach Quinn said that his two captains are perfectly suited for their responsibilities.
“Danny can be both a scorer and a great defensive player any single night. He’s not a true scorer, but he can have a night where he’s lights out, like when we beat North Branford in the Shoreline tourney last year,” said Quinn, who’s in his third season as Old Saybrook’s head coach. “When the team voted for captains, it was pretty much unanimous that it would be Shane and Danny...They are the ones who pull the kids up.”
Rounding out the Rams’ starting five are senior forward Kam Baker, along with juniors Michael Almada and David Brown. Baker is a big man on the floor who can “score and make like tough on those bigger guys,” according to Coach Quinn. Alamada, Brown, and Henderson form a three-guard trio for Old Saybrook. Quinn feels confident that all three of those athletes can handle the point guard duties if necessary.
“Mike plays the three position, and his confidence level just shot through the roof this year. He’s a quiet athletic player who can score. Davis Brown is our point guard and one of our best defenders,” Quinn said. “Between Shane, Michael, and Davis, I pretty much have three point guards, which isn’t a bad thing.”
Senior guard Mason Wilcox and junior Gino Gallitto are providing a spark off the bench for Old Saybrook. Wilcox brings relentless effort to the Rams, while Gallitto uses his length and shooting skills to his advantage.
“I can’t say enough about Gino. He’s a long shooter, and he’ll be in the headlines a lot next year for sure,” said Quinn. “Mason is a real coach’s player, a real worker. He won’t score a ton of points, but he gives outstanding effort.”
Senior guard Enes Cecunjanin, senior forward Jack Molesky, and first-year senior Paddy Ryan round out the rotation for Old Saybrook this season.
Despite the 1-3 start, Coach Quinn knows that Old Saybrook’s early schedule was probably its most difficult stretch of the campaign. In addition to defeating East Hampton, Old Saybrook has taken defeats against Old Lyme (69-67), Valley Regional (54-41), and Cromwell (61-42) thus far this season. Quinn believes that if the Rams start playing to their strengths from this point on, they will pose problems for their opponents.
“The first four games were really tough opponents. I was hoping for 2-2, but they played us tough. I tell my kids that we need to work it on transition. We need to try to get right to the rim. We can run and pass the ball and, with some patience, we can knock down threes and be a really tough. For me, it’s about transition. We need to get up and run the floor. We have a lot of fast kids,” Coach Quinn said. “We’re all on the same page. We come to work every day ready to go hard. I’m grateful to have really great leaders on this team, whether they be captains or not.”
Old Saybrook is welcoming new JV Head Coach Christopher Perras to the fold this year Carissa Schilke is also an assistant coach for the Rams.