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04/04/2023 11:17 AMGood teams acknowledge the inevitable adversity in sports, yet great teams recognize it, overcome it, and win despite it. For the Hand boys’ basketball team, it was evident after the 2022-2023 campaign that it was in the latter category.
The Tigers entered the campaign as the defending Division III State Champions. Hand amassed a regular season record of 12-8, earning a share of the SCC Oronoque Division crown with Cross in the process, which then earned it the ninth and 19th seeds for the SCC and Division II State Tournaments, respectively.
First in the conference bracket, Hand scored an exciting first-round road win at rival and No. 8-ranked Guilford by a 70-58 final on Feb. 23. The Tigers then lost 74-64 in the quarterfinals two days later to top-seeded and eventual champion Notre Dame-West Haven.
For the states draw, the Tigers followed a similar script with another away victory for the opening round, this time by a 53-37 decision over No. 14 Newtown on March 7, before bowing out to third-seeded Fairfield Warde, 62-57 in the second round on March 9 to finish 14-10 overall for the season.
Head Coach Jim Economopoulos noted that while the Tigers’ team certainly had a different look from the last one that hoisted the state title plaque at Mohegan Sun Arena last March, Hand still had the tenacity to trek over any hurdles.
“We knew that coming into this season, we had a young team,” said Economopoulos, whose team finished with a divisional mark of 7-1. “So we also knew it would be a learning process this season and we would have to come together as a group. We did not know what to expect, and we had some ups and downs, but overall, I was very happy with how the team came together. We had a huge double-overtime win over Cross on the road, which I think was a turning point for our season. We had a tough loss to Warde and gave ND-WH our best shot. Even through the losses, the guys just wanted to show up the next day and keep moving forward. I am proud of how they stayed together and consistently bounced back from adversity.”
Through the youth and growing pains, the cohesion and camaraderie was capped at the top by Hand’s five-man senior class in captain David Howe, plus Jacob Rachler, Nick Paolella, Andrew Onubogu, and Jacques Violette.
“I was very happy with how this group stuck together,” Economopoulos said. “It is a testament to our senior group; they did a really good job of being inclusive with the team, and the team fed off of their energy. The seniors were a key part of developing the culture here. When I got here, there was not much expectation for Hand basketball, but with this senior group and their efforts and the success we had, it speaks volumes to their character and the impact they will leave on the program.”
The SCC Tournament proved to be the Tigers’ finest hour and was a microcosm that captured the essence of the squad in coming back after defeats to prevail–eliminating Guilford following the Grizzlies going 2-0 against Hand during the regular season–prior to giving the Green Knights all they could handle the following round.
“I think the biggest win this year was at Guilford in SCCs,” Economopoulos said. “They beat us twice in close games during the regular season. Guilford is a well-coached group, so to go on the road in a great playoff environment and win was great. It was a great win and gave us the chance to get another shot at Notre Dame in a game where we actually had a three-point lead to start the fourth quarter.”
Sophomore Chase Geremia made First Team All-SCC for his efforts this winter, plus freshman Elijah Avery-Turner and junior Kyle Hoffman were selected to the Second Team. Geremia also notched a selection on the All-State Team.
While the senior quintet will depart from Madison, the Tigers can easily counteract that with a solid underclass that saw plenty of varsity, big -game minutes this winter alongside a freshman club that garnered great success.
“We will definitely lose key pieces with the seniors, but we have a good group coming back,” said Economopoulos. “They are definitely ready to take the next steps. We also have a strong freshman team that went 15-3 this year. We also have six freshmen that played either JV or varsity this season. There is a bright future for us.”
Economopoulos, who has been at Hand’s helm since the 2016-2017 campaign, was assisted by JV coach Joseph Lasko, freshman coach Chris Bernucca, and a volunteer assistant in Mike Sweeney.
For the regular season, Hand’s dozen wins came against the likes of Fairfield Prep (53-49), Morgan (74-38), Shelton (75-62 and 86-60), St. Joseph (87-62), North Haven (57-51 and 47-35), East Haven (68-52 and 76-55), Branford (60-44 and 75-49), and Cross (94-92). The Tigers took losses versus St. Bernard (63-38), Wilton (58-45), Notre Dame-West Haven (73-43 and 56-44), Cross (63-61), Guilford (46-40 and 45-42), and Fairfield Prep (64-55).
The Tigers’ roster included seniors Rachler, Paolella, Howe, Onubogu, Violette; juniors of Tyler Maynard, Aidan Doyle, Taijiro Nuzzi, Hoffman, Chase Docker; sophomores Geremia, Orion Brueckner, Samuel Markovitz; and freshmen Avery-Turner and Thomas McCullough.