Kirtland opens the season on Wednesday with four returning starters and another player with several starts to his credit.
The Hornets, who finished 13-11 overall and 8-2 in winning the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title, have a combination of talent and experience, and sixth-year head coach Shawn McGregor is optimistic his squad will once again compete for a conference title.
“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back that saw a lot of minutes last year,” McGregor said. “We have four starters back and Will Sayle is a pseudo-starter. He started four or five games for us last year. It’s nice when you kind of have your systems in place, so it’s just reviewing and getting the guys into game shape, as opposed to having a bunch of new guys and stuff for them to learn. Experience matters quite a bit.”
Kirtland’s projected starting lineup includes Sayle, a 5-foot-11 senior shooting guard, and returning starters Vince Carriero, Nick Barisic, Gino Blasini, and Jack Green.
Carriero, a 5-foot-8 junior point guard, earned first-team All-CVC honors last winter. Blasini, a 6-foot-2 senior power forward, was a second-team selection, and Barisic, a 6-foot senior small forward, earned honorable mention honors. Green is a 6-foot-5 senior center.
Blasini, Barisic, and Sayle missed most of the preseason as they were part of the Kirtland football team that won its seventh state title earlier this month.
Carriero and Green only missed a handful of preseason days as they were part of the Kirtland boys’ soccer team that won a district championship.
“Between Vince and Jack, it was nice to have them (in practice),” McGregor said. “We had like a one-two punch. Vince played as a freshman and I think he’s taking the next step this year as a leader and as a player in general. His shot selection is better and the speed of the game is slowing down for him. The game was so fast for him as a freshman, so it took a minute for him to adjust, and as a sophomore, it was a little bit slower. It’s going to make a big difference having him there and to help our younger guards—Aiden Hurt and Will Burt, and having Jack out there is going to make a big difference for us.”
Kirtland’s depth will come from senior Aaron Fortuna (5-foot-9, point guard), juniors Dan Alfieri (5-10, shooting guard), Hurd (6-0, shooting guard), Burt (6-0, small forward), Max Paul (5-9, shooting guard), John Rascan (6-2, power forward), and Noah Runyan (6-1, power forward), and sophomore Jake LaVerde (6-2, small forward).
“It’s a good group of guys,” McGregor said. “Danny Alfieri played a lot for us last year, and our top six guys have varsity experience and Aiden Hurd, Jake LaVerde, and Will Burt played a lot of JV minutes last year and will be helping us out.”
Kirtland’s keys to success are the same as always.
The Hornets have to play as a team and utilize their overall team athleticism to their advantage.
“It comes down to chemistry,” McGregor said. “We have a lot of guys with a lot of talent but they have to believe in what we’re trying to get accomplished. On the defensive end, we have to be a phenomenal defensive team and a team that’s going to rebound the basketball and limit the guys on the other team to just one shot. We also have to use our length. We are long and have a bunch of guys that grew a little bit this year.”
The Hornets kick off the season on Wednesday with a home game against Cardinal (0-3).
