Pats hoping to take the next step

Kevin Pomeroy, Sports Editor
Posted 12/16/14

Last year seemed like a culmination for the Pilgrim boys’ basketball team, as the pieces aligned in such a way that the Pats were able to put together their best season in a decade, going 11-7 and …

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Pats hoping to take the next step

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Last year seemed like a culmination for the Pilgrim boys’ basketball team, as the pieces aligned in such a way that the Pats were able to put together their best season in a decade, going 11-7 and reaching the playoffs.

Yet, head coach Mike Batalon didn’t see it the same way. Rather than the final payoff for something the program was building towards, he saw it simply as a step in the right direction. Pilgrim improved last year.

This year, they want to improve some more. They want to take another step.

“Last year we made the playoffs,” Batalon said. “This year I’d like to do more than make the playoffs.”

Continuing an upward progression will be a tall task for the Pats, who lost 1,000-point scorer Ryan Morris to graduation, as well as starters Letrelle Johnson and Brendan Rix. Blake Doelling is also not back.

That leaves Pilgrim with a relatively different-looking group, and without an obvious primary scorer.

But it doesn’t leave them empty-handed.

“We’re not returning any superstars, but we do have about seven guys with some experience,” Batalon said. “Everybody has been working hard.”

The early season returns have been positive for the Pats, as they defeated Davies 57-30 in their Injury Fund game on Friday while getting 11 players into the game.

The team’s top returner is senior Chris Duchesneau, who started as a junior and will man one of the guard positions once again this year.

He may be the team’s best offensive threat, although that’s not clear-cut at this point. Last year, Morris was the guy. The Pats are confident that guy will emerge again.

“In a close game, we’ll have to find out who our go-to guy is, Batalon said. “The good news is that we do have a lot of guys who can score.”

In the frontcourt, seniors Mike Broccoli and Elijah Dressel return after getting into the mix last year, while fellow returners Ethan Schneider, a junior, and Tyler Perry, also a junior, are also expected to contribute.

Schneider had 10 points in the Injury Fund game while Perry had eight.

Having those players back for another season is a big confidence boost for the Pats, as they’ve already seen what it takes to succeed and they are comfortable within Pilgrim’s system.

“We hit the ground running a little bit,” Batalon said. “Guys have a certain expectation of success. They know that they have to work hard to get here.”

At the point guard spot is junior Brandon Lawton, who was in the rotation a year ago.

Junior center Zach Drake is back as well after finding some minutes last season, while senior transfer Persio Dalumba should also make an impact.

From Florida, Dalumba is over six-feet and will play in the frontcourt.

First-year senior Roger Anyango, fresh off of a successful football season, will provide a defensive spark off the bench, while freshmen Matt Woods and Tyrone Weeks are expected to be in the rotation as well, despite their youth.

Junior Deven Lavallee, a Tolman transfer, will play in the frontcourt but is currently battling an injury.

Batalon wants his group thinking big.

“I actually told the kids, ‘You shouldn’t worry about missing your goals. Your goals should be high and if you fail it’s okay,’” he said.

The Pats are playing in a somewhat different looking Division III this year, with only 14 teams and three subdivisions as opposed to the 16 teams and four subdivisions of the past.

Pilgrim will play in D-III-South – it was in D-III-Central last year – with rivals Warwick Vets and Toll Gate, as well as D-III newcomer Chariho, which replaces Juanita Sanchez. The Cavaliers moved up to D-II.

As of now, there’s no clear-cut favorite.

Pilgrim is hoping it can thrust itself into the conversation. The Pats were scheduled to open the regular season Monday against St. Patrick, with results unavailable at press time.

“I think with realignment, Division III is wide open,” Batalon said. “I think that we can be right in the mix at the end of the season.”

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