NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck boys basketball team surprised a lot of teams by jumping out to an 8-2 start last season.
According to head coach Mike Wilson, the team may have built up a false sense of security as the Greyhounds finished the regular season 12-8 and fell in the first rounds of the Naugatuck Valley League and Division II state tournaments.
“We did get some quality wins early on over Kennedy and Wilby,” Wilson said. “But, for the most part when it came crunch time, starting the second half of the season some of our weaknesses showed up and we went into a tailspin.
“We are not going to wait around for that to happen this year. We have Sacred Heart in the second game of the year in the Doc Hurley Tournament at Trinity College, and then we play in the Christmas Tournament against East Lyme and New Britain. That will give us an indication as to where we are and where we need to go.”
Naugatuck lost some size underneath with the graduation of Latrel Deveaux and Jaden Bennett, and the development of the front court will go a long way in determining the Greyhounds’ success this year.
The Greyhounds return leading scorer senior Jean Lukau, who averaged 23 points per game last season, and a group of athletic players who can play multiple positions, including seniors Jesse Lanci, Shane Carey and Andrew Robinson, and junior Derrick Jagello.
“Jesse and Shane are great leaders for us along with Derrick,” Wilson said. “They provide a good example.”
Naugatuck’s lineup took a hit when senior Elijah Robinson was injured at the end of the football season.
“Unfortunately, we lost Elijah for the season. He was a solid player for us,” Wilson said.
Wilson will be looking to a core of solid players who can contribute in juniors Jay Mezzo and Keywan Garris, and sophomores Justin Barth, Robert Sanders and Gary Bennett.
“We don’t have a lot of size, we are small. There are a lot of opportunities for a lot of players, and Keywan has a shot of doing something,” Wilson said.
“Jay Mezzo is a natural born leader,” Wilson added. “He’s my Tyler Deitelbaum. He’s smart and can go in and do what needs to get done. He’s that kind of player.”
Wilson is also impressed with freshmen Avery Hinnant and Ese Onakpoma, and feels they should be able to contribute right away.
“Both of those freshman can do some damage,” Wilson said. “We will see. Avery is 6-4 and he is physical. We are going to put him out there and see what he can do.
“We are also looking for Barth to get a little more comfortable on the basketball court. He has skills, it’s all a matter of confidence.”
Naugy opens the season on Friday at home against Oxford before taking on Sacred Heart Saturday at Trinity College in the Doc Hurley Classic.
