What a difference a year makes.
One year ago, Team 518's summer squad was in a state of limbo after opening week of the King of Kings College Prospect League. They had just been throttled by 30 at the hands of an Albany-based team full of scholarship-level prospects, and two of their stronger players quit and never returned.
Today, Dave Mattice's team is sitting at 2-0 in the inaugural Empire State Takeover league, with their first win being over another team spotted with Albany area scholarship-level prospects. They were in control throughout, keeping the talented Marcella Appliances team at arm's length en route to a 68-56 win.
An almost entirely brand new group has made a difference. They are bigger, faster, stronger, and better this year at every position. 518 has brought a solid group without any real glaring weaknesses, but they certainly have one glowing strength - size. The most dominating performance of opening night was undisputed. Andrew Sischo, a 6'8" rising senior at Guilderland whose worth was cemented in a very strong sectional run, dominated the blocks & boards to the tune of 28 points. He's a true post player, strong and wide-framed, but he's also nimble for his size. A few of his buckets came from trailing on the fast break, either finishing off the pass or on an offensive rebound. He also has shown an ability to knock down the face-up jumper. Add strong 6'5" power forward Zac O'Dell, hailing from nearby Schalmont, and you have the most formidable 1-2 punch in the blocks that the league has to offer. O'Dell, a 4th team all-state selection in Class B and MVP in Schalmont's Colonial Council, added 14 in that particular game, meaning 42 of their 68 came from the starting bigs. He also showed some range, knocking down a three in the game. O'Dell has many Division III schools hot on his trail - same with Sischo, but he's also attracted scholarship-level interest.
Of course, a team needs more than bigs to be successful, especially in a guard-dominated league. 518's key in the backcourt is a familiar face; their only returning player from last summer. Kaden Baugh came on very strong at the end of last summer, as a rising senior at Seton Catholic in Plattsburgh. The 6'2" point guard was well-hidden in an area not exactly known for its basketball, but he quickly jumped on the scene. He found himself on the Class C all-state list this year and was arguably the best player in Section 7. After making a late decision to attend Vermont Academy for a postgrad year in the fall, he's back out here for another summer. A year older with 15 pounds more muscle and an improved all-around game, he is legitimately one of the top guards in the league. Perhaps most importantly to this team's success, he is a quiet, yet demonstrative leader. In a league where the majority of players are doing their own thing, Team 518 looks to Baugh to be a leader on the court, which he delivers.
The supporting cast proved to be a factor opening night as well, and continued contributions from people like Saratoga Springs teammates Alex Skaine/Adam Anderson and South Kortright's Tyler Lamport will only help their cause. Skaine is a 6'4" rising senior who is used to playing down low, but is stepping out as a wing with this group. Anderson is a quick combo guard who can provide a scoring punch against anyone. Lamport is one of the team's most solid all-around players - a 6'3" rising junior that also earned all-state honors this year, he contributed games of 9 and 12 points to their cause on Wednesday.
The desire of the players to be successful this summer, along with head coach Dave Mattice, is unquestioned. On the Sunday leading up to opening night, which happened to be Father's Day, they got together for a 9:00 AM practice over 2 hours in length. They may not have the names associated with as much upstate NY hoops hype, but with continued strong performances over the next month, that won't be the case much longer.
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