BY JON HANLEY
Closing on a 71-62 loss to CHCA in the first round of the playoffs, the 2014-2015 season didn’t pan out as the Mariemont boys basketball team hoped. In 22 regular season games the Tribe finished 2-12 versus league opponents and 5-17 overall.
However, the Warriors played better than their record seems to show. 5 of their 12 league losses were within 5 points, including 47-46 and 61-59 losses to Reading (7-7) and Finneytown (9-5), as well as a 52-49 overtime loss to the 2nd place Madeira Mustangs (12-2).
The Warriors didn’t receive much luck this season, but they lacked in another crucial component to winning as well: experience.
“We’re a pretty young team,” said Junior Brennan Crowley. “We’ve really been forced to grow on the run.”
Last year Mariemont graduated five seniors (four starters), leaving the team in the hands of only three players with considerable varsity playing time. On top of that, the team’s only current senior, Kane Coates, missed almost half of the season due to injuries and illness. Last year, Coates led the team with a 38.5% 3-point shooting percentage and posted 7.6 points per game.
Despite this inexperience, the Warrior squad holds a lot of talent. Juniors Brennan Crowley and Joey Kromer, the only current juniors who saw significant varsity playing time last year, are in the running for All-CHL honors.
Kromer finished the regular season leading the squad with 16.1 points per game, ranking him 4th in the league. He also shot team highs of 40.5% from behind the 3-point line and 75% on foul shots, finishing at 5th in the CHL in both categories.
Crowley finished 2nd in the CHL in rebounds, bringing down an average of 8.0 per contest, while also shooting a team high of 49.8% from the field, which was good for 5th in the CHL. His 14.8 points per game wasn’t shabby either, putting him two spots below Kromer on the league leaders board (6th).
The two juniors combined for almost 53% of the team’s points, while still ranking 7th and 12th in assists per game in the league. Kromer finished with 2.3 per game and Crowley 2.1 per game.
Despite virtually no former varsity experience, sophomores Jacob Trester and Connor Dougherty split time at center. The duo combined for an average of 12.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. They each claimed 1.2 blocks a piece, tying for 3rd in the CHL. Trester also ranks 4th with 6.8 rebounds per contest, while Doughtery’s average of 5.6 puts him at 8th.
Doughtery also finished with a 49.0% field goal percentage, which was good for 2nd on the team and 8th in the league. However, he only took 100 shots compared to Crowley’s 205.
Other key contributors included junior forwards Brooks Adams and Colin Theye, as well as junior guards Will Ciolino and Mathew Teeters. Freshmen Charlie Tripp and Brad Westmeyer, as well as sophomores Wilson Bucher and Sam Rubin, showed promise when given playing time during blow outs. Bucher started 7 games in the latter part of the season.
Athletic director Tom Nerl says that despite setback, they’ve been a fun team to watch due to their athleticism.
“They’re faster than most of the teams they play, but they’re also undersized,” said Nerl. He continued, “They can’t afford to get in a shoving match or go toe-to-toe against most opponents.”
Senior guard Kane Coates has hope for his teammates after he graduates.
“They’re a good group of players, they just need to keep improving.” Coates continued, “I think Kromer and Crowley will both have a shot at the CHL Player of the Year award, and if the team keeps improving on defense, the squad will make a good run for the CHL title.”
