After last winter’s second-place finish in the ISL, the Belmont Hill basketball team now faces head-on the challenge of matching the success of last year’s season. With many integral starters graduating last spring, the coaching staff was right away tested as they searched for a group of talented student-athletes who could fill the team’s new openings. Returning senior Austin Masel (captain) and sophomores David Mitchell (captain) and Jovan Jones lead the new starting squad. Joining them are the young but talented sophomores Jake Bobo and Jake Haase. Other returning athletes include Tejas Agnihotri, Patrick Shea, and John Sommers. First-time varsity players include seniors Johnny Hincks, Robert Celado, AJ DiFillipo, Quentin Harris, Kevin O’Boy, Justin O’Neil-Riley, and Spencer Smith. The team faced a tough Loomis Chaffee team on Saturday, December 5th. The challenge in and of itself was not a surprise as the game was ultimately a contest between the very young BH team with 4 sophomore starters and an ancient Loomis Chaffee squad of post-graduate 19 year-olds. However despite the unideal start to the season, Coaches Murphy and Martellini and Captains Masel and Mitchell are confident it will be a winter packed with basketball success. Before the new year, the team will have many opportunities to redeem itself as it faces off against a number of league rivals including the likes of Rivers (away, December 9th), Nobles (home, December 12th), Exeter (tournament-away, December 18th), and Roxbury Latin (tournament-away, December 30th). Upon being asked about the prospects of the team, first-time varsity small forward Johnny Hincks said “We’ve got a great set of guys, we’re very athletic, as the season we should really hit our stride. I don’t see any reason why we should settle for striving for anything less than ISL Champs.”
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