The Aegis 2023 high school boys basketball preview: C. Milton Wright is 'team to beat'
Nov. 30—Mario Scott set lofty expectations for his first season coaching at C. Milton Wright. An 18-win season seemed daunting while laying the groundwork of a new culture. Until it wasn't, and three months later the Mustangs cleared that bar finishing 18-5, before being halted at the regional semifinal.
C. Milton Wright now figures to have a target on its back among Harford County foes with Scott returning his entire starting five — including three double-digit scorers — while adding incoming transfer Cayne Woodland from Parkville's state championship team.
One other area coach called the Mustangs, "the team to beat," noting the "high-powered" transfer.
Patterson Mill will be the other upper-echelon team to monitor. The reigning regional champs are led by senior guard Drew Pape, who many consider one of the area's top backcourt threats.
Here's a look around the area (Editor's note: not all teams responded to requests for information):
Aberdeen
Coach: Bill Jones, fourth season
Last year: 22-5 (13-1), 3A semifinalist
Top returners: Seniors Darion Parris (G), Jomar Comacho (G) and Justin Franklin (G); junior Austin Carter (G).
Newcomers to watch: Seniors Tariq Moore (F) and Gabe Gainey (G); junior McKinley Turner (F); freshman Dale Harris (G).
Coach's outlook: "The roster turns over every year but the expectation of winning the conference and state championships is always the goal with Aberdeen basketball. We will do our best to continue to represent the school and community in a positive way while always giving solid effort on the court and in the classroom."
Bel Air
Coach: Alex Darko, 10th season
Last year: 10-10
Top returners: Seniors Jared Bickler (G), Josiah Jagdman (G/F), Charles Hammond (F), Ben Choe (G) and Rowan Edwards (F); junior Cam Devine (F).
Newcomers to watch: Senior Ben Bowen (G); juniors Logan Green (F), Connor McPherson (G), Cooper Rey (G), Gage Shaw (G), Jayden Dimuel (G), Matt Taylor (F) and Ricardo Hubbard (F).
Coach's outlook: "We have six returners from last year, six players from last year's JV and a couple of new players this year. The team has been practicing diligently. We look to improve with every practice and game."
C. Milton Wright
Coach: Mario Scott, second season
Last year: 18-5, regional semifinalist
Top returners: Senior Larry Thompson (G); juniors Dylan Sander (F), Jordan Ross (G), Kyle Ashman (F) and Noah Clarke (G).
Newcomers to watch: Senior Cayne Woodland (G); sophomores Jaylen Madden (G), Brody Hichkad (F) and Mike Holcomb (F); freshman Shawn Lauderdale (G).
Coach's outlook: "I am very excited about our team this season. Last year was my first year as the head coach at CMW and it was a year in which we laid the foundation of our culture which is 'Connect, communicate, compete, consistency.' While we bring back the entire starting five from last year's 18-5 team, we also have a number of new members joining our Mustang family that have a ton of potential. While experienced, we will still be a really young team with only two seniors."
Edgewood
Coach: Terry Maczko, third season
Last year: 12-12, regional finalist
Top returners: Seniors Jahmir Torres (G) and Anthony Ward (G); junior Jaydon White (F).
Newcomers to watch: Juniors Justice Ewing (G), Daniel Zippler (G) and Zeke Koranteng (F); sophomore Sean Kellum (G).
Coach's outlook: "Now in my third season, this team understands my expectations and their responsibilities. They enjoy playing defense. They are dependable and reliable on the court and in the classroom. Their attitude is excellent. Not necessarily the most talented as individuals but they listen and work extremely hard."
Fallston
Coach: Brian Hulka, ninth season
Last year: 11-12, regional finalist
Top returners: Seniors Max Rueckert (G), Paul Kvech (F), Nate Decker (G), Brody Fitzkee (G) and Drew Rommel (F); sophomore Oliver Rueckert (F).
Newcomers to watch: Juniors Dominic Witherspoon (F), Logan Sweitzer (G) and Gordon Lefkowitz (F); sophomore Oliver Schamburg (G)
Coach's outlook: "We return eight players from last year's team and have a couple kids coming up from JV that may contribute. A few of these players played significant minutes last year. Depth is a strength — probably first time in my career at FHS I can honestly say this. Have a nice mix of players and senior leadership. If we can commit to playing the kind of defense we typically play at Fallston, I think we can compete with anyone. Very tough schedule to begin the season; we'll find out right away what we're made of."
Harford Tech
Coach: Trent Thames, second season
Last year: 8-14
Top returners: Senior Eric Macharia (G) and junior Karon Evans (PG).
Newcomers to watch: Juniors Nolan Reachard (G) and Elijah Blue (G); freshman Mateo Hiett (G/F).
Coach's outlook: "We will be a very young basketball program with two freshmen with high-level AAU experience ready to play at the high school level. Our team's outlook will be predicated on whether we defend at a high level and whether our young guys buy into the process of getting better throughout the year leading into playoffs."
Havre de Grace
Coach: Brian Eberhardt, 12th season
Last year: 11-10
Top returners: Senior Cameron Ball (G) and Jayson Hayes (G).
Newcomers to watch: Junior Brandell Stokes (G) and Jaylin Solomon (G); freshman Zion Blake (G).
Coach's outlook: N/A
John Carroll
Coach: Seth Goldberg, sixth season
Last year: 14-18, BCL quarterfinalist
Top returners: Juniors Caden Chinnia-Falline (PG) and Theartis Battle (SG); sophomore Aidan Able (SG).
Newcomers to watch: Sophomore Parris Lee (G); freshmen James Westervelt (G) and Nick Smith (G).
Coach's outlook: "We have a young team with as many freshmen on the roster as seniors. But this group does have a good amount of experience playing together and the chemistry, our outside shooting, and the pace that we play with should help us find success."
Joppatowne
Coach: Jon Stefanides, second season
Last year: 5-17
Top returners: Seniors Kendall Pollock (G) and Damien Brooks (G); sophomore Kishann Smith (G).
Newcomer to watch: Senior Kendrick Williams (G)
Coach's outlook: "With nine underclassmen, how quickly we develop as a team will determine our success on the court this season."
North Harford
Coach: Nick Panos, third season
Last year: 4-17
Top returners: Seniors Ian Fox (G/F), Ethan Hartlaub (F), Aiden Jablon (G) and Evan Lechner (G); junior Demetrious Densmore (G/F); sophomore Jason Brady (G/F).
Newcomers to watch: Seniors Jeremiah Atkinson (G) and Donavan Gannon (F); juniors Zach Alexander (G), Nick Chaney (G/F), Frank DeLucia (F), Jamail Holmes (G) and Zach Mullins (F).
Coach's outlook: "I am very excited with the addition of a number of skilled players from the junior varsity team and a transfer from Perryville (Atkinson). Our goals this season are to play one solid possession at a time and play hard-nosed defense every second of every game. Also, our team chemistry is fantastic and I expect to have balanced scoring this season. With a team approach we hope to be competitive in every game we play."
Patterson Mill
Coach: Jeroud Clark, 17th season
Last year: 14-6, state quarterfinalist
Top returners: Seniors Drew Pape (G), Colin Reynolds (F), Matthew Bechtel (F) and Adam Shefcheck (F); sophomores Colin Luddy (G), Kai Gibson (G) and James Hammond (F).
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Newcomers to watch: Juniors Noah Thomas (G), James Kropp (G) and Dominick Stephens (G).
Coach's outlook: "We won the regional championship in 21-22 and were in a one-possession game with 18 seconds remaining for a chance at a state title. We lost a number of seniors from that team but came back last year when no one expected it and won another regional championship, losing in the final eight to the eventual state champions, Edmondson. This year we look forward to being competitive again in our conference and in the playoffs."
Perryville
Coach: Ron Kidd, fifth season
Last year: 13-8, regional finalist
Top returners: Seniors Sean Beard (G) and Kyle Richards (F); junior Davonte Clore (G).
Newcomers to watch: Sophomore Andrew Clark (F).
Coach's outlook: "This team is very deep with starting caliber players coming off the bench at every position. Sharp shooting senior Ty Patchell will be back and looking to add fire power and high level basketball IQ to the mix. High flying senior Blake Stevens brings a strong array of offensive skills to go along with his explosive athleticism. Lead guard Devon Clore looks to make a huge impact at the Varsity level with his tenacity on both ends of the floor. Seniors Ben Clark and Cy McCall are back to bring size and strength down low. This year's version of Perryville basketball has all the pieces and I am excited to see what this group is capable of accomplishing."
