Bradford Owls
Head coach: Chuck Bell (First season – Brother Steve is in his first season as the head coach at Otto-Eldred)
2019-20 Record: 12-11
Playoffs: Lost to Clearfield, 51-40, in District 9 Class 4A title game
Top returning players: Cam Austin (Jr., G/F, 8.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 spg, 1 apg before his season was cut short after 16 games because of an injury), Gavin Piscitelli (Sr, G/F, 2.5 ppg)
Top players lost: Tyler Gigliotti (20.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 spg, Shot 46 percent from the field; Finished his career with what is believed to be a school-record 1,448 career points, Second-team All-District 9 as a senior), Caleb Nuzzo (4.0 ppg, 3 apg, 2.5 rpg), Steven Knowlton (8.0 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg), Peyton Manion (4.0 ppg, 6 rpg), Evan Schmidt (7.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, Was team’s leading rebounder), Owen Kane (1. ppg)
Key newcomers: Dalton Dixon (Jr. G, 17 points), Jerid Wilmoth (Jr., G, 39 points). Both Dixon and Wilmoth saw a few minutes at the varsity level last season and will be handed the responsibility of handling the ball this season. Nolan Roulo (Jr., G/F, 8 points), Alex Liners (Sr., F, 3 games, 0 points). Nolan and Alex will provide the muscle inside. We need them to control the boards to have success. Nate Gleason (Jr., G), Ryan Ward (Jr., G). Nate and Ryan have continued to develop, and we look for them to make contributions on both ends of the floor. Other additions include Kaulier Fuller, Shaun Pitts, Jacob Sarnoski, and Jake Franz (Will be asked to move up and share some of the ball-handling responsibilities).
Keys to the season: Right now, our goal is to get to the first game. We now value, more than ever, every minute we get to be in the gym. As a young team, after graduating sox seniors last year, including the Bradford Boys Basketball all-time leading scorer, Tyler Gigliotti. Our success depends on the younger guys blending on the court without the benefit of a summer together or much practice time because of COVID-19. We’ll look to Gavin Piscitelli, as our lone senior with varsity-level experience. Gavin is like having a coach on the floor. He has a high basketball IQ and communicates very effectively with teammates. We’ll look to Cam Austin to continue his success from last year. He puts a lot of time in developing his game. When we return, we’ll play hard for each other and grow every day, all while maintaining the safety protocols to not jeopardize themselves, their teammates, or their season.
Things your team was doing during the COVID-19 pause of winter sports: We have had very limited time together in the gym. We did not get our normal summer and fall conditioning/workouts, due to the extra precautions taken for COVID. We participated in three practices before Thanksgiving and we have been out of the gym since Nov. 24. Right now, student-athletes are working out individually to prepare for the season. We will focus on conditioning and fundamentals when we get back together.
