By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Eastern boys basketball team graduated a bunch of seniors from last year’s pandemic shortened campaign and don’t return a large group of players with varsity experience in 2021-22.
But the team is eager to prove itself as three spots on the floor will be manned by first-year varsity players.
And while it’s out of the pan and into the fire for several athletes, that early-season experience should lead to success over the second half of the campaign.
Here’s what to expect from the boys over on King Street this year:
BRISTOL EASTERN BOYS BASKETBALL
Head Coach: Bunty Ray (sixth season)
Last Season’s Record: 3-9 overall in 2021 due to the shortened campaign due to pandemic.
Overall Record: In five seasons at Eastern, Ray is 26-66 overall.
Subtractions: Elijah Parent (guard), Trini Otero (forward), Josh Kolano (forward), Dylan Woodsome (forward), Ty Donohue (forward), Jack Stavens (forward), Trevor Nohilly (guard), Alex Fernandez guard).
Probable Starters: Nasir Walker (sr, guard), Elijah Borgelin (sr, forward), Brayden Dauphinais (so, forward), Lukas Sward (so, guard/forward), Jeremiah Tatum (sr, guard/forward).
Key Players: Nate Fries (jr, guard), Benjamin D’Amato (so, shooting guard), Preston Guarda (so, guard), Isaiah Lawrence-Bynum (so, forward), Jalen Stokes (sr, guard), Axjaivion Evans (sr, guard).
Strengths: Long range shooting from all five positions on the court
Weaknesses: Depth, varsity experience
Why Eastern will be successful: Eastern is well-coached and should be in most games it plays. It comes down on how the squad executes when the contest is on the line.
Relevant Fact: Eastern will get a rematch against South Windsor on February 15 – its first-round opponent in last season’s ‘Postseason Experience.’ The Lancers are 7-1 all-time against the Bobcats.
Irrelevant Fact: The Lancers are 43 three-pointers away from their 2,800th all-time trifecta.
Overview: Experience counts in large amounts but the Eastern program is a bit on the youthful side this year.
Eight seniors graduated from last year’s team but there will be a couple of starters back in the mix for the Lancers.
Senior Nasir-Walker Jenkins will supply desperately needed defense and will help run the show.
He averaged 3.4 points-per-game last season but added 2.4 assists and a team-leading 2.1 steals to help augment his all-around game.
He’ll be one of the people Ray will be looking to for tough play and leadership.
And senior Elijah Borgelin is back with the program after a season away from the team.
As a sophomore, Borgelin started 15 of Eastern’s 20 games and was second on the squad in steals (1.4).
Overall, he provided 6.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and three assists-per-game – playing big minutes for the Lancers as a youngster.
He can shoot three-pointers, has quick hands and this season, he’ll see minutes up-front at forward.
Those two are the returning players coming back for Eastern this year.
“It’s a very inexperienced team,” said Ray of his group. “Nasir Walker played a little more than anyone on the roster. Borgelin took a year off last year but he has some varsity experience. Everyone else is new so trying to get them used to the physically and the game speed, that’s going to be part of what we need to do to be successful.”
At around 6-foot-3, Borgelin’s the size on the squad and will play power forward and possibly center at times.
That means several youngsters, some used to playing positions in the backcourt will have to step up and compete against some pretty tall timber out there.
“We’re small,” said Ray. “[But] we’re athletic in spots. We’re young in spots.”
The advantage for Eastern will be that five position players can handle the ball, shoot from long-range and can cause match-up problems all over the hardwood for opponents.
And Eastern is going to have to live competing with all the giants of the CCC on a nightly basis without a true five (or four for that matter) in the rotation.
“I think this is the first time, even with [former] coach [Mike] Giovinazzo, that we pretty much have five guards out on the floor,” said Ray. “It’s presents a challenge [for us] but it also presents a challenge for the other team. Matchups are interesting on their end too. We’re going to have to figure out a way to get loose balls, we’ll have to run up and down a little quicker, and we’re going have to make good decisions and take care of the ball.”
“If we do those things, I think we can stay in a lot of games and cause some problems for some teams.”
Enter Brayden Dauphinais and Lukas Sward – two sophomores that earned starting roles in the rotation at both guard and forward this year.
This duo has shown flashes of ability over preseason and expect the combination to surprise over various games of the season.
Both have long range shooting tendencies and aren’t afraid of the bright lights of varsity basketball.
Dauphinais has a little size to boot, can and will rebound, and shows a nice touch shooting from 3.
Sward is a little smaller that Dauphinais but is an underrated passer, can hit threes, and should be a seamless fit once he gets a little more experience.
Off the pine, junior Nate Fries earned a few varsity minutes last season and should hit some three-pointers and grab an occasional rebound for the program.
Sophomore Isaiah Lawrence-Bynum isn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint and should grab his share of rebounds while sophomore Ben D’Amato has all the shooting traits of his father and that means long range shots and makes.
“The two sophomores, Brayden and Lukas, give us a lot of energy,” said Ray. “We’re going to give them opportunities. They earned it. Nate Fries is coming off the bench along with Bynum and Ben D’Amato. We just have to keep developing.”
There will be other seniors in the rotation as Jeremiah Tatum should be the fifth starter on the squad.
He can play either guard or forward and has a decent enough handle to help get the ball up the court.
Tatum also can shoot from deep and is another player ready to prove himself.
Other seniors that should contribute to the team includes Jalen Stokes and Axjaivion Evans.
“We have some seniors new to the program,” said Ray. “Once they get their feet wet, it gives us a little more depth which we’re going to need because it’s a long season.”
Ray used about eight players in preseason play and that’s the maximum his rotation appears to be as the season unfolds.
“Right now, I feel good about our five, or six or seven players,” said Ray. “We just have to keep adding players to get through a tough CCC South schedule.”
This whole thing is about getting players experience and once roles are established and underclassmen are used to the bright lights that 7 o’clock brings, Eastern’s season will fall into place along a grueling slate of games.
“We’re going to figure out a way to compete,” said Ray. “We’ve got a good group of freshmen that we’re trying to get acclimated. We’ve got a big sophomore class. We’re just not real heavy in seniors and juniors. We have some new players coming out for the first time in those classes but not a lot of experience in those upper two classes.”
“I hate to sound like it’s a cliche but for us, it’s try to get out there and put our best foot forward every day.”
Games to watch this season: Eastern starts the 2021-22 campaign on the road against Plainville tonight at 6:45 p.m.
The locals have its home opener on Monday, December 20 against Avon – the only game coming from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium over the 2021 calendar year.
Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern are in an early season battle on December 28, part of the Bristol Central Holiday Classic.
It’s the earliest ever showdowns between the crosstown rivals.
Later in the campaign, trips to Conard, Bloomfield, and Middletown are looming over the second half of the season.
“You’ve got the number one team in the state” on the schedule says Ray, referring to Central. “You’ve got Middletown in there. Obviously, I’ve been around. I’ve seen what’s out there.”
The long-time coach, however, isn’t looking too far in advance in terms of the scholastic schedule.
It’s about the game of the night, improving along the way, and qualifying for state tournament play if everything works out.
“I don’t look at the schedule as much as I used to,” said Ray. “I’m trying to get a little better every day. When you are what we are in terms of youth, inexperience, size…we’re going to be underdogs a lot of times but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to win basketball games.”
“I expect to compete every night and put ourselves into positions [to win] and we’re going to work in practice. If I look at that schedule, I’ll drive myself crazy.”
Eastern competes in Division III this season in terms of state tournament qualification.
