By Chris Parker
Buffalo boys basketball is looking to bounce back from a six-win campaign behind a group of three returning senior lettermen.
“We have three returning senior lettermen who are going to provide us with excellent leadership,” Buffalo head coach Kyle Gawlowski said. “Joseph Horinek, Rilye Phillips, and Easton Skinner are all great, lead by example, hardworking players. They had great summers and did a great job of getting stronger and improving their game, but also did a great job of pushing our younger players to get the most of themselves.”
Horinek is the team’s lone returning all-conference player. The center was named first-team all-conference last year averaging almost a double-double at 9.4 points and 9.3 rebounds to go with 4.8 blocks per game.
“Joseph is our only returning starter from the team last season. He is an incredible defensive player and rebounder,” Gawlowski said. “As a 6’7 center, he was the backline for our aggressive defense and covered up for any mistakes made in front of them. This season he has been working on improving his shooting and ball handling to become a more dynamic scorer as well.”
Horniek could take a big leap as a senior after a strong offseason.
“Joseph has done a great job of improving his confidence while handling the ball,” Gawlowski said. “He averaged a couple of assists and could occasionally step out to 15 feet. Now, we are seeing Joseph able to get to the rim much quicker, and he is comfortable.”
Phillips saw action in 15 games last year.
“Rilye is a returning letterman who we are expected to step up and take over a big role on the offensive end,” Gawlowski said. “He is our best returning shooter, and we expect him to stretch out the defense. Rilye has done a great job this summer of improving his confidence with the ball in his hands and his shot selection. Putting all of this together will make Rilye a great scoring punch to complement Joseph inside.”
In addition to adding scoring, Phillips will also be a leader vocally.
“Rilye has done a great job of improving across the board, but the greatest growth has been in his leadership,” Gawlowski said. “Rilye showed himself able to step up and become our vocal leader. Additionally, he has shown large improvements in his ball handling and developing a more well-rounded offensive game.”
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Skinner averaged 3.1 points per game in his 20 games of action. His defense will be key to Buffalo’s success this year.
“Easton is also a returning letterman is a great athlete who is a strong defender, finishes well around the rim, and plays great complementary basketball,” Gawlowski said. “We expect him to make a big step on both ends of the floor. We will often need him to guard the other team’s best player, and on the offensive end he will be asked to handle the ball and step out and hit some big shots.”
Past those three, Buffalo will be looking to a host of newcomers to step up and fill out the varsity equation. That group includes: Stephen Cox (senior), Blake Chyka (senior), Nick Vetra (senior), Carson Shepperly (junior), TJ Waters (junior), Blair Abraham (freshman), Braden McGregor (freshman), Matthew Skinner (freshman) and Dalton Bennett (freshman).
Gawlowski on Cox: “Stephen is a senior forward who was a defensive standout on our JV last season. This year he will be a big help defensively and getting rebounds. He did a great job this summer of making the gritty plays that win you basketball games, and we expect him to be a top defender at the varsity level this season.”
Gawlowski on Chyka: “Blake is a hard worker who will bring some extra shooting for our team. He has improved a lot in the past year and will get opportunities to make great contributions for our team.”
Gawlowski on Vetra: “Nick has had a great summer and improved a lot in his ball handling, shooting, and defensive awareness. We look forward to Nick taking the next step and earning varsity minutes this season. He should us a quick guard who is able to move the ball with a great basketball IQ that will help others get into good scoring situations.”
Gawlowski on Shepperly: “Carson is an incredibly intelligent player who has done a great job of building up strength and athleticism for the varsity level. We will look to him to initiate our offense and keep our team under control with his basketball IQ and awareness, and his improved shooting could be a big boost to our offense.”
Gawlowski on Waters: “TJ is an athletic guard who is coming back into our program after taking a year off. He is a great track athlete that we hope can translate to someone who can score in transition and put pressure on the other team’s guards on defense.”
Gawlowski on Abraham: “Blair is an exciting freshman who has the ability to use his length and skill to finish well around the rim and then step out and hit contested shots. On the defensive end, he has the ability and motor to frustrate opponents and disrupt offenses. His great combination of skills and size could see him break through and earn varsity minutes.”
Gawlowski on McGregor: “Braden is an athletic freshmen guard who we are excited to see get some reps running the offense. As he gets comfortable playing at the high school level, he will be able to showcase his solid shooting and athletic finishes. If he puts in the work, we expect him to push for some varsity minutes this season.”
Gawlowski on Skinner: “Matthew is the most physical freshman I have ever coached. His aggressiveness helps him get to and finish around the rim at a high level. On defense, he has shown this summer that he is willing to take on and compete with players much older than him. If he is able to continue his work from the summer, Matthew could be in position to join his brother on the varsity floor.”
Gawlowski on Bennett: “Dalton is an athletic forward who uses his length to finish in traffic and does a great job of using his hustle to disrupt on the defensive end. With a great amount of skill improvement this summer, Dalton will be pushing the players above him to earn some varsity minutes.”
This deep group will give Buffalo the opportunity to push pace.
“We expect the identity of our team to be set on the defensive end of the floor,” Gawlowski said. “We will be a deep team this season with as many as ten players playing to start the season. With the deep bench, we are looking to put a lot of pressure on the offensive end of the floor.”
Offensively, Buffalo returns no players who hit a three-point shot last year. The Bison also graduated the top three players in assists.
“Ball control and shooting are the two areas that we need to improve compared to last season,” Gawlowski said. “We have shown flashes of improvement over the summer, and if we can build upon that, we will be in a great spot to compete every night.”
Buffalo opens the season Nov. 28 through Dec. 3 at the Strafford Tournament.
“We want our team identity to be defensive intensity and grit,” Gawlowski said. “In order to be successful, we will need to take advantage of our depth and physicality and put constant pressure on the offense.”
