Baymen will have depth and talent

After a season that was defined by injury and disappointment, the Hampton Bays boys basketball team is ready for a resurgence this year, and it has the parts in place to make its mark in League VII.

Senior forward Bruno Cavallo is back after missing most of last season with a fractured skull, a scary injury he suffered on January 2, in a game against Patchogue/Medford that knocked him out for the rest of the season. The injury was serious enough that Cavallo couldn’t play basketball for six months, but he got back on the court in the summer and fall and Hampton Bays head coach Pete Meehan is expecting big things from the talented player in his final high school season.

“We had a scrimmage the other day and he’s Bruno again,” Meehan said. “You don’t get back the time you missed, but he’s who he was and all that goes with that.”

Cavallo is entering his fourth year as a varsity player, with part of that time spent as a student at Westhampton Beach High School. Meehan expects the senior standout to be a big contributor on all areas of the floor.

“He helps us in all phases of the game,” the coach said. “He plays the three, but he’ll be everywhere. He’ll have the ball in his hands. He’ll post up. He’s an inside-outside kid and he’s a threat from the three-point line.”

Cavallo was an All-League player as a sophomore and received All-League Special Recognition last year, averaging 25 points per game before he went down with the head injury.

The Baymen will have a great one-two punch with Cavallo and the return of junior guard Cameron Booth. In Cavallo’s absence, Booth led the team in scoring last season and is poised to have another solid year. Booth, a three-year varsity player, was an All-League player last year and like Cavallo, puts a lot of time into basketball during the off-season.

“He plays year round and he gets better all the time,” Meehan said. “He’s a very good shooter and we’ve given him a huge role defensively.”

Meehan said that while Booth has the ability to score in bunches and hit long-range shots, he’s mostly focused on making sure Booth is an effective ball handler for the Baymen.

“His success will be measured by his ability to take care of the ball and get us organized,” he said. “He’s going to score, but his success isn’t going to be determined by scoring.”

Meehan said that the combined offensive prowess of Cavallo and Booth will make his team tough to beat.

“Bruno and Cameron are a one-two punch that other teams will have to reckon with,” the coach said. “Either one of them is capable of putting up 20 points in any game. Those two have to make each other better—that’s their biggest challenge.”

Hampton Bays lost two quality players to graduation: forwards Chris Rydbeg and Davi Assis. Meehan said that their leadership abilities will be as big, if not bigger, of a loss than their athletic skills.

Along with Cavallo, the Baymen senior class consists of third-year varsity player Ryan Walker, second-year varsity player John Martinez and returnee James Pace. James Ariola and Aaron Besch, also seniors, did not play last year but are back on the team.

Walker, at 6 feet 3 inches tall, will give the Baymen a presence inside and should be a big help in the rebounding department. Martinez is a three-point threat and could see time as a starter, along with Walker. Pace can also hit outside shots and is a good rebounder for his size. Ariola is another good outside shooter and Besch has value as a strong defender.

Junior Andre Assis is returning to the varsity squad, and although he had a minimal role last year, could see more time on the court.

Juniors Ryan Lynch, Rob Liotta and Tom Agoglia will be on the squad for the first time. Lynch has the most height on the team at 6 feet 4 inches, and Meehan said that if Lynch can stay out of foul trouble, he’ll see significant time.

“He plays big and he alters a lot of shots,” Meehan said, adding he expects him to spell Ryan Walker when needed.

Liotta, a lefty, is a pure shooter and Meehan said if his defense improves, he’ll see more time.

Luke Mercurio, another lefty, is the only sophomore on the team and should make an immediate impact as a starter.

“He’s an athletic, aggressive and coachable kid,” Meehan said. “He’ll have a lot of responsibility. He’ll be at the top of our defense, making things happen and rebounding the ball for us. He’s only going to get better.”

Meehan said that Cavallo and Booth are locked into starting spots and that Walker and Mercurio should be everyday starters as well. He said that the fifth spot is still largely up for grabs and that he’ll try to whittle down his regular subs to just two or three players.

“I’m not playing 10 guys, I tend to go with a smaller rotation of seven or eight,” Meehan said. “It’s real competitive for minutes. In practices, they’re going against each other and it means something, which is good for me.”

Meehan said he believes his team has enough talent to make a turnaround from a 3-11 finish in League VII last year, 5-14 overall.

“We have the potential to be pretty good and we have the potential to implode if we don’t do it together,” he said. “Individually, we have the parts.”

Meehan said he expects the league to be competitive, as usual. Center Moriches (12-2, 14-5) should be strong again. Despite losing standout Jordan Ward Adams, the team returns his brother, explosive scorer Jonathan Ward Adams, and also has two new players who transferred from William Floyd and who should be strong. Wyandanch (12-2, 14-5) should be solid again. Southampton did not make the playoffs last season, but normally is a perennial playoff contender. Babylon lost standout guard J.T. Pate but typically has a strong program and has a lot of size up front this year. Mercy will be in League VII this season while Southold has moved into League VIII.

Hampton Bays will host Smithtown East in a non-league game on Tuesday, December 8, at 5:45 p.m. and will open the League VII season at home against Port Jefferson on Tuesday, December 15, at 6:15 p.m.