By Brady Williamson
The Founders League, from a basketball standpoint, is amongst the best in sport. Each year, teams battle for the Founders League championship which can qualify them for a spot in the Class A New England championship bracket. Teams include, Kent, Kingswood Oxford, Salisbury, Choate, Hotchkiss, Trinity Pawling, Loomis Chaffee, Westminster, Taft, Deerfield, and Avon Old Farms. In the 2012-2013 season, records ranged, but the competition was fierce. It will be interesting to see who will triumph this season with the new influx of talented athletes to the Founders League.
Avon Old Farms
Avon Old Farms looks to return from a difficult 2012-2013 season which ended with a 3-19 overall record and 2-11 in league play. Coach Roller seems to have a strong squad this year which includes returners Shaya Lomax ‘15, Raheem Spence ‘16, and veteran guard Skyler Williamson ‘14 and post-graduates Artis Parris and Gabe Vieira.
Choate
Choate is the 2013 New England Class A Tournament Runner up who went 16-7 last season, including a 8-1 record in the founders league. Choate looks to come back strong again this season led by returning guard Colin Richey ‘14, who was named Third Team All New England in 2013. Richey will be assisted by shooters Samson Donnick and Sean McNally as well as big man Trevor Dow.
Deerfield
Deerfield is not traditionally in the Founders League, but similar to the hockey season, they enter the league for basketball play. Deerfield had a tough 2012-2013 season ending with a record of 6-15 overall and 5-9 in league play. Their record may not have shown the strength of this team as they lost many close games. With a couple more wins this season, they are sure to be a contender to be in the tournament. Players to watch include senior Matt Ching, and sophomores Charlie Brahaney and Ian Kagame.
Hotchkiss
Makai Mason (’14) will look to lead Hotchkiss this season.
A young Hotchkiss team had a successful 2012-2013 season, going 12-9 overall and 7-6 in the Founders league. They were defeated in the New England Class A Quarterfinals by eventual champions Phillips Exeter Academy. They only graduated two players last year, this gives them a positive state of mind coming into this season. With a more experienced team they should fair well. Players to watch include guard Makai Mason ‘14 who was named First Team All New England last season, as well as seniors Noah Doaust and Donovan Wright who were both All New England Honorable Mentions in 2013.
Kent
Kent had a good season last year with an older team. This season they will be led by Jamal Lucas ‘15 who was named an All New England Honorable Mention in 2013. Kent head coach Jason Coulombe is eager for the new campaign to get underway. “We’re just very excited for the season to begin. Of our 13 team members, 9 are new to the team, so our challenge will be to get us all on the same page as quickly as possible. While not all 13 young men would call basketball their first sport, all of them will certainly compete athletically in college, so it’s safe to say that this is the deepest team we’ve had in my 6 years here. ”
Kingswood Oxford
Kingswood Oxford looks to bounce back from a tough season last year. They were (0-18) overall and struggled throughout the course of the winter. While Kingswood battles Founders League teams, they compete in the Class B league, and if they’re lucky, the Class B tournament. The Wyverns will be under their new, first year Coach, Durelle Brown, who had been an assistant the past two years. Coach Brown also played at Kingswood and continued on to play college basketball. Coach Brown has the credentials to lead this team,which offers K.O. a more promising season. It should be interesting to see if they can bounce back.
Loomis Chaffee
Loomis Chaffee had a good season last year ending with a 9-11 record and 4-6 in league play. This season they will have many new players as they are only returning four players, three of which are seniors. Players to watch include seniors Andrew Cowan, Patrick Dickert, and Isaac Simmons. The Pelicans could be a successful under the radar team.
Salisbury
Although Salisbury is not in the Founders league, they play a schedule filled with Founders League teams and are also in the NEPSAC A division. Salisbury is coming of a strong season going 17-6, 6-2 against Founders League teams. They were defeated by Choate, the eventual New England Champions, in the opening round of the tournament. Seniors K.J. Lee and Mackenzie Morrison, who were both All New England honorable mentions last season, look to be leaders this season. Salisbury will be led once again by successful coach Jeff Ruskin, who was named 2011 New England Coach of the Year.
Taft
Taft had a successful 2012-2013 campaign, ending with a 18-5 overall record and an impressive 10-4 in league play. They qualfied for the New Enlgand Class A Tournament, but were defeated in the Quarterfinals by Trinity Pawling. Taft looks to build off last season will several new players, as they will only be returning four from last year. Players to watch include seniors Hadley Stone and Shawn Strickland an All New England Honorable Mention last season.
Trinity Pawling
Noah Woods in action against Taft.
Trinity Pawling had a solid 2012-2013 season going 18-7 overall and 10-2 in league play. They went on to be Tri-State League Champions and fell to Choate in the 2013 New England Class A Semifinals. Coach Bill Casson was kind enough to give us his point of view coming into this season. He states that they “Will be returning a solid group from last years team Led by senior co-captains Noah Woods and Braedon Bayer.” Both players were All New England Honorable Mentions last season. Coach Casson then stated that “Brenton Howell has improved since last year and AJ Girard is being counted on for his versatility. Austrian Robinson and Harrison Dunne-Polite will provide quality depth. .” Coach Casson talked about what his team will look to do this season. He said that “As a team we will need to rebound better and play more consistently.We will be a fast team that plays end to end pressure.” Trinity Pawling should have another successful season.
Westminster
Westminster had an up and down 2012-2013 season, they finished with an almost even record at 10-11 overall and went 3-8 against league opponents. Most of their team this season will be new, although they will have some experience as they are returning four seniors out of the five players coming back. Players to watch include seniors Sam Dardani and Angelo Hunt, along with sophomore Christopher Jones.
Founders League Athletics 