Varsity Basketball Preview (2020)

The Cistercian Varsity basketball team is coming off a very strong 2018-2019 season lled with big wins over Parish, Fort Worth Christian, and Grapevine Faith, along with an SPC tournament appearance.  Building off last season’s successes will be a challenge, however, as last year’s senior-led team only returns one player to this year’s squad.  Tasked with this monumental challenge is Coach Dorn, the new Varsity head coach, who has a deep pool of talent to feature on the hardwood this season.

The Class of ‘20 brings Jack Schieferdecker, Timmy Ngo, and Anthony Peterman.  Schief’s varsity experience and all-around ability playing the post makes him a threat to the opposition at all times.  Watch out for plays designed to create mismatches for Schief, who played guard in Middle School, making him quicker than his defender.  Timmy plays guard utilizing his smooth shooting mechanics and blistering change of pace.  He looks to contribute heavily to the scoring load.  Anthony, also a guard, possesses a true 3-D mentality.  Our seniors are sure to add leadership and versatility to the squad.

The bulk of the team comes from the Class of ‘21.  Daniel Horlick and Aidan Smithson should form a crafty partnership in the backcourt while Sam Laber, Aidan Chance, and Henry Parmenter will add depth and size to the frontcourt.  “Danny Dimes” (Horlick) always makes the right play, whether he needs to facilitate, drive to the cup, or pull up from downtown.  Smithson thrives best when he controls the pace of the game.  He dreams at night about attacking defenders o the dribble at will.  Sam, one of the Community Service reps for Form VII, isn’t nearly as kind to this opponents on the court.  Though hard to believe, he runs
the floor better than he runs the pizza sale at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Coach Dorn, one of
his Community Service sponsors, is sure to play him in small-ball lineups due to his height and athleticism as a forward.  Aidan Chance and Henry Parmenter, specimens straight out the weight room, intimidate their opponents by dominating the paint, meeting shots at the rim, and snagging rebounds just for fun.  They assert utter dominance when they step onto the court.

This year’s freshman and sophomore classes are filled with talent.  The freshman class has members such as Colby Mechem and Dan O’Toole who will contribute early and often at the varsity level for years to come.  Colby Mechem is an athletic 6’1 all-around player with great ball handling, and Dikembe Mutombo-esque blocking skills.  Dan O’Toole has arguably the smoothest shooting technique on the team, as well as the ability to make plays on his own.  The sophomores will also add to this year’s talent with players such as Oliver Currlin and Eli Sanford.  Currlin is a true tank.  Eli Sanford is tough and gritty, with driving skills and lock-down defensive prowess.  This is something to look forward to now and for the future of our program.  Besides the varsity studs in these classes, the JV team will be stacked with their fellow peers.  JV A-team will be led by sophomores Matthew Martin and Alex Ardemagni, as well as a strong showing from the freshman class with Stephen Cox, Bryce Ardemagni, and Tarun Senthil Kumar.  Watch out for the dangerous brother tandem of Bryce and Alex, with Bryce out at the wing and Alex pounding and bullying in the paint.

This year’s basketball team has a bright and glorious season ahead of them. We hope to see the student body come support their Cistercian Hawks basketball team this year. Go Hawks!