The boys’ basketball team at Bradwell Institute is ready to hit the court, and according to coach Pete Woodard, most of his starters will be young but experienced. They learned on the job.
“Last year, we played better than the previous year with a group of ninth-graders that were really productive,” he said. “Although we had some juniors and seniors in the program, the majority of our productivity came from three ninth-graders and one sophomore. This year, those three ninth-graders are tenth-graders and that one sophomore is a junior. During our summer program, the same thing applied and those same four players were very productive. ... So barring any injuries, I’m looking for the guys to show up better than last year.”
The Tigers’ lone returning junior is Cameron Kight, who at 6 feet also is the team’s tallest player. The three sophomores are Malcolm Dingle, Jamorris Hill and Miguel Pineda. Javante Richey will be their senior leader as a point guard.
“Every year, people always ask us the same question: ‘What are you looking like?’ My answer is I think we look good, but I don’t know what my opponents are looking like,” Woodard said. “I feel good about what I see in my gym. ... The guys have good attitudes. They have heart, and I think they can compete against anyone in the region.”
Woodard said first and foremost he wants his team to work on rebounding.
“In our program, because we’ve always been a small team, our problem has always been rebounding first and then free throws second,” he said.
Last season, the Tigers finished 7-19 overall and 6-12 in Region 3-AAAAA.
“I feel that we are going to be a better program than we’ve been in the past two to three years. I believe that in my heart,” Woodard said.