Last season wasn’t a typical Jere Quinn team at St. Thomas More (Conn.). The veteran head coach had one big-time player and a bevy of role guys.
This year will be different – and that usually spells trouble for opposing coaches in the NEPSAC.
``We have depth at every position,” Quinn said. “I always get excited about my teams, but I’m very excited this year. It seems like we have the ingredients for success.”
``This is usually the type of team that we do well with,” he added. “We have two or three really talented players and eight or nine guys who know how to play. That mixture for us, in the past, has usually led to success.”
The most talented player on the roster isn’t so clear-cut. It’s likely between former Lincoln (N.Y.) High big man Antonio Pena, a 6-7 now-junior who is being given more leeway to step out onto the perimeter and develop his wing skills.
``I’ve been really impressed with Antonio because when he first got here, I thought he was an inside player,” Quinn said. “But he’s skilled away from the basket. He has some of the skills of a three-man, but can defend bigger players.”
Villanova-bound swingman Dwayne Anderson, a 6-5 ½ senior who played at St. John’s College (D.C.) last season, and St. Joseph’s-bound 6-4 shooter Edwin Lashley, will also be key in STM’s success.
``The work ethic of Dwayne Anderson has been terrific,” Quinn said. “He gets up at 6 a.m. every day and lifts.”
Anderson is versatile and Lashley, although playing sparingly last season in Oakdale, Conn., had a chance to prove himself as one of the top outside shooters in the nationl this past season while playing with the Delaware Sharpshooters.
Junior wing Edwin Ubiles, 6-5 native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., should also see plenty of playing time. He’s a big-time athletes who thrives in transition. Chris Cassidy, a 6-9 forward from Carlisle, Pa., who is getting interest from Sacred Heart and UMBC, should give the team more size up front – as will 6-7 Chris Winters, who has pledged to Central Connecticut State.
Quinn has a pair of players who have already committed to St. Peter’s – 6-5 power forward Quentin Martin and 6-1 point guard Kevin Spann. Other guards on the roster include 6-2 Whitney Coleman, 6-2 Marcus Gomes, 6-foot James O’Sullivan, 5-11 Vincent Scollo, 5-10 Joe Vargas and 6-1 Erik Atkinson.
``The biggest thing for these guys is improvement and not so much wins and losses,” Quinn said. “But I like our team this season. Our kids want to learn and get better – and I think they’ll play well together.”