Carmel Climbs Out of Rut, Gets Program Back on Track

CARMEL—Prior to this winter, members of the Carmel High boys basketball team probably felt like they were in a bad dream.

Mike Rooney SKIP PEARLMAN The Carmel boys were coming off a number of sub-par seasons – the Rams had three wins a year ago, and just one the year before that – and were anxious to start making some new history.

Mission accomplished. No, the Rams didn’t get deep into the playoff tournament, or find themselves playing at the County Center.

But Carmel made major strides.

The Rams finished the season with a 9-9 overall record (doubling their win total from the last two seasons combined), finished in third place in League 1-B (behind winner Brewster), and at least had a chance to reach the first round of playoffs, before losing to John Jay EF in a Class AA outbracket game.

There were a lot of good signs of things to come for second-year coach George Coates.

Mike Loughran SKIp PEARLMAN “Getting some confidence was big,” Coates said. “It took a while for us to begin to believe we could win. But after that, we started to get competitive. I think the Hen Hud game, early in the season – a 60-59 win – that’s when I think we finally turned the corner, and the kids started to believe we could win. After that we felt like we had a chance to win every game. They played hard all year.”

Two Rams earned post-season honors.

Senior G/F and team captain Mike Rooney led the team in scoring (17 PPG), and was a thorn in the side of opponents all season long. Rooney, a second-year varsity player, was named All-League.

“After his first year, we talked about how to improve, and he picked up his level of play,” Coates said. “He worked extremely hard to become a better player, and he’s been a good leader.”

Junior point guard Mike Loughran also proved himself to be a valuable asset this winter with his ability to penetrate and blow past defenders. He led Carmel in assists (4.5 PG), and was second in scoring (10 PPG).

“Mike had a very nice season,” Coates said. “It’s a big adjustment going from JV to varsity, and he’s been a big spark plug for us. How he played often determined whether we won or lost.”

Senior forward and three-year team captain Ryan Shilling also played a major role, averaging seven points and five rebounds a game. “He’s been an incredible leader,” Coates said. “All the kids look up to him. He’s also a warrior – instead of being our point guard, this season he’s done just about everything. And he’s our best defensive player. He was definitely the glue, and he will be missed.”

Coates also mentioned solid contributions from junior Aaron Smith, sophomores Alex Grace and Bashkim Rugova, and junior Victor Satlov.

“Aaron was one of our better athletes, and has a lot of potential,” the coach said. “And Alex and Bashkim both had a fine season, and we’ll look for a lot from them in the future. And Victor has been very consistent and improved through the whole year.”

The Rams lose three seniors to graduation, including two starters, but Coates believes the team can continue in a positive direction.

“We’ll have some nice people back next year,” he said. “But a lot depends on if we work hard during the offseason. We lose a lot, but I am excited about the future. It’s in their hands.”