By STEVE SINISKI
Count the Clarke boys' basketball team among the masses hoping for both in 2009, because a little health can lead to plenty of happiness on the hardwood. Injuries have played a major role in the Rams' 0-7 start (0-1 in Conference ABC-IV), as the team of 11 fields a healthy lineup of just eight players.
Senior swingman John Schilt, an All-County returnee, has missed four straight games with a knee injury after averaging 22.0 points through the first three games, and senior Angelo Grgas has been out since the fifth day of practice with a broken wrist. "When you lose an All-County player averaging 20 a game it's difficult," coach Joe Harclerode said of trying to replace Schilt's production.
Junior Alex Abanavas scored a season-high 17 points in Clarke's most recent game, a 75-51 setback on Dec. 23, while junior Connor McCarthy added 13 and senior point guard Ryan Schreiber chipped in with 10. Schreiber continues to provide a steady hand in the backcourt and has had few problems breaking through press defenses that opponents have thrown at the undermanned Rams.
"Every guy needs to give more offense and elevate their offensive games a little bit," Harclerode said.
As the Rams look for ways to jumpstart their offensive production, they're gotten some big contributions on the other side of the floor from senior Brett Schreiber. The senior has grown five inches since the end of last season, and the added dimension has helped him literally take his game to new heights. Named to the All-Tournament team at East Meadow's Holiday Tournament, Schreiber led all scorers with 18 points in a 65-42 first-round loss to the hosts on Dec. 18, and blocked six shots.
Junior guard Chris Scott headlined Clarke's box-and-one defensive approach on the Jets Azfar Khan, who's fast approaching the 1,000-point mark for his career, and limited him to just 11 points. Scott, the Rams' best on-the-ball defender, teams with McCarthy at times in the backcourt to help generate offensive chances in transition. "He gets pressure on the ball and makes the [opponent] work hard," Harclerode said of Scott.
The loss of Grgas has robbed the team of energy and aggression on the floor, while McCarthy has also been sidelined recently with an ankle injury. The short-term hope is to get both Schilt and McCarthy back in the lineup, which would instantly boost the Rams fortunes. "We're still winless but we're playing competitive and playing hard," Harclerode said, noting the effect the injuries have had on depth and the team's initial desire to play up-tempo. "We're making do with what we've got."
Clarke travels to Friends Academy on Friday for a 7:45 p.m. tip-off and returns home to face Cold Spring Harbor on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
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