Falcons hope to learn on the fly

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, November 30, 2006

They’re not starting over completely from scratch, but they’re not far from it.

The Niagara-Wheatfield boys basketball team returns just four players from last year’s squad that finished 12-9 overall – and none of the returning players were starters.

In spite of that, veteran coach Joe Casale says there’s reason for optimism in 2006-07.

“We want to improve in every game,” Casale said. “We hope to be on a roll by the end of the season and get a good jump for the playoffs. And a lot of these kids will be back next year, too, so the experience from this year will help a lot.”

The Falcons wound up third in the Niagara Frontier League last season, and they then drew the fifth seed in the Section VI Class AA playoffs, where they were upset by No. 12 Clarence.

N-W has some decent size and speed this season, and Casale hopes that those physical tools can offset the lack of varsity experience.

The four returning players are seniors Aaron Foote, Tom Sheehan and Ted Klettke, along with junior Justin Gilmore, and all four figure to be major contributors this season. Gilmore will run the offense as point guard, while the speedy Foote – a cross country and track standout – also will play guard. Forward Sheehan has good size up the middle at 6 feet, 4 inches, and Klettke also is a forward.

Casale also has a pair of seniors who are first-year basketball players in Jon Smith and Steve Gleason. Both are raw but may provide quality minutes, especially the 6-4 Smith, a tremendous athlete who quarterbacked the division champion Falcons football team.

“This is a very inexperienced bunch,” Casale said. “We have some talent, and we think they can grow into their positions pretty quickly. We think we can be competitive with the rest of the league.”

The other six players all move up from the junior varsity, and all are juniors.

The Falcons have some big forwards in 6-4 David Haseley, 6-3 Jarred Hebeler, 6-2 Adam Kowalzak and Mark Vona. Guards Ryan Gilmore and Sean Mower also will fit in the mix.

“Our team is very quick, and we hope to be able to use our speed to do some things,” Casale said. “We can get up and down the court in a hurry.”

As if the Falcons’ league schedule wasn’t tough enough already, they’ll have to contend with the Niagara Falls Wolverines again this year. Back after two years of playing an independent schedule, Niagara Falls has gone to the state finals in each of the past three years, winning state and Federation crowns in the 2004-05 season.

Casale has never shied away from taking his team up against Niagara Falls, figuring that it would only help them to improve in the long run.

“I always like playing them,” Casale said. “It’s a good test for our kids, especially going into sectionals. It shows the kids where they need to be. You don’t get better playing against mediocre teams.”