New Attitude, New Coach for Darien Boys Basketball

It didn't take long for the current Darien boys' basketball players to look up to first-year coach Kyle Marian, who stands 6-foot-9.

A former player for the Blue Wave himself, Marian played collegiately at Springfield College after graduating from Darien in 2000, then embarked on a brief professional career in Europe.

But Marian has his work cut out as Darien is coming off 1-19 season. Still, he has been encouraged by the Blue Wave's efforts in the preseason.

One of the first things Marian noticed at practice was an attitude, especially among the upper classmen "to break the mold of a loser."

"They've really been working hard and I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far," he said.

The new coach will undoubtedly be more pleased when two of his captains report for duty. Chris Allam and Charlie Kunze,  stars on the football team, joined the basketball team on Monday after Darien's football season ended Saturday with a 41-0 loss to Masuk in the CIAC Class L quarterfinals.

Marian likes the winning mentality that Allam and Kunze bring to the basketball court. He expects that the new system he's installing will produce more scorers rather than depending on one or two players each night to carry the load.

Marian wants to run his offense at opponent's weaknesses.

"If we have an edge in big men, then we'll run the offense through them," he said. "If it's at the guard position, we'll run it through them. I'm hoping that there will be games where four - or even - five guys get 12 points each and there will be some when two players do the bulk of the scoring."

Graham Hotchkiss, a 6-5 senior, is expected to be one of the scoring and rebounding leaders.

"He's one of the most athletic guys on the team who can handle the ball as well," Marian said. "Ian Sullivan is a very good shooter, who can really light it up when he gets going."

Chris Stile "gets to the rim really well," according to Marian. Allam, the quarterback on the football team, is a slasher, and Kunze - no surprise – is a banger since he played defensive end on the gridiron.

Another football player joining the basketball squad is backup quarterback Henry Baldwin. Although the Wave is somewhat short in the height department, Marian likes the quickness of his big men.

"Both Hotchkiss and Geoff Leeker are quick," said Marian, who expects his defenses – a mix of traps, zone and man-to-man - will be the key to any success the team achieves.

Patrick Ryan, Spencer McMullin, George Phillips, Liam Naughton,Drew Martz and Kyle Greene are expected to compete for spots in the rotation.

Marian is realistic enough to recognize that the push upwards won't happen overnight and that it's up to his seniors  to be the "foot soldiers". He wants the seniors to come back to DHS as alums knowing they "laid the groundwork" for future success.

The team will open the season at Bassick on Dec. 15. The first home game is two days later against Trumbull at 7 p.m.