Boys Basketball: Titans Yearning for Another Banner

New Town athletic director Reggie Brooks has made it no secret to Titan's basketball coach Mike Salapata that he is eager for New Town to bring home the school's second state championship.

The Titans won the Class 1A state title in 2006-07, but have failed to advance past the regional quarterfinals in two of the last three seasons.

Salapata, entering his second year as head coach, guided New Town to a 13-12 record last season before being eliminated by Pikesville in the 1A North semifinals, the furthest the Titans have advanced in the playoffs since winning the state championship in 2007.

"Every day [Brooks] is asking us when we're going to put another banner up on the wall," Salapata said. "He's dying to put another banner up on the wall."

And Salapata is ready to deliver, armed with an experienced, athletic returning cast.

New Town lost just two players from last year's team.

"Our goal is to make it to Comcast Center [for the state playoffs]," Salapata said.

Senior guards Devonte Coleman (15 points per game) and Tavon Geter (12 ppg), the Titans' two leading scorers last season, return to anchor what Geter anticipates being a dynamic offensive attack comparable in style to the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

Forward Jerrod Lemon – the team's tallest player at 6'5 – will be New Town's primary threat in the post, but the Titans will be mostly built around their perimeter game and will play as many as four guards at one time.

Tre Washington and Jalen Clarke will also see significant time in the backcourt.

"We've got a lot of talent," Geter said. "There's no team that can stay in front of us. We're not big, but we're faster than every team we're going to play. And all of our guards can shoot, put the ball on the floor or stop and pop. All of our guards are deadly. Like [the Phoenix Suns], we want to get up and down the floor, but will pull it out too and get our big men involved."

But even with so many capable scorers, Geter admits the Titans are still trying to build chemistry and fit into their roles offensively, although he doesn't see that being anywhere near as big of a problem as it was last season.

Coleman agrees.

"We still need to build a little more chemistry," Coleman said. "But I think we're going to pull it together. We're a lot more disciplined this year."

And even with the plethora of talent in the backcourt, Salapata also thinks New Town will be aided by the addition of transfer Josh Gerard, a very athletic 6-foot-3 wing player with tremendous leaping ability.

"He brings something that all of our other guards don't have – size and explosiveness," Salapata said. "Our other guards are quick and dead-eye shooters. But anybody that had a big wing last year, we were kind of undermanned to guard. He now brings that, plus he presents mismatches for other teams now."

But to Geter, the talent is meaningless if it doesn't translate into the Titans adding a second state championship banner to the wall of New Town's gymnasium.

"I want a ring," Geter said. "I would love to beat the rivalry teams. I would love to win [the county title]. I would love to be MVP in an All-Star Game. But there's nothing I want more than to win [a state championship]. I don't want to just go down to Comcast Center. I can go down there any day I want. I want to go down there and win."