Calhoun Boys Basketball Unveils New Lineup

According to coach Jay Kreuzberger, the Calhoun High School boys basketball team has some rebuilding to do.

Sure, they were able to finish with a 9-5 record and first round playoff appearance in 2010-11. But there are two big names missing from the lineup as this season approaches – team co-captains John Wigand and Andrew Leif.

“They were our power forward and our center, and we lost them both to graduation,” Kreuzberger said. “That’s a lot of size.”

Add to that the fact that the Colts have moved up a division this year, and there’s a lot to think about.

This year’s schedule includes teams that will be somewhat new to fans of Calhoun – Division II powerhouses like East Meadow, Hicksville, Baldwin, MacArthur and Port Washington.

Not that the divisional move phases Kreuzberger. “It’s just due to enrollment,“ he said. “We’re not making a big deal about it – there’s not a huge difference.“

But what to do about the loss of two big men who used to anchor the Colts‘ defense? “We’ll try to replace them,” said Kreuzberger. “We were accustomed to having them on the boards and at the back of our defense. I don’t want to give away our secrets, but we know the adjustments we have to make for that.”

By his own reckoning Kreuzberger’s got talent to work with – and then some. The 2011-12 Colts, he said, is the deepest team he’s ever coached.

Returning is all conference point guard Danny Trepel, as well as small forward Tom Joannou and shooting guard Tommy Murphy, who made an impression with three pointers as the team’s sixth man last year.

Then there’s forward Kevin Hiss and guard Dean Brownswith, who Kreuzberger expects will be big contributors.

“There’s also a lot of talent in our sophomore class,” said the Colts' coach. “Kyle McGinley, Chris Melito, Brian Downey and Muneeb Babar. That’s two guards and two forwards. They’re all very athletic and each has a different skill they bring to the team.”

How did the Colts’ program become so talent rich? Hard work and dedication, said Kreuzberger.

“We put in a tremendous amount of work with coaches to identify where they need to improve,” he said. “These are kids who love to play, and they really respond to coaching. We‘re deep enough to play many different styles.”

How deep and how well? Calhoun will find out early. The season kicks off with non league contests against Mepham (Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m. at home) and at Freeport on Dec. 9. The first league contest comes Dec. 16 when MacArthur comes to town.

A particular big date on the calendar, said Kreuzberger, will be when the Colts travel to East Meadow on Jan. 6. “We’ve had battles with them in the past,” he said. “So we’re looking forward to playing them again.”