ROBBINSVILLE: Ravens hope for breakout season

By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
   If commitment results in improved play, this could be the year the Robbinsville High boys basketball team finally breaks through with a winning season.
   ”We are at the point now where for the guys on varsity, this is the senior class that has been devoted itself to playing year round basketball,” Robbinsville coach Kyle Flanagan said. “This group has been playing together all summer. They played in a summer league, went to camps, and played in a fall tournament with some of the parents coaching.
   ”We just had our first scrimmage Monday and it was evident that we’re still getting used to everyone’s playing style and abilities. Right now the biggest challenge is getting guys used to playing with each other and their playing styles. With just one returning starter it leaves a lot of room for things we have to build on.”
   Senior Anthony Massi is the lone returning starter for the Ravens. The other seniors on the roster are , Connor Tierney, Brandon Johnson, Christopher Douglas, Darren Daniel, Thomas Taylor and Davon Cypress. The juniors are Matt DeAngelis, Garrett Evanko, Brandon Klein, Eric Lorezno and Anthony Linder. Tino Gonzalez is the lone sophomore.
   ”We are junior and senior heavy on the varsity team,” Flanagan said. “We’re pretty consistent with five or six seniors each year. That is a good thing. The first year I was here was 2009 and we only had one senior. But then we had a solid group of guys the next year and that started a trend.
   ”This year our seniors will be our core group.”
   The senior group is guard heavy, which was a trait for the Ravens last year. But this year the team has a pair of post players in 6-foot-5 Anthony Linder and 6-foot-4 Connor Tierney.
   ”They will lead front court,” said Flanagan, whose team will open the season on Dec. 20 against Steinert. “Being 6-5 and 6-4 is a new element we have not had in the past. I expect to work that in with the guard play we have had. They are true big men who are used to going on the block and being down there banging. The inside post game is kind of lost with the 3-point shot. We rely on our ability around the arc and now we’re trying to incorporate an inside game as well and have a balanced effort.
   ”Last year we started the season with four guards and one forward on the floor and by the end of the season we had five guards and that worked out better.”
   This year the Ravens will look to be more balanced and add that inside presence. If that happens, they hope to put together the school’s best season to date.
   ”We’re a work in progress right now,” said Flanagan, whose team was 7-18 last year. “We’re getting used to having that inside presence. They are learning and getting it. Our goal is to finish .500 or better and put ourselves in a situation with a decent state seeding and maybe bring home the school’s first state tournament win.”