Cape boys’ basketball opens at Smyrna on Friday night
The Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team will hit the hardwood with a new look this season, and eighth-year head coach Steve Re is eager to mold the Vikings’ considerable young talent into a contender, even if that means taking some lumps along the way.
“We’re inexperienced,” said Re after Cape scrimmaged Parkside (Md.) Nov. 27 in Lewes, the team’s third and final dress rehearsal. “We can play at a high level for a short period of time, but we can’t consistently do it at a high level. That’s just from a lack of varsity experience – we just don’t have it yet.”
Cape, coming off an 18-4 season that saw the Vikings claim the top seed in the DIAA state tournament before a stunning early exit, enters 2018-19 without 1,000-point scorers Ian Robertson and Randy Rickards. The Vikings’ 6-foot-6 twin towers dunked all over the Henlopen Conference for the last three years, but both big men have moved on to the collegiate ranks. Cape also lost deadeye shooter Izaiah Dadzie to graduation, while point guard Skylar Johnson transferred to Sussex Tech, and 6-foot-5 forward Jack Dennis decided not to play basketball this season. All told, the Vikings lost more than 78 percent of last year’s scoring production.
What Cape lacks in experience, it hopes to make up for with perimeter punch.
“We’re a team that does shoot the ball,” Re said. “We have multiple guys who can shoot the ball. Sometimes we fall in love with it too much, but we have guys who can spray it.”
Last season and through three scrimmages this year, no fewer than eight Vikings have shown themselves to be legitimate long-range threats. That’s good news for a Cape squad sorely lacking in height. The Vikings knocked down 114 threes a year ago, a respectable number for any high school team, but they’ll likely have to dwarf that number if they hope to approach last season’s lofty win total.
Cape brings back 6-foot-3 junior wing Sh’Kai Chandler, a silky shooter and capable defender who looks poised to shoulder much of the scoring load after averaging 10 points and hitting 21 three-pointers last season. Junior point guard Kris Rushin, a jet in the open floor and a streaky scorer from deep, also returns after serving as a sort of sixth starter off the pine a year ago. Jo Jo Kirby, a tough, athletic junior wing, is likely to see an expanded role and could emerge as one of the team’s top defenders. Senior two-guard Luke D’Ambrogi brings a much-improved shooting stroke and a high basketball IQ to the lineup, while senior big man Anthony Smith is a beast on the boards.
The Vikings will suit up eight newcomers this year, including two out-of-state transfers who should make immediate contributions. Senior combo guard Scottie Dishman arrives from Florida with a reliable handle and good touch from long range. Six-foot-2 sophomore Aaron Oster, who played last year in Kentucky, has the body type and skill set to be a major player on the block. Sophomore off-guard Ja’Vaughn Burton, a gifted shooter and a defensive pest, should see major minutes after piling up points on the junior varsity squad last year. Sophomore wing Ethan Pires, another JV stalwart, can do a little bit of everything but is at his best slashing to the hole. When Cape absolutely needs a three-pointer, they’ll look to sophomore guard Collin Mallet, who boasts the prettiest jumper on the roster – and maybe in the Henlopen Conference. Junior big men Sam Luciano-Solomon and Isaac Weathersby will provide much-needed interior depth for the undersized Vikings. Freshman guard Kay’von Allen, meanwhile, can light it up from the perimeter and should earn significant minutes from day one.
Cape’s schedule features the familiar Henlopen North home-and-home series plus tilts with Milford, Delcastle, Indian River, Lake Forest, St. Georges Tech, and Appoquinimink. The Vikings will also take part in the annual Slam Dunk To The Beach tourney, where they will face Sanford and Hudson Catholic (N.J.).
Cape opens its season Friday, Nov. 30, at Smyrna.
