Seahawks boys’ basketball relying on youth this year
Each year, the start of a new season seems to bring hope and optimism for high school athletic teams, regardless of past results and preconceived notions.
Sussex Academy is a relatively new face in the Delaware boys’ basketball scene. The Seahawks began competing as a varsity squad in 2016 and have experienced some growing pains over the last few years. However, with a new season approaching, there is renewed optimism thanks in large part to an injection of youth the team hopes will begin to build a winning culture.
Freshman Sebastien Paul believes his team will improve as the season goes on and thinks the key to winning games will be the on-court chemistry of the young team.
Without any seniors, the underclassmen will determine the direction of Sussex Academy boys’ hoops.
“Goals for this season are the same as last year: continue to develop the program and continue to develop as players,” said coach Brad Leinbach. “We had a ton of freshmen last season who were forced to play varsity minutes. This season, we would like to see some improvement from those players. With the program being so young, we always talk about setting school records, as modest as they might be. We have a talented group of eighth-graders coming up that will add to our depth and continue to grow the program for the future.”
Leinbach said he believes youth is a positive and sees it as a chance to build good fundamental habits.
“It’s all about building that team chemistry over the years to ultimately our senior year where we think we can do some work,” Sophomore Tate Irwin said
The team has some returning players, including Quentin Bowman, Nathaniel Elliot, and Dmitry Barlow. Bowman was the second-highest scorer last year and will be relied on more heavily this season with the departure of Tyrese Mims. Additionally, three freshmen - Ryan Dostal, Sebastien Paul, and Derek Sachs - have made the varsity squad, bringing some youthful energy to the team. Elliot, along with Irwin and Paul, believes that the team's chemistry will be the most important factor in determining their success this season.
“We need to establish a standard for the program that upcoming players can shoot for,” Leinbach said.
The Seahawks tip off the season against First State Military Academy at 5:15 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 5, in Clayton.
