THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2024 Page 13 Revere’s boys hoops hurdle: balancing development with competitive spirit Joshua Mercado with the ball. W By Dom Nicastro ith a mix of young talent and seasoned playSean Burnett works to defend against the ball handler for Lynnfi eld. ers, the Revere High School boys’ basketball team faces the complexities of a demanding schedule and the rigors of skill development. The team finished the 2023 portion of the season at 2-4, and 1-3 in the Greater Boston League. The Patriots fell to 2-5, 1-4 in the GBL after its fi rst game of the New Year. Malden topped Revere, 53-36. Junior guard Ethan Day had 14 points and fi ve rebounds, and junior guard Josh Mercado added seven points and fi ve steals. Revere ended 2023 with a split in its own Patriot Holiday tournament, which was won by East Boston. The team fell to Lynnfi eld, 38-33, and beat Malden, 51-40. Against Lynnfield, senior Revere players cheer on their teammates during last Wednesday’s game. center Amir Yamani had a terrific double-double performance with 10 points and as many rebounds. In the consolation game against Malden, senior captain Luke Ellis had 11 points (three 3-pointers). Day tossed in 17 points, and Yamani contributed six points and seven rebounds. Coach David Leary emphaSami Mghizou keeps his eye out to make a play as he moves up court. sized the young and relatively inexperienced nature of his team. With only four players returning with varsity experience, he anticipated an initial struggle. “I knew we were going to be a little behind just because we had only four returning players that had any varsity experience,” Leary said. However, that awareness of this challenge sets the stage for a season focused on growth and development. Despite a 2-4 start, Leary views the early part of the season as a critical learning period for the team. He expressed a balanced view of their performance, acknowledging both the setbacks and the areas where the team showed potential. “I think we’re defi nitely moving in the right direction,” Leary said. One of the key strategies Leary plans to implement is strengthening the team’s defense and utilizing fast breaks to create scoring opportunities. This approach aims to address the team’s scoring challenges. Ethan Day goes up for a basket over a Lynnfi eld defender. “We’re hoping to be more aggressive defensively in January and February and create some Patriots senior center Amir Yamani had a terrifi c double-double performance with 10 points versus Lynnfi eld. Amir is shown battling Medford defenders in a recent matchup in Revere. (Advocate fi le photo) off ense off of our defense and our fast break,” Leary said, indicating a tactical shift to leverage their defensive play for offensive gains. The coach recognized junior guard Ethan Day as a significant contributor to the team’s off ense, along with senior captains Andrew Leone and Luke Ellis. “Ethan’s had some really nice games the fi rst few games, but we were struggling to fi nd a second and third guy,” Leary said. “I think Andrew Leone can get us around eight to 12 points a game. And our other senior captain Luke Ellis is a very good 3-point shooter. He doesn’t take a lot of shots. He’s a very selfl ess player. But we have talked about guys trying to increase their role and increase their scoring to help us get out of the 40s and into the 50s and 60s where you can really win high school games.” Day’s getting to the basket. He’d rather drive fi rst than shoot a jump shot. “It’s kind of old school in that way,” Leary said. “He doesn’t take a lot of 3-pointers. He’s pretty smooth with the ball. He can dribble left and right, do spin moves, fl oaters. Gets himself to the foul line. He’s a very good free-throw shooter. He just has a knack for scoring.” Sophomore Sean Burnett, coming off the bench, could be in the 10-12-point range come the middle of the season, according to his coach. He’ll do so by gaining more confi dence in shooting rather than deferring to upperclassmen. Leary’s approach to game strategy is dynamic and opponent-specifi c. He discussed the necessity of adapting their style of play based on the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. The coach values the experience his team gained from playing in high-stakes, intense games, especially against rivals like Chelsea, with whom Revere battled in a barnburner before losing in December. Revere in the last two seasons has shown an ability to perform in high-pressure moments, picking up a win in the state tourney in each of the last two winter seasons. Leary also observed the team’s resilience and ability to come back from a signifi cant defi cit, a testament to their character and potential. Leary discussed the importance of strategic scheduling in non-league games. His approach is to tailor the schedule to the team’s current capabilities, with an eye on consistently making it to the tournament. This pragmatic and goal-oriented scheduling philosophy is crucial for a team looking to build experience and success. Revere will have a tough go of it should it make the postseason. The team has shifted back to Division 1 this season due to increased school enrollment. Leary pointed out that while the school’s student numbers have grown, this hasn’t necessarily translated into a proportional increase in athletes. This situation presents unique challenges, as the team faces tougher competition without a corresponding increase in player pool. “We’ve played a lot of Division 2 teams that I thought were very capable of playing in the Division 1 tournament and being a good team,” Leary said. Ultimately, the coach is less focused on whom the Patriots could play in the tourney vs. getting into the tourney. “I think our philosophy is obviously winning as many as you can,” Leary said. “But I guess getting yourself in there is more important than where you’re ranked.” Revere was scheduled to travel to Malden this week (after press time) and will host Everett on Friday night, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. Each are GBL league games, along with a road game at Somerville on Tuesday, Jan. 9 (7 p.m.).
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