2010-11 Preview: Sachem North Boys Basketball

For the eight seniors on the Sachem North boys basketball team, all the off-season work was for these few months. As juniors, many of them played complementary roles as the Flaming Arrows snuck into the playoffs with a .500 record.

With added responsibilities, they're poised to make a deeper run under first-year head coach Tom Mullee, who was handed the reins after five years as an assistant under Mike Atkinson. While the North roster isn't blessed with a great amount of height, the Arrows are still expected to be in the running for a League II title thanks to a formula that includes talent, cohesiveness and grit.

2009-10 Record: 10-10, 6-6 League II (defeated Centereach in Class AA play-in game; lost to Half Hollow Hills West in quarterfinals)

Head Coach: Tom Mullee (1st year)

League II Pre-season Poll: 3rd out of 8

Key Players:

• Nicky Gallina, Sr., 5-9, G: A three-year varsity player and two-year starter, Gallina is the catalyst to the Flaming Arrows offense. Gallina was named to the All-League team last year and was selected for the Suffolk Top 40 squad this summer. Gallina averaged in the single digits last year but will be asked to up his production with key departures from last year. His strength is getting to the basket; according to Mullee, "can basically go by anyone in the county whenever he wants."
• Doug Wirth, Sr., 6-1, F: His surname is apropos – Wirth brings great value to the team on both ends of the floor. His physicality is impressive, and he's able to guard anyone from the opposition's shooting guard to its power forward. "He enables us to mix up our lineups because he's incredibly versatile, particularly on the defensive end," Mullee said. Wirth showed he's capable of being a solid offensive contributor, dropping in a season-best 13 in the playoff loss to Hills West.
• Vinny Vacanti, Sr., 5-8, G: On the floor at the same time with Gallina, the Arrows have a sharpshooting duo. Vacanti steps into a starting role after playing a key role off the bench last year. He was named the most valuable player in the Kings Park holiday tournament, scoring 17 points, including seven in the final minute.
• Brian Ford, Sr., 6-2, F: In his third varsity season, Ford should see his minutes skyrocket. Mullee said he expects Ford to be a notable contributor on both the offensive and defensive end.
• Dave Brown, Sr., 6-3, F: Brown came on in the second half of last season and will be counted on to be a presence on the block. He'll likely see many matchups against taller, bigger players throughout the year.

Key Losses:

• John Ford, G – second-leading scorer in League II; playing basketball at Drew University (N.J.)
• Davon Lawrence, F – playing football at Stony Brook University
• James Kenny, F – playing lacrosse at Dowling College

Key Games:

• At Sachem East, Friday, Dec. 10 (6pm)
• Vs. West Islip, Tuesday, Dec. 21 (6pm)
• Vs. Walt Whitman, Tuesday, Jan. 18 (6pm)

Expectations: "The goal at Sachem North is to improve every year," Mullee said. "We've now made the playoffs two consecutive years. We lost in the first round two years ago, and we won a game and then lost to Hills West last year. We want to continue that [upward] trend. We don't want to just get into the playoffs. We want to find a way to get ourselves a home game and give ourselves a chance down the stretch to really be in the mix for a league title. We need to raise the bar."

News & Notes: League II received a makeover in the off-season as Lindenhurst, last year's league champ, jumped up to League I, while West Islip and Half Hollow Hills East remain. After going 6-6 in the league last year, North will need to get to seven wins to qualify for the playoffs in 2010-11. "It's going to be a little bit more of a challenge as far as scouting, getting familiar with their players and the system they're trying to run," Mullee said. …

What the Arrows lack in height they make up for with a great amount of experience. Not only do they have eight seniors on the roster, the majority of the squad has played 35 games together in the off-season, between league play in the spring, summer and fall, as well at camp at Stony Brook and at Sachem. … North is taking aim at a third straight playoff appearance; it's a feat that hasn't been accomplished since the split.