St. Luke's Boys Varsity Basketball: Season Preview

The St. Luke’s Boys Basketball program heads into another season full of optimism and excitement despite graduating a number of last year’s starting players.

Head Coach Tony Newsom returns for his second season in charge of the Storm and is really looking to put his stamp on the program with a number of new players mixed in with some St. Luke’s veterans.

The Storm lost a number of key players from last year’s team but Newsom isn’t looking for anyone in particular to fill their shoes: “The players that we lost were so strong that I don’t think one or two guys are going to fill those roles. I think it’s going to be by committee.  Looking at this team already, there are going to be different guys on different nights that are going to step up.”

Newsom has a number of new players on the roster this year but is looking to build on the groundwork he started last winter. “The core values will not change,” Newsom said. “We expect our guys to work extremely hard every day and to play hard too. We want them to share the ball from an offensive standpoint and work as a team. We will probably be pressing a little more than we did last year so our playing style has evolved a little but certain core values don't change.”

St. Luke’s Boys Varsity Basketball will be captained by Scott Vollmer ‘19 and Cole Bryant ‘20, who have been with the program for a combined six years. Newsom is confident their experience will be key over the course of the season. “We have two terrific captains in Scott and Cole," he said. "They have done a great job and I expect them to carry the leadership in practice every day, make sure things are running smooth and help our younger guys out.”

Newsom also expects other players to help establish the culture he and his coaching staff are looking to develop in year two. “All the best teams I have been involved with have good leadership from their captains but the group takes accountability,” he said. “Jah’khi Washington and Kenny Soares were here last year so they know what I expect and what I am looking for on a day to day basis. I expect them to bring the new guys along and show them the ropes. You have to have accountability from everybody and that’s what we are looking for from this group of players.”

Some of the new players include Chuck Clemons ‘20, Gavin Greene ‘20, and Christian Jones ‘23. Newsom is excited by the impact he believes they will have: “Chuck has a very high IQ for the game. He has a great feel for the game and is a very unselfish player but he also has great instincts on the defensive end. Gavin is a forward and I really like what I have seen from him so far. He can make a lot of shots around the basket. Christian is on the younger side but you can tell he is used to playing against older guys. He can score and gets to the basket but he can see other players when he’s driving. He is also a really unselfish player and helps our ball movement on offense.”

The team started the season dropping a tough opening matchup against Lee Academy before bouncing back with wins against Pomfret and FAA rivals Greens Farms Academy. The Storm left it late against the Dragons as Vollmer tipped in a rebound with just .9 seconds remaining in regulation to give St. Luke’s a 51-49 victory.

The goal is to reclaim the FAA title and Tournament title but Newsom knows it is never an easy task. “Our league is very strong from top to bottom so there are no easy games. However, if we want to achieve the goals we have set, we have to be terrific at home. We dropped a couple of games last year at home so I’m hoping that every game we play inside Carey Gymnasium we can take care of business.”

Next Up: St. Luke’s Varsity Basketball continues its season on the road at King School on Monday, December 10, before its home opener vs Hopkins School on Wednesday, December 12.