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Hoops Teams Hold First Practices Of Season

By Matt Spielman 5 min read

SHERMAN -- Cory Emory remembers March 12 like it was yesterday.

The longtime Sherman boys basketball coach was running his team through a practice after school when several colleagues began to peek into the gym.

Beginning to think something might be up, Emory had assistant coach Dave Maleski take over practice while he investigated.

Soon Emory had his answer. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association had indefinitely postponed its winter championship season due to the coronavirus.

"That was a heartbreaking day. We were in the gym practicing and they made that announcement around 3:30. … My phone started buzzing … then I read it," Emory recalled Monday night as he began his 24th season as the Wildcats head coach. "'How do I break this to these kids? I didn't know what to say to them.' There was nothing I could say that made them feel better or made them happy."

The Wildcats, who had won their 12th Section VI championship just days earlier, were deep into preparations for a Class D Far West Regional date with Section V champion Avoca.

That date never materialized. Eventually the winter championships were canceled, followed by the entire spring sports season.

But on Monday -- three months after the winter season normally begins -- local basketball teams returned to the court for their first practices of the truncated 2021 season.

"I was completely shocked that it did come. Usually Friday afternoon means bad news," Emory said of the Jan. 22 announcement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office that high-risk sports could resume in New York. "We had an athletic directors meeting and I don't even know if we talked about basketball much."

And although this year's state championships have already been canceled, Sherman will look to defend its 2019-20 sectional title.

"We won the sectional title so we still have that to defend. … In any year, the most talented teams don't always win, the luckiest teams win. This year, it could be even more like that," Emory said. " … Throughout the year we're going to have teams contact tracing and maybe teams out for 10 days. … You never know when that's going to happen. You just have to get lucky with those types of things happening at the right times -- or not at all."

The Wildcats return seniors John Swabik, Keith Gormley and Derek Sears as well as junior Gerald Carris.

Emory's team will open its 14-game league schedule next week, but has little room to add nonleague games with such a packed five weeks. Sherman will join Clymer, Panama, Brocton, Maple Grove, Cassadaga Valley, Frewsburg and Westfield in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 West.

"A lot of their goals are league titles, sectional titles, state titles. I tell them, 'We're still playing the same game. Just go out and play,'" Emory said. " … This is a step in the right direction."

In the northern end of the county, Nick Bertrando's Fredonia squad won't be looking to defend a sectional crown but will be motivated nonetheless. The Hillbillies lost three hard-fought games to eventual Class B2 champion Allegany-Limestone during a 17-5 campaign last season. The most difficult to swallow was a 42-40 Class B2 semifinal loss to the Gators.

But this year, Fredonia returns a trio of senior captains -- Dom Gullo, Tyler Putney and Mike Berg -- to go along with star junior Nick Whitfield, who led the team in scoring (16.4 ppg) last season while adding an electrifying presence with his highlight-reel dunks.

"It was a first day unlike any other. I had this conversation with my team, 'We don't have the luxury to have three or four scrimmages, the luxury to play four or five nonleague games before league schedule,'" Bertrando said. "They were pretty dialed in. There was a joy and excitement."

The Hillbillies will play in CCAA Division 1 West with Dunkirk, Southwestern, Allegany-Limestone, Olean and newcomer Salamanca. They will have 10 league games and look to add three or four nonleague tilts.

"Fourteen games in five weeks is obviously more than you would do in a normal season, but we can all agree there is no normal about any of this," Bertrando said. "Kids are wearing masks in practice and we will essentially have no locker room. It's a crazy, wacky year, but we're all willing to make those sacrifices to get out there and finally get after it."

Already knowing there is nothing to play for in terms of state championships beyond the sectional playoffs, which will run March 22-27, both the Wildcats and Hillbillies have high expectations this winter.

"At this point, we're talking about every single day playing it like it's your last. Last year's spring sports athletes … the last practice that first week, I guarantee they didn't think that was the last practice as a senior," Bertrando said. "I'm not going to lie and say we don't have lofty expectations to pursue a sectional title. If nothing else, this helps put things in perspective to be thankful for where we are at."

Let the games begin.

NOTES: CCAA D1 East will be made up of Randolph, Silver Creek, Gowanda, Chautauqua Lake, Portville and Falconer. … CCAA D2 East will be Forestville, Pine Valley, Ellicottville, Franklinville, Cattaraugus-Little Valley and North Collins.

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