ANSONIA – Having lost just one senior to graduation, Ansonia’s boys basketball team returns most of its roster intact for the 2016-17 season.
Ansonia lost Dane Wentworth to graduation after he earned second team all-Cross County Conference honors for leading the Tigers with 11.7 points per game. However, the Tigers have six other lettermen returning for the upcoming season.
Aydan Sanders, Trevor Alexander, Hunter Muir and Devyn Sink all are returning starters for the Tigers.
Brayden Swabb and Lane Clark, who both came off the bench last season, also return. Other key players coming off the bench will include Kane Kimmel, Keith Burk, Matthew Shook, Logan Alexander and Andrew Rowland.
Ansonia will mix up its defense between a combination of zone and man, coach Chad Cramer said. On offense the Tigers will utilize a read-and-react system. They will try to be more up tempo on offense this season, Cramer said.
One of Ansonia’s top attributes this year will be that several players could lead the team in scoring on any given night, Cramer said.
Sink is Ansonia’s top leading scorer, having averaged 6.5 points a game last season. Muir, who was named special mention all-CCC a year ago, had 6.0 points per game and a team-leading 3.9 rebounds per contest. Sanders averaged 4.1 points a game last year, Clark averaged 4.0, Trevor Alexander averaged 3.4, and Swabb averaged 2.5.
Ansonia still is working on its communication, defense and rebounding, Cramer said. Following Muir’s 3.9 rebounds a game, Trevor Alexander with 2.5 rebounds per game, Clark with 2.3 a game, Sanders with 2.0 a game and Sink with 2.0 a game were the Tigers’ leaders on the boards last year.
Ansonia continues to have a fairly young roster. The Tigers have three seniors with Burk, Clark and Kimmel and three juniors in Trevor Alexander, Sanders and Swabb. The Tigers have four sophomores in Muir, Rowland Shook and Sink plus one freshman in Logan Alexander.
The Tigers will simply look to keep improving each day and game, Cramer said.
