LINWOOD – Mainland Regional boys basketball coach Dan Williams admits with a smile that the Mustangs were able to sneak up on some top-flight opponents at the end of last season.
With four starters back from a team that won the Cape-Atlantic League post-season tournament, including leading scorer and rebounder in junior Cohen Cook, there will be no sneaking up on foes this year, but Williams said his squad is ready for the challenge.
The Mustangs open their 2022-23 basketball campaign Thursday at Buena.
Mainland closed out the season 6-1 last year on their way to a 16-11 record. That streak included stunning wins over St. Joseph (Hammonton) 45-35 and perennial state power St. Augustine Prep 58-56 in the semifinals and finals of last year’s CAL tournament.
“I think it would be more than fair to say we snuck up on people last year,” Williams said, noting that Mainland lost to Egg Harbor Township, its first-round CAL foe, and St. Joseph by double-digits early in the season before turning things around.
“The first time, quite frankly, they kicked our butts,” Williams said. “The second time we played both, we were trending in the right direction against them. We know this season we’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”
Leading the four returning starters back is Cook and junior Tim Travagline, Mainland’s top 3-point threat. Williams said while he is still looking for a third scoring option to emerge, he expects Cook and Travagline to shoulder the offensive threat.
Cook, who helped lead the Mustangs football team to the NJSIAA Group IV state semifinal last month at the slot before falling to eventual state champion Millville, will play multiple positions for Mainland, from forward to even point guard.
“He will be up there in the like Mount Rushmore of male athletes that have ever gone through Mainland, I think that’s safe to say,” Williams said. “He’s just a really strong athlete who’s got a high sports IQ, or just a high IQ period. He gets it, he’s unselfish, works hard he’s totally coachable.
“You’re just lucky to have a kid like that come through your program at Williams said since Cook’s has such strong ball-handling skills, where he will play may be dictated at times how teams decide to play him. He will likely go low and post up and use his speed against players his own size or smaller. Against taller players, he will lure outside to the perimeter to create match-up difficulties.
Williams said the attention on Cook could open up chances for Travagline, who knocked down 33 3-point shots last season. His ability to score on the perimeter should cause significant concerns for opponents.
“Timmy was our second-leading scorer last year,” Williams said. “I think he’ll even add to his numbers from what he had last year. He’s really dynamic on offense. He can shoot the ball, but he can also get to the rim.
“He’s really athletic and has got good vision. He will be able to see guys for assists when defenses start to close in.”
Williams said one of the keys for Mainland last season was the defensive play of Stephen Ordille. Another top-flight football player, Ordille proved to be valuable hunkering down on the opponent’s best offensive players last season.
Williams said while Ordille rarely scored, he was one of the players he felt he could not do without on the floor throughout the game.
“You usually think your ‘two guard’ as your shooting guard but that’s not really the strength of [Ordille’s] game,” Williams said. “He defends like crazy and he’s such an amazing leader. He knows at all times where all the players should be.
“He can convey that in such a positive way that he makes it really hard to take him off the court, even though he probably averaged less than two points a game last year. He just so valuable. When people talk about having a coach on the floor; that’s really what he is.”
Williams said the fourth returning starter who played his best basketball at the end of last season was Jamie Tyson. He said Tyson’s defensive prowess, especially in taking charges, and defensive ability complemented Ordille’s play.
“He’s the guy whose got a toughness about him that most don’t come with,” Williams said. “Stephen will typically take the best perimeter player on the other team and usually Jamie will take the best offensive player who is maybe over six-foot-one, whether he’s a forward or a perimeter player.
“He’s that type of kid that’s very athletic and can play a bunch of different places.”
Williams said Mawali Osunnyi, the younger brother of former Mainland basketball standout Osun Osunnyi, will probably take over the fifth position. Osunnyi, one of Mainland’s tallest players, has turned into a keen shot blocker like his brother, who is now a starter at Iowa State University.
“He’s athletic and really runs the floor well,” Williams said. “For example, in a scrimmage, he had eight rebounds just in the first half alone and two blocked shots. He’s still a work in progress on the offensive end.
“Defensively, he should really be able to protect the rim and like his older brother and really flies up and down the court. We are expecting big things from him, most likely as our fifth starter.”
Coming off the bench, Williams said Keaton Loewenstern is expected to play key minutes providing scoring and ballhandling duties as well as being another solid defender at guard.
“He does a little bit of everything,” Williams said. “He’s really emerging as a really solid defender. In the preseason, he has shown some signs of quickness on defense. Maybe it’s just his confidence is growing.”
Williams said sophomore Rocco DeBiaso will come off the bench to make an impact as well. Williams called DeBiaso, despite his youth, one of Mainland’s strongest players and will likely come in to provide defensive help.
Williams said his staff and players are comfortable with the level of competition ahead of them.
“My assumption is, and I think all our staff feels this way, is that everyone’s trying to give their best shot every night at every game,” Williams said. “We know we have never gone into a game to convey that message to the players that they’ll see anything less than our opponent’s best.
“Some might not shoot it as well on certain nights or whatever, but in terms of effort, the assumption is that everyone’s trying to go all out 100 percent every night. That’s what these kids want anyway. It’s a super competitive bunch.”
By CLYDE HUGHES/Special to the Sentinel
