After a strong 2022-2023 season in which they finished with a 25-3 record, the Cinnaminson boy’s basketball team continues to dominate the Liberty division. Currently 21-4, the boys are 9-1 in the BCSL.
Despite losing five seniors to graduation at the end of last season, the team’s underclassmen have stepped up to ensure the team’s continued success. Seniors James Smith, Zion Foy, and captain Andrew Plaza have become the new leaders on the team.
Junior Sody Gantt explains how the chemistry has not changed after losing their 2023 graduates.
“It definitely sucks when you lose that many seniors, but since we are all mostly juniors and seniors now, we filled the space well and still recovered the chemistry that we had last year,” Gantt said.
Leading the team in points right now is junior Colin Parrish with 345 points and Sody Gantt not far behind with 340. While these are the two highest scorers on the team, the Pirates are a team of all strong players who can all score no matter the circumstances.
In addition to their scoring abilities, consistency also plays a role in the team’s success. Other than one loss to Holy Cross at home on February 2, the Pirates are undefeated in their home gym.
Junior captain Noah Harvey credits the team’s performance to the supportive environment created by the fans throughout the games.
“Playing in front of a larger audience can definitely cause some adrenaline and nerves, but we know that we are prepared and we know that the audience will just add more fuel to the fire,” Harvey said.
The boys are currently 12th in the latest rankings of South Jersey’s Top 20 boy’s basketball teams, and third in their division with time to still move up in standings before the cut off.
Head Coach Mike Fries said the team will continue to work on building their communication and teamwork in order to further their success.
“One thing that the team will focus on to continue to be successful is being unselfish,” Fries said. “We will continue to share the basketball and find the open guy. We have six players that could put up 20 points on any given night.”
Harvey leads the Pirates with 93 assists while senior Andrew Plaza is not far behind with 71.
Going into the season, one of the team’s goals was to have 20 or more wins. With their current record, the boys have attained their goal and have made Cinnaminson history by winning 20+ games in back-to-back seasons. Moreover, the team still has what are hoped to be more wins to add to their record with post-season play beginning.
Harvey feels confident of continuing last year’s success thanks to their coaches’ preparation and leadership.
“I really don’t feel a lot of pressure coming off a 25-3 season,” Harvey said. “We know that our coaches are going to prepare us for each game, and we are going to go out there and do our thing.”
The team hopes to continue this success and secure home court advantage for playoffs to have the fans help motivate and push them to victory. Gantt emphasizes the positive impact the fans have on the team’s accomplishments.
“As much as I love the away games,” Gantt said, “…nothing is better than a home game. Having your own crowd of people supporting you is a feeling not everyone gets to have and I sure enjoy it.”
With that being said, support the boys as they head into the first round of playoffs against Pleasantville on February 21.
