Under the canopy that covers Chenango County basketball resides a decidely purple hue as we unveil our 2011-2012 boys’ basketball all-stars.
Ten young men, all of whom have found themselves on prior all-star lists, made the grade for this year with the Norwich Purple Tornado occupying 30 percent – three of 10 – of our allotted roster spots.
For NHS seniors Dennis Oralls and Seth Thomsen, it is a return appearance to our season-ending list. In fact, six of our ten-pack are again gracing the pages as Chenango County’s best. In that select alumni are Bainbridge-Guilford’s Ryan Porter, Unadilla Valley’s Justin Hofer, Sherburne-Earlville’s Randy Briggs, and Oxford’s Andrew Golden.
Among the new faces are Norwich junior Kyle Edwards, Otselic Valley senior Gideon Schena, Greene senior Sam Adams, and Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton senior DeMario Reed.
This group is senior dominated with just Edwards and Golden the lone athletes returning next season. Every local team but one (Unadilla Valley) sports an all-star selection and finished the regular season with a .500 record or better. B-G and Oxford qualified for the Midstate Athletic Conference final four; Sherburne-Earlville was an unbeaten Center State Conference division champion; Otselic Valley was one win away from sharing the Central Counties League division title; and Norwich, above all, won a Section IV Class B championship.
The caliber of basketball was pretty good this year, almost uniformly. UV, although under .500, qualified for postseason play for the first time in years, and with Hofer leading the way as the area’s top scorer, the Storm were a threat to every team they played.
All eight teams we cover in our readership area earned an all-star nod, and we have compiled the all-star list based on our season-long observations along with the recommendations of area coaches. Next week we follow up with our girls basketball selections along with final season statistics. Teams and their respective all-star players are listed in alphabetical order. Please read on for a summary of each player:
Note: Players listed by school alphabetically:
Ryan Porter, sr., Bainbridge-Guilford, 6-foot-4
A dominant inside-outside player for the Bobcats, Porter was instrumental in the Bobcats’ resurgence this season finishing with 16.8 points per game, 12 rebounds, and 2.3 blocked shots. Porter had five 20-point games and was a regular double-double machine for points and rebounds as he was named the Midstate Athletic Conference’s co-Most Valuable Player. “Ryan really played well this season, and I think he surprised a lot of people,” said B-G first-year coach Greg Warren. Perhaps Porter’s best all-around game was a non-league win over Windsor in which he posted 16 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals in a 14-point win. His most impressive game was the lone 20-20 game by a local cager. In a 67-54 victory over UV, Porter poured in 25 points and hauled down 20 rebounds. His finished his career just shy of 900 points, and may have eclipsed 1,000 for his career if he had not lost better than a one-third of his sophomore season due to injury.
B-G honorable mention: Austin Bauerle, jr.; Brooks Harmon, jr.; Corbin Palmer, jr.
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DeMario Reed, sr., G-MU, 5-foot-8
If anyone got the most out of his size, it was G-MU three-year starter DeMario Reed. Reed is the only Chenango County boy to reach double figures scoring in every game he played this past season, and he was also a selection to the Tri-Valley League first team all-stars. “In addition to the load he carried offensively, Demario routinely guarded the most explosive opposing player each night,” said G-MU coach Bill Hartman. “Despite his lack of size, DeMario often competed down low in our zone defensive schemes ultilizing his athleticism and strength to compete. He was a pleasure to coach.” Reed averaged 16.1 points per game exceeding 20 points four times with a high of 26 coming against Richfield Springs. He shot 46 percent from the field, and added five rebounds and three steals per game.
G-MU honorable mention: Eddie Ray Cotton, jr.
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Sam Adams, sr. Greene, 6-foot-3
Adams, a first team all-Midstate Athletic Conference selection, was the prototypical glue guy in which he contributed in many areas to the Trojans’ success. He was Greene’s second leading scorer at 11 points per game, while also regularly defending the opposing team’s best offensive player. “Sam did it all for us this year,” said Trojans coach Rick Smith. Adams had five double-doubles in points and rebounds and he blocked four shots per game, pulled down eight rebounds per contest, and shot a solid 46 percent from the field. Adams scored in double figures 14 times in 19 games reaching a season-high of 18 points against Deposit.
Greene honorable mention: Jeff Carlin, sr.; Ryan Borst, jr.
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Kyle Edwards, jr. Norwich, 6-foot-1
Edwards was a difficult cover with his ability to drive to the basket meshing well with his deadly shooting accuracy from the perimeter. Edwards finished with 14.1 points per game, second on the Class B champion Tornado, and pumped in a Chenango County-high 58 three-pointers this campaign. He had a three ball in 20 of 22 games, and almost single-handedly brought Norwich to victory against Sus Valley nailing seven threes including 6-for-6 in the second half. “He shot over 50 percent from behind the three-point arc, and that is almost unheard of,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “He was a lock-down defender for us, and made big shots for us all year. He made dramatic improvements in his game from last year to this year.” Edwards reached 20 points six times this season with his 24 against Sus Valley his career-high.
