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92 in 92: Poly Tech (Del.)

10/27/2014, 10:00am EDT
By Tom Reifsnyder
DeVaughn Mallory

Poly Tech senior DeVaughn Mallory (above), a quiet big man with a high motor, leads by example. (Photo: Tug Haines)

Tom Reifsnyder (@tom_reifsnyder)

(Ed. Note: This piece is part of CoBL’s “92 Stories in 92 Days” high school season preview, which will feature a different team in the CoBL coverage range each day from September 1 to December 1. For the full list of previews, click here)

Poly Tech senior DeVaughn Mallory will play a crucial leadership role for his team this season.

Unless you know him personally, though, you might never have heard him speak.

“DeVaughn doesn’t talk a lot, but he leads by example,” head coach John Pierce said. “The one time when you’ll really get him mad enough to say something is when he feels everybody’s not hustling, he’ll say something then.

“But other than that, you won’t hear a word from him.”

Although the lengthy 6-foot-7 forward towers over most human beings, Mallory is as mild-mannered as they come. However, you shouldn’t mistake his silence for weakness.

Mallory sports a motor like no other. Whether on offense or defense, he’ll be in the mix for every rebound. He also has an array of moves in the high post and short corner that make him a viable offensive threat.

Mallory is Poly Tech’s rock. If you’ve ever seen him play, you know he’s about as reliable as the sun coming up in the morning.

“We know what we’re going to get from him every night; he’s going to give us the hustle, the heart, he’s going to run the floor, he’s going to do anything for the team to win and that’s what I love about him,” Pierce said. “He’s not worried about his stats; he just wants the team to win.”

Wins were hard to come by for the Panthers last season, as they finished with a 5-15 record in Pierce’s sixth season as head coach.

Mallory will have a lot resting on his shoulders in the effort to turn the team around, but he won’t be alone. Senior point guard Ricky Hicks will also share a large portion of the leadership burden for Poly Tech this season.

“He’s a huge leader for our team,” Pierce said. “He’s our point guard, and of course we want our point guard to be an extension of the coach, so he’s definitely one of our big leaders along with DeVaughn.”

Hicks’ pass-first mentality makes him a team favorite on the court, as he often elects to find the open man rather than looking to create his own shot. As for his contribution as a leader, Mallory is grateful to have Hicks in his corner.

“Ricky has helped me a lot, especially so I’m not the only one who has to talk on the court,” Mallory said. “He’s the main one with the ball so he knows the right times to set up a play or the right people to pass it too, and doesn’t just hold the ball all the time but also creates plays and passes it off.”

Although Mallory and Hicks will be the team’s most significant leaders, Poly Tech’s biggest x-factor is senior Juwan Gray.

A 6-7 forward, like Mallory, Gray can do a little bit of everything. He shoots the ball from deep, handles it, posts up smaller defenders, and also excels as a distributor. However, it’s difficult to predict exactly what you’re going to get from him on a night-to-night basis.

“Juwan can be one of those guys to just go off,” Pierce said. “He’s our x-factor because he’s going to have a lot of mismatches this year.

“He’s actually a wing, but we’re going to post him up a lot because he’s usually going to be guarded by smaller, quicker guys.”

Pierce’s son, John Pierce Jr., will be another contributor to the already formidable frontcourt headlined by Mallory and Gray.

“Another big factor to our team will be my son, who right now is playing football,” Pierce said. “That’s another big body for us that shoots ball and bangs in the paint, so that’s a big piece that we’ll have once football season is over.

“That’ll be really good for us.”

At 6-4 and 310 pounds, the senior forward will be a certifiable force in the paint for the Panthers. Delaware State, University of Delaware, Princeton, and Lafayette are among the schools that are expressing interest in Pierce Jr. for his talents on the football field.

With the trio of Mallory, Gray, and Pierce Jr. manning the frontcourt for Poly Tech, open layups will be few and far between for opposing teams this season.

As for the backcourt, junior guards Chase Chappel and Zach Price will complement Hicks nicely. The two off-guards will be seeing a lot of open jumpers this season with a point guard like Hicks running the show.

Although shooting is their calling card, Chappel and Price are by no means one-dimensional.

“Chase has helped our team a lot because he’s not just a player who’ll shoot the ball, but he’ll also follow his shot, help get rebounds, and he’s one of our main defensive players on the team,” Mallory said. “As for Zach, he’s a set shooter; when you see him on the three-point line he’s always ready to shoot.

“But he’s gotten a lot better at dribbling and can also pass the ball as well.”

Although the team graduated five seniors, much of the core group from last season will be returning for the 2014-2015 campaign. Only one of the departing seniors, John Williams, played significant minutes for Pierce last season.

Following a down year for the program in which the team failed to qualify for the Delaware state playoffs, Mallory believes the team has put the past behind them going into this season.

“Last year, there were a bunch of egos and people wanting to be the man, but this year it’s a lot more teamwork and getting the ‘W’ instead of worrying about who has more points, or more blocks or rebounds,” he said.

Despite last season’s turmoil, Pierce and his players exhibit unwavering confidence in the pursuit of their goal.

“I don’t even have to say it… my guys will tell you, state championship or nothing,” Pierce said. “That’s their mindset right now because they know what we went through last year.

“The captains this year, DeVaughn and Ricky, they already said, ‘coach, we got this,’ so I’m very confident in those two guys to take hold of the team and lead the team in the way that they want it to go, and the coaches have their back.”

While it remains to be seen whether the team is truly championship-ready, the Poly Tech Panthers are certainly headed in the right direction.

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(Ed. Note: This piece is part of CoBL’s “92 Stories in 92 Days” high school season preview, which will feature a different team in the CoBL coverage range each day from September 1 to December 1.)


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