City of Basketball Love

Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2016-17 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 11. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season, click here.)

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CARLISLE — With a significant number of players returning from a versatile squad teeming with athleticism — all of them hungry for collective success, as well as the individual kind — no wonder Dickinson’s Alan Seretti is upbeat.

Start with having a coachable group featuring a number of players capable of performing and thriving at multiple spots on any basketball court while competing at a highly entertaining and fun-to-play pace on both ends of the floor.

Recall, too, that Seretti’s Red Devils (13-13, 12-6 in league play) closed out the 2015-16 regular season by winning 11 of their last 14 outings — including seven straight heading into yet another Centennial Conference postseason event.

“It’s exciting, because there’s a high ceiling on the group and a lot of improvement left for them individually and as a team,” said Seretti (115-77), who will begin his eighth year at the Dickinson helm tonight at Mary Washington. Up first is Arcadia. “It’s also exciting because we have plenty of guys that have been in games.

“We return 14 guys from last  year and, I think, we have five different guys returning who started at least a game. As we’ve had competitive teams here, we’ve asked players to take on roles that maybe they were unaccustomed to in high school — and they’ve done that and that’s what’s made us good. As each successive class leaves, now they feel like they can play like they’re capable. That’s this group.

“There’s no other group that epitomizes that, but this one because they played beside Gerry Wixted and Steve Collins, Chris Cox and Pete Yingst,” Seretti added, rattling off some of the terrific players he’s coached since arriving at Dickinson. “They played beside Teddy Hinnenkamp and Brandon Angradi and they were passers and screeners and rebounders and defenders, and now they feel like, ‘Now it’s my turn.’ So I think that’s exciting to see, to see them come out of their shell a little bit.”

And it’s mighty safe to say that a good number of Seretti’s players will need to come out of their respective shells, since the returning Red Devils said goodbye to an All-American (Hinnenkamp) and the program’s all-time leading deep shooter (Angradi).

Mighty quickly, too, since there’s only one senior on Dickinson’s roster.

Those on hand seem prepared to make that happen, and it’s not just about finding a way to cover for the 31-plus points per game that left with Hinnenkamp and Angradi.

“There’s two parts to that,” said sophomore Jule Brown (7.7 ppg/3.6 rpg/2.9 apg last season), the versatile 6-6 sophomore from Lower Merion capable of playing all five positions on the court. “There’s the off-court stuff, the leaders those guys were since Teddy and Brandon were both great leaders. So we have to fill that void off the court.

“We could give them the ball every time and they could make a play out of it. I wouldn’t call it pressure, there’s a void to fill. But we’ve got a lot of guys that have waited their turn, the Jon Stengers, the Moses Romockis of the world,” Brown continued. “They’ve been waiting for this as well. We’ve got two great leaders in them and the other leaders are Chris McNeal (Episcopal Academy) and Sam Lorenzo, the other junior leaders.

“We’re gonna miss those guys, but we have other guys willing to fill their leadership both on and off the court.”

And while Seretti’s Red Devils may not have that one guy capable of torching the opposition every time out, this group could wind up being more dangerous collectively since Dickinson wants to play fast and with plenty of balance.

“We have a lot of guys that can contribute every single night. It’s not going to be one main guy contributing,” Brown said. “We’re all going to be contributing to the point that they’re not going to know where it’s going to come from. Moses may go out and get his 12, 14, 16 points. Then you might have Mike [Hinckley], our point guard, who might get 10, 12, 14 points. Teams aren’t really going to know since we won’t have one specific guy to focus on. We can use that to our advantage.”

Seretti sees that collective balance as a mighty big positive when talking about his latest group. Also fits rather snugly with the Red Devils’ overall selflessness.

“We have more guys who are willing to get you 12 or more willing to get you four,” Seretti added. “Jule Brown can go out and get five and he’s fine as long as we win and he gets five rebounds and six assists. He doesn’t care. Sometimes with a kid like Jule, you want him to get 25 but he just wants to play the game the right way and he just wants to be part of a team that’s good and has a winning culture.

“Most of our guys, if not all of them, are that way,” Seretti continued. “That’s why it’s a fun group to coach. They don’t care, they really don’t.”

Also helps to explain why Seretti and his coaching staff — Dickinson graduate Matt Dolan and Ken Broomer — continue to try to sort out the Red Devils’ rotation. Might go 10 or more since these guys hope to be able to push the pace.

Or, Seretti & Co., may go shorter than that.

Nonetheless, expect the remarkably versatile Brown, the 6-1 Hinckley (Episcopal Academy) and 6-7 junior Justus Melton to fill up several spots.

Hinckley (6.5 ppg/2.6 rpg/2.5 apg) started 19 times last season as a freshman following his return from a knee injury. Dickinson’s top returning scorer, Melton (8.0 ppg/5.5 rpg/1.6 apg) started 16 of the 22 games in which he played.

“When I came back in December, it was tough getting acclimated with speed of play so quickly and not having played in the fall or much of the preseason,” Hinckley admitted. “I was nervous and eventually I got into it better.

“This year, it’s been a lot better feeling knowing what to expect. We have a lot better chemistry this year and it’s not such a new group. Our class had eight freshmen last year and it was hard to acclimate, especially with so many of us getting time.

“This year, we’re a lot closer.”

Others from this close-knit group that could step into larger roles include the 6-4 Stenger (4.0 ppg) and the 6-5 Romocki (7.6 ppg/3.1 rpg). Sophomore Elijah Wright (4.4 ppg/2.5 rpg), a 6-2 sophomore who led the Devils in steals, is another possibility.

“He’s very athletic,” Seretti said with a grin. “He’s pretty special on the defensive end and he has a hunger to get better. He’s different. That might be a look.”

Freshman guard Bryce Allen and 6-4 sophomore Mike Jurzynski (6.6 ppg/2.3 rpg) also will merit early looks. Seretti could turn to others such as 6-1 sophomore Nick Kelly (Mercersburg Academy), 6-0 sophomore Corey Sherman (Lower Merion) and 6-4 sophomore Harrison Brown, each of whom is a perimeter threat.

Since the Red Devils don’t have that one real hammer in the paint, they’re going to need to be successful in multiple ways if they hope to lock down a seventh consecutive invite to the Centennial Conference’s five-team postseason tournament. Maybe more.

However, they were picked fifth in a preseason poll.

“In our league, with some talented bigs around, we’ve got to be able to guard that area,” Seretti stated. “We’ve got to be able to defensive rebound and we’ve got to be able to make shots. Our mismatch ability doesn’t help you when you don’t stretch the floor. … If we can make shots from the perimeter and make you come guard us, we have some advantages with the dribble with some of our athleticism.”

Dickinson certainly will be tested, as Seretti has put together a devilish schedule including difficult nonleague scrapes with Christopher Newport, Susquehanna, Wilkes, Arcadia, Stockton as well as possible matchups with Mary Washington and Catholic.

“It’s good to play these nonleague games with athletic guards, because that’s who we’ll see in the NCAA Tournament — if we take care of the Centennial games,” Hinckley said.

Right now, however, Dickinson’s only focus is wrapping up a lengthy preseason training camp and beginning regular-season play against Arcadia.

“We’re all itching to get out there and play somebody else,” Brown said. “We all love each other, but we’re getting tired of playing each other. We’re ready to go beat up on somebody else. … We’re excited for that first tournament, because it’s a chance to bond on the road. Go out to Virginia and play some different teams.”

At the same time, refine an on-court style that could thrill Kline Center crowds.

“The versatility and athleticism we have, the ability to make shots, the toughness, the ability to create shots for each other, the ability to share it, defend on the ball, there’s a lot of things we do well,” Seretti said. “We just have to make the game play and we have to dictate to teams that it’s played the way we want it to be played.

“If we do that, we’ll be fun to watch and we’ll get better.”