Keohane carries success with NT Hoops to local café

 

Rob Keohane, seen in huddle with NT JV Basketball team in 2018, has proven defining the odds pays off in the long run (Courtesy of NT Basketball)

*** As seen in Twin Cities Sun, August 7, 2020 edition *** 

By Joe Kraus

Rob Keohane has always been up for a challenge.

From coaching junior varsity basketball or teaching physical education at Drake Elementary in the North Tonawanda City Schools District for almost 20 years – even serving as a principal for one year – Keohane has always been one to take on projects when others tell him he couldn’t – or shouldn’t.

Case in point is his latest endeavor – running Café on the Avenue, a retro-styled diner located on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo.

“With the restaurant, people said, ‘Are you crazy? What are you doing?’ But, I’m a go-getter and I try to do different things,” said Keohane in October 2019. “You don’t want to die and have any regrets saying, ‘Jeez, I wish I tried something…’ So I think I’ll try this endeavor and see how it works!”

Crafting his culinary art for nearly five years, Keohane fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning a restaurant since he drove past that very same building as a teenager more than 40 years ago.

“I always worked at a restaurant, doing dishes during my teenage years,” said Keohane. “So I have some experience in the restaurant business. But this is a totally different thing being an owner.”

Having that experience gave him a firsthand account of daily life in a restaurant.

And he’s discovered that serving as a diner owner and as a coach are similar as both need the right ingredients for everything to sync.

“I want people that work here to love working here,” he said. “Everything’s got to come together as one. And if it doesn’t, it’s a failure, just like a losing team. Good leadership starts from the top all the way down to the bottom. I make my dishwasher feel just as important as my manager. You have to.”

The son of Theresa and Joe Keohane, who was a 36-year history teacher in NT, and one of four brothers, Keohane said being a North Towns kid in the 1980s was drastically different compared to today.

“We always had dinner at 5:00 as a family,” said Keohane. “I think that’s the biggest difference between today and the 1980s. I talk to a lot of families today and they don’t really eat dinner together… Obviously no cell phones. I tell some of my students, we did not even have a remote control for a TV. We had to get up and turn off the TV.”

Keohane played every sport growing up, but basketball was his favorite after watching Buffalo Braves games at The Aud. Watching great players like Ernie D, Randy Smith and Bob McAdoo inspired Keohane to play basketball for Kenmore West High School.

There, Keohane played for Geoff Brunger for two seasons on junior varsity and the next two seasons on varsity under 2019 Section VI Hall of Fame inductee Dick Harvey.

Keohane and the Blue Devils won the Niagara Frontier League title in the 1981-82 season and finished 16-4 and in the state semifinals the following year when Keohane was a senior.

Having the chance to play under Brunger and Harvey changed the trajectory of Keohane’s life.

“I just coach the way my coaches coached me,” said Keohane, who coached with Harvey at Kenmore West from 1990 to 1992 after starting his teaching career in Buffalo. “There’s no excuses to not work hard. You might not be the best shooter; you might not be the best defender but there’s no reason why you can’t work hard every day. I learned so much from both my coaches.”

That’s carried over to North Tonawanda, where over the past six seasons, the JV success on the court has mirrored the hard work instilled in practice.

Since Keohane took over in 2014-15, the JV ‘Jacks are 78-42 overall – including an 18-2 campaign in 2017-18. Many of Keohane’s JV starters later became game-changers at the varsity level, especially in 2017 when the Lumberjacks won the program’s first sectional title since 1961 in the Class A finals over Amherst and advanced to their only Far West Regionals appearance to date.

“He approaches coaching our Junior Varsity team with the same passion and genuine care as if he were coaching a varsity team,” added NT varsity coach Ryan Mountain. “He hates to lose, and his teams always play hard, but he also teaches discipline and teamwork which are crucial in the development process of our program. He also supports our program’s scholastic requirement by motivating the players to excel to their potential in the classroom.”

Keohane said he has been “so lucky” to have coached plenty of talented players, on and off the court, through the years.

“Without good players, we do not have that great success,” he said. “All the credit goes to my players.”

Working 12-hour days during the winter and dividing time between teaching, coaching and overseeing a business can be a lot for one person’s plate – but Keohane has no complaints.

He’s even combined them together with the addition of “The Lumberjack” breakfast on his menu. And, a personal touch – the “Joe’s Angus Burger,” for his late father’s love of hamburgers.

Despite the current uncertainty, Keohane advises his players, students, employees and whoever else to pursue what their heart desires and tune out the noise.

“There’s a lot of people that want to take that dream away from you because they’re jealous or whatever,” he said. “They say, ‘You can’t do that’ and you go out and prove them wrong… I’ll never shy away from a challenge – never.  I just work really hard to reach my goals and when my teams or Café are successful, it is the greatest feeling in the world. That’s the way I look at it.”

For more information on their menu updates and current COVID-19 protocol, like Café on the Avenue on Facebook or call 716-877-2233.

Joe Kraus is a Canisius College 2020 graduate and Journalism major whose work has appeared in the Twin Cities Sun and other local publications in Western New York. If you have any comments or an idea for a future story, please send to joekrausnt@gmail.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NT trio’s hardwood success translates to military

James Garavaglia (#33), Ryan Gilbert (#5) and Drew Krantz (#23) took lessons learned from time spent on a championship contending team and brought them to the U.S, military

(Courtesy of NT Basketball Alumni) 

*** As seen in Twin Cities Sun, July 17, 2020 edition ***

By Joe Kraus

Executing on a championship caliber team requires persevering through adversity and teamwork. That’s all enhanced when you join the largest national team possible – the United States military.

That was the case for North Tonawanda’s James Garavaglia, Ryan Gilbert and Drew Krantz. After leading the Lumberjacks to a share of the Niagara Frontier League title and a runner-up finish in the 2015 Section VI Class A-1 finals, the trio exchanged their jerseys and gym shorts for military uniforms four years ago and carried some life advice with them.

“Just got to roll with the punches,” said Gilbert, who served four years as a radio operator with the Marines in North Carolina and then California until last December. “Whatever’s thrown, you just gotta take it like a grain of salt and just keep pushing forward. Whatever hurdles are in the way, just overcome them.”

Coming from families with NT ties, all three learned the value of hard work through sports.

Gilbert and Garavaglia, who are cousins, fell in love with basketball at an early age and started their careers locally in the North Tonawanda Youth Center program. Krantz picked up the sport around middle school after getting hooked on football first through NTAA and watching former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith. When the three were joined by their future varsity teammates as seventh graders in the winter of 2010, the on-court magic started.

“I think the Rec league, for being a rec league, was extremely competitive, especially the kids,” said Krantz, who finished four years as a fuels operator (POL) with the Air Forces overseas in March. “I feel like I got some of my competitive spirit from the Rec league, definitely. We practiced for a little bit but once it came to the games, it was pretty heated.”

After starring on Pat Kennedy’s junior varsity team as sophomores in the 2012-13 season, the three became varsity reserves their junior campaign before contributing in their own ways in their senior season.

Gilbert, inspired by Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook, was the Jacks’ starting point guard. Krantz was the quiet, lead-by-example senior off the bench and Garavaglia was the three-point shooting sixth man who defended his teammates when the games got out of hand.

“When things got hectic or heated, I was never scared to have my teammates backs,” said Garavaglia, who is stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia but is currently on a 10-month European rotation. “We were very close and I wouldn’t let anyone try to bully or intimidate anybody on that team. I feel like you should always be able to rely on your teammates to have your back in tense situations.”

With an “on to the next one” team mantra, Gilbert said the way they practiced led to their on-court success.

“It was a grind but it was fun going through the whole thing,” said Gilbert, who had a memorable buzzer-beating three-shot in a home win versus Kenmore West. “We got better throughout the season. I wish we would’ve made it a little further but it is what it is. It’s still a good run.”

“We may not have been the most athletic or strongest team in the league but we stuck to our fundamentals and coach (Ryan) Mountain’s game-plan and its proven success,” added Garavaglia.

Hearing of their post-high school success was no surprise to their former coach Mountain.

“It takes a lot of guts to say, ‘I’m going to (forego) four years of my young adulthood to serving our country’ and not knowing where you’ll go, not knowing how far away from home you’ll be, not knowing if you will be in combat,” said Mountain. “We could say all we want about being soldiers on a basketball court. That is special in its own way… But it doesn’t hold a candle to what soldiers experience, especially those unfortunate enough to have to be involved in combat.”

Today, Gilbert and the others said NT’s past success have bred more postseason success, including another Class A-1 title this past March.

“It seems like we’re almost a lock in at Buffalo State as of right now and that’s a lot of credit to Mountain,” said Gilbert. “He’s a great coach. He’s really turned this town into a basketball town. That’s our sport, for sure.”

While Gilbert and Krantz are now getting into their studies in Electrical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, respectively, at the University at Buffalo, Garavaglia is still on the other side of the globe.

In what was supposed to be only a three-month stay as part of a multi-national training event, Garavaglia remains in Poland until at least early 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. With plans of clearing from the Army and resuming school once he returns home, Garavaglia said Mountain’s lessons stand out five years later throughout this experience.

“We used to laugh at the saying, ‘Cry in the dojo, laugh on the battlefield’ but it actually makes a lot of sense because you train hard and suffer with just your team behind the scenes – and it’s all worth it when you go out and accomplish a higher goal and you know you did because of dedication and hard work,” he said.

All three joined the armed forces for differing reasons. Gilbert’s step-dad also served in the Marines. Garavaglia was inspired by an uncle who joined the army in the 2000s. And Krantz, although he didn’t have military ties in his family, had relatives who were police chiefs, fire chiefs and police detectives.

But they all agreed joining the service was the best decision they ever made.

“If you are ever confused or not sure what you want to do with your life, the military can offer you a good career and opportunities,” Garavaglia said. “It will also provide you with being a part of something bigger than yourself and experiences you would never get anywhere else.”

Joe Kraus is a Canisius College 2020 graduate and Journalism major whose work has appeared in the Twin Cities Sun and other local publications in Western New York. If you have any comments or an idea for a future story, please send to joekrausnt@gmail.com 

 

 

NT had personality, grit in championship season

 

*** As seen in Twin Cities Sun, March 27, 2020 edition ***

Thank your lucky stars.

That’s the way the North Tonawanda basketball team is looking at its 2019-20 campaign.

Initially disappointed at how their season ended in a 71-67 loss to Health Sciences in the Section VI Class A championship earlier this month, the Lumberjacks soon realized they were able to end the season on their own terms – a chance other teams weren’t able to have.

By the end of that work week, the NYSPHSAA postponed and later cancelled the rest of the winter sports postseason – turning the Lumberjacks’ matchup against the Falcons into the sudden season finale for Western New York high school hardwood action.

“Imagine if this pandemic had happened two weeks prior and we weren’t able to share any of those incredible experiences together,” head coach Ryan Mountain told his players. “We’re at peace with that loss, we know we let that slip away but we know that we almost played good enough to knock off the number one team in Western New York and that would’ve been the cherry on the sundae. But we’re at peace with our incredible accomplishments.”

The turning point of this game against the Falcons, Mountain said, came when the Lumberjacks fouled Jabari Spencer on a three-point shot and converted the rare four-point play to cut his team’s deficit to 44-36 with 4:48 remaining in the third quarter. This swung the momentum in favor of Health Sciences until the final two minutes of regulation when the Lumberjacks applied pressure – but it was too little, too late.

“If you’re ever part of a game where the scoreboard said you lost but you really felt like you ran out of time, that was the game,” Mountain said. “We really controlled the majority of the game. It was really a three to four minute stretch where they outplayed us and we lost momentum… It’s not how many shots you make, it’s when you make them. And unfortunately, for us, they made them at the right times.”

Not only did the Lumberjacks defeat Sweet Home, McKinley and West Seneca West en route to their second Section VI Class A-1 title in the past four years, the team also finished the season 17-7 overall and 8-5 in Niagara Frontier League play.

Since Mountain took over the program in the 2010-11 season, the Lumberjacks have won at least 12 games in seven of the past 10 seasons and each of the last four years. The foundation for their success was through their accountability for each other, he said.

“It was their tremendous commitment to me and the NT way, how hard they played, how attentive they were to their senior year and just how committed they were to bringing out the best in each other and demanding the most out of me to bring my A-game on a day-to-day basis,” Mountain said. “And ultimately, it was a group that, because of their competitiveness and how they drew the best out of each other, it was almost like a ‘Get on my level or get out of my way’ type of feel in practice and games.”

Heading into the off-season, the Lumberjacks look to replace four starters  – Dante Moultrie, Noah Fox, and Cameron and Jordan Cutter – who, along with freshman Luke Granto, combined for 57.9 points per game together and each scored 200 points or more. Other graduating seniors are guards Tyler MacNeil and Sebastian Reid and forwards Tim Osborn and Liam McMurray, who all contributed veteran experience off the bench.

“We were a very selfless group,” Mountain said. “We had five, six guys that would average 20 points on other teams. I’d have to say, all 11 of our players this year could’ve started for other teams in Western New York, and I mean that. Everybody embraced their role on the team and they didn’t count the minutes – they made the minutes count.”

The team also left its mark in the record books as it now hold the record for most three-pointers (202) and total points (1,781) in a single season and best in rebounds (872) and assists (348) over the past 10 seasons. Individually, Jordan Cutter led the team with 16.0 points per game and converted a team-high 56 three-pointers. Moultrie finished second on the team in scoring (14.5) and rebounding and assists while Fox led in assists, steals and deflections.

The Lumberjacks will look to defend their sectional title with Granto, fellow freshman Patrick McNeill and junior Nick Sciandra all returning to form a solid nucleus next season – and Mountain hopes they’ll be able to pass on the lessons they learned this season.

“Relentlessness is a way of life,” Mountain said. “If that’s what they’re going to take away from this experience as they grow into young men, then I’m happy with that.”

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Jacks conquer Indians for Class A-1 title

*** As seen in Twin Cities Sun, March 13, 2020 *** 

As he stepped off the bus outside the Buffalo State Sports Arena on Saturday before facing West Seneca West in the Section VI Class A-1 championship, North Tonawanda head coach Ryan Mountain told his team the story of how the ancient Romans set fire to their boats when they arrived to enemy territory, indicating they planned on staying for a long time.

With the help of the basketball gods, the Lumberjacks sent that same message.

Facing a 31-26 deficit at halftime, the Lumberjacks relied on two of their seniors, Dante Moultrie (28 points, 18 in the second half) and Jordan Cutter (all 14 points in the second half)  and secured a 64-56 win against the Indians, marking NT’s first postseason hardware since bringing home both the A-1 and the overall Class A titles in 2017.

Tied at 37 with under four minutes left in the third quarter, Moultrie – the catalyst of NT’s offense all season – was simply unconscious from beyond the arc and knocked down back-to-back-to-back three-pointers as part of an 11-0 NT run that put them up 48-37 heading into the fourth quarter.

“This is the stuff that we talked about and dreamed about and envisioned every night going to sleep,” said Moultrie, who finished the night with four three-pointers. “And we were able to get it done. You couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.”

Like most of their games this season, Mountain said, it was a battle of two teams with extreme mental toughness.

“We had several opportunities where we had a loose ball and they out-toughed us,” Mountain said. “We addressed that at halftime and we just said, ‘You have to trust that they’re going to wear down like the majority of the other teams have this year.’”

After the Jacks took a 10-4 lead with less than four minutes left in the first quarter, the Indians responded with baskets from Brian Orf and Daric Rivera and cut the deficit to 10-8. A trey from NT’s Luke Granto started another back-and-forth sequence over the final 2:30 of the frame, capped off by Zach Fahey’s buzzer-beater jumper to trim West’s deficit to 18-15.

Both teams converted turnovers into fast-break scoring opportunities to start the second quarter. West Seneca West’s Connor Schermerhorn’s banked-in three-pointer gave his team their first lead of the night, 22-21, with 4:22 left in the first half. The Indians padded their lead until NT’s Noah Fox’s three-pointer cut the deficit briefly 26-24 with just over two minutes left.

“It was a close game every possession,” said West Seneca West head coach Stan Wier. “The first half, we had things go out way. We were making some shots. We were getting to the line and the second half was the other way around. We didn’t get to the free-throw line once, which is incredible, in my opinion. But, to their credit, they hit a lot of tough shots and that’s the way it goes.”

But NT’s shots started to fall in the third quarter as a jumper and a three-point shot from Jordan Cutter on consecutive possessions tied the game at 31.

Then came Moultrie’s explosion.

“A lot of the times it’s Dante being unselfish attacking the paint and trying to get to the rim and then kicking and setting up shooters, whereas tonight, we said, it’s going to take a drive and a kick and then maybe a second drive and kick and we showed great discipline and composure,” Mountain said.  “For a change, his teammates set him up to score. All three were beautiful jump-shots – silky smooth swishes.”

Two more three-pointers from Nate Ryniec (11 points total) and Schermerhorn (9 points total), cut the deficit to 62-56 with about 30 seconds remaining, but, Weir admitted that his team was fatigued by then.

“We knew that we had to close out all these guys hard and they got hot from ‘three’ and really, we played them tough,” Wier said.

Since most of his current players were freshmen the last time NT secured a sectional title, Mountain said he had a strong feeling about this group throughout the season.

“Obviously, there’s ebbs and flows throughout the season but we all work together,” said Mountain. “I work extremely hard but my team works even harder and that’s reciprocal. We push each other. They drive me to be a better coach and relentlessness is a way of life. And hopefully that’s what our team learns coming out of the season and lives it for the rest of their life – with a relentless way.”

****************

The Lumberjacks 2019-20 campaign later came to a close this past Tuesday night (March 10) in a 71-67 defeat against the Falcons in the Section VI Class A-1 championship.

Two of the best forwards in the area, Ja’Vaughn Jones and Daciare Riley, scored 23 points apiece to lead the A-2 champion Falcons to their first Class A title in program history after their historic success at Class B over roughly the past decade.

NT built a 40-29 lead thanks again to the efforts of Jordan Cutter, who scored 12 of his 16 points in the second quarter. Jabari Spencer hit three treys in the third quarter, which helped the Falcons cut NT’s large lead down to 53-49 into the fourth quarter.

Tyler Smith’s go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter with 6:05 remaining helped the Falcons soar to victory as they outscored the Jacks 22-14 in the last frame.

In his final game as a Lumberjack, Dante Moultrie finished with a team-high 19 points  – 12 in the fourth quarter alone.

NT finished the season with a 17-7 overall record and were 8-5 in Niagara Frontier League play. Since the Ryan Mountain coaching era began in 2010-11, the Lumberjacks have had a winning record in eight of the last 10 seasons and in each of the last four seasons.

 

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Brotherly love on display in NT; Cutter twins have been Lumberjacks’ leaders

Boys to Men: Cameron (left) and Jordan Cutter turned the corner as one of the Niagara Frontier League’s top tandems this winter for NT Hoops

(Courtesy of Jeanette Hansen: The Crazy Picture Lady)

*** As seen in Twin Cities Sun, February 14, 2020 edition ***

You’re not seeing double if you’ve watched a North Tonawanda boys basketball game at the Lumberyard the past two years.

From the moment they suited up at the varsity level, Cameron and Jordan Cutter have made an impact on and off the hardwood for the Lumberjacks – particularly last week in highly emotional victories against rival Tonawanda and a Senior Night bout with Niagara-Wheatfield.

In the 91-44 victory against the Warriors, Jordan scored 20 points in 19 minutes of action while Cameron added 17 points, eight rebounds and an exclamation point fast-break slam dunk in the final minute of play.

“Tonawanda was personal for a lot of the guys on the team because we lost to them on our home field in football,” said Cameron, who is older than Jordan by five minutes. “The dunk was just a little punch to add to it, you know?”

That was followed up by an 80-60 victory against the Falcons, where Jordan again led the team with 25 points and Cameron added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“It just felt really good to come back and beat them, especially Niagara-Wheatfield,” said Jordan. “When they beat us in the playoffs (last February), we couldn’t wait to face them again.”

While the Lumberjacks’ four game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday in a 70-61 loss to Niagara Falls despite the brothers contributing 11 points apiece – they both noted a road loss against Kenmore East that forced the team to get back to basics.

“Everybody’s knocking down shots and our team’s just so deep that if everybody’s hitting their shots, it just feels good to be a part of a team like that,” said Jordan, who averaged 17 points and an average of 2.3 three-pointers per game prior to Tuesday’s game. “Anyone on our team can shoot. Even if someone’s off, another person’s there to pick it up and that’s just really good. That’s pretty much what we’re doing right now and why we’re succeeding.”

The sons of Stephen and Deborah Cutter and the youngest siblings to older brother Zheryk and older sister Zivi, basketball was not their first sport of choice.

Up until sixth grade when their dad encouraged them to give the North Tonawanda Youth Center basketball program a chance, baseball was the preferred sport after a short stint with soccer. But like most of the Lumberjacks players who passed through “The Rec” over the years – once they started playing, they didn’t want to quit.

“It helps them figure out whether they really like basketball or not. That was the case for me,” said Jordan. “Once I started playing Rec basketball, I realized how much I enjoy the game and I’ve never stopped playing ever since. I think that’s the same thing for a lot of people.”

“It’s just an overall great place for people to start,” added Cameron, who entered print time averaging eight points per game and as the team’s top rebounder. “It’s just cool to see how you can be a little kid playing at The Rec and going all the way up to varsity and getting honored on Senior Night… Just a really cool feeling, you know?”

But their dream of playing basketball in the Lumberyard was put on hold.

When they tried out for the modified team as seventh graders in 2014, the Cutters were part of the final cuts. But instead of walking out of the gym and potentially quitting, the brothers embraced their roles as student managers. They dedicated the entire summer of 2015 training together, determined to make the team as eighth graders.

It paid off as their high-flying athleticism they exhibited made them the top scorers for the modified team for the 2015-16 season – which then led the JV team’s 18-2 finish two years later.

When varsity coach Ryan Mountain got his first glimpse of the freshmen Cutters at tryouts ahead of the 2016-17 season, he couldn’t believe what he was saw.

“My first impression was, ‘Why did our modified coach cut them in seventh grade?’” he said. “Just seeing that they were really good kids and their demeanor and just how calm they were in their games… Then into their sophomore year, that’s when they really spread their wings and could shoot the basketball very well. It would be hard for me to separate who was who when watching them play too.”

What has made coaching Jordan and Cameron the past two seasons so memorable, Mountain said, is their occasional bickering at times in practice – but it’s out of brotherly love.

“Cameron is sort of our Dennis Rodman on the team,” Mountain said. “He’s actually studied how he’s rebounded and he just loves being our junkyard dog on the team. And defensively, he’s gotten much better. That just shows his commitment to improving. And then Jordan, let’s be honest, he’s one of the best catch-and-shoot three-point shooters in Western New York. I’d match him up against everybody…

Cameron and Jordan have a special relationship and they will do great things in life together.”

Following their 95-57 blowout win against the Lockport Lions last night, the Lumberjacks head into the final week of the regular season as part of the NFL Crossover games on Feb. 18 and will host their home finale against West Seneca East on Feb. 21. (JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7 PM).

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NT, Ken West win ECIC-NFL hoops crossover

 

From L to R: Clarence head coach Doug Ratka; Clarence Player of the Game Zach Ianello; NT Player of the Game Noah Fox; and NT head coach Ryan Mountain at Depew High School

(Chad Andrews, View From The Centercourt)

*** As seen in Twin Cities Sun, Jan. 10, 2020 edition *** 

Former Buffalo sports anchor Jonah Javad once said, “There’s more to life than sports. But life is better with sports in it.”

That rang especially true through the first weekend of 2020 when Depew High School  hosted the inaugural ECIC-NFL Challenge: Coaches vs Cancer event sponsored by BSN Sports. Through the six-game, two-day schedule, the event carried over traditions used in college basketball’s quest to fight cancer as the coaches wore white polo shirts emblazoned with the event’s logo and basketball sneakers while the spectators and the booster clubs combined to raise $1,000 towards the Coaches vs Cancer campaign.

Two of the showcase victors were Kenmore West and North Tonawanda, who both saw action on Jan. 4 and were a part of the Niagara Frontier League’s 6-0 record.

Trailing 36-26 at the half against Williamsville East, the Blue Devils played smarter, not harder in crunch time. Behind Jake Jones’ go-ahead jumper with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter – their first lead of the game – and a game-icing free-throw from Kenny Mosley with 30 seconds left, Kenmore West pulled together for a 62-60 victory over the Flames.

Their third straight last-second victory, West head coach Mike Meetze said the “gritty bunch of kids” are now finding their identity and, once again, played team basketball  when it mattered most.

“Trying to find an identity is always a tough thing and we have pieces,” Meetze said as nine of his 10 players scored in the win. “No one’s complete but we have a lot of pieces… That’s the mix of this group. They all bring different things to the table and any given night, it’s going to come down to how hard you work and what your effort is.”

In the first half, the Blue Devils were outworked on the defensive end of the floor as the Flames Cal Shifflet (19 points, 9 rebounds) and Max Schneider (14 points, 4 assists) heated up from beyond the arc and were a part of the team’s eight three-pointers in the first half.

The Blue Devils finally sparked offensively in the last 4:32 of the third quarter thanks to Jones (12 points) and the team’s Player of the Game, Jamai Jackson (team-high 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks).

“When they’re moving the ball and playing together and playing for each other, a lot of good things happen,” Meetze said.

Ryan Kelly also finished with 12 points in West’s win.

After a shaky performance against Batavia the night before, North Tonawanda bounced back with a 68-52 victory over Clarence. The Lumberjacks set the tone early as they found balance inside and outside, converting five of 12 three-point attempts in the first quarter for a 24-13 start.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how we attacked out of the gates today,” NT head coach Ryan Mountain said. “We learned discipline and attention to detail (against Batavia). Regardless of talent, that will win you games when you’re evenly matched… What I was most proud of was we showed extreme attention to detail out of every timeout… and executed as a unit. Every time Clarence made a little bit of a run… we answered.”

Three-pointers from Luke Granto and Tyler MacNeil and a fast-break lay-up from Dante Moultrie (10 points) resulted in an 8-1 run to end the first half and a 38-19 NT lead at halftime.

Clarence’s Zach Ianello converted four of his five three-pointers in the second half as part of his game-high 17 points. But the Jacks found scoring from their Player of the Game, Noah Fox, and Jordan Cutter – who finished with 11 points apiece – among others to extend their lead to 22 points early in the fourth quarter.

As the teams approach the second half of the regular season, the event and its purpose of fighting cancer hit home with players, coaches and spectators – including Mountain, whose father won his battle with the disease last year.

“It meant a lot from that aspect,” Mountain said. “But it’s like everything else. You want to have a next best action mindset. My father’s cancer free but a lot of it comes from within the human spirit and when we all heard the news, (we asked), ‘What’s the next best action?’”

“I think everyone did a great job of presenting what we want to do in sports where kids learn a little bit more than just playing basketball,” added Meetze. “It’s about giving back to the community and there’s other causes bigger than how many minutes you played or how many points you had. We’re representing not only our school district but also our league as well as trying to raise money for the fight against cancer.”

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NT hoops: ‘Ready to have some fun’

 

“Lumberyard’s Twelve” and coach Ryan Mountain at center court last Saturday morning. The program, founded in the 1921-22 school year, tips off in 11 days versus Newfane.

*** As seen in Twin Cities Sun, November 22, 2019 edition *** 

After dealing with some growing pains last season, North Tonawanda boys basketball head coach Ryan Mountain used two words repeatedly when talking about the 2019-2020 season: having fun.

“This is the fun year for me and that’s our main objective this year,” said Mountain, now in his 10^th season on the NT sidelines following a 12-9 finish last year. “We’ve had a season of growing pains and progress but last year we did not close… We’re a few possessions away from repeating what we did the previous three years winning 17 or more.”

By not closing, Mountain was referring to uncharacteristically poor shooting in the Lumberjacks’ season-ending sectional loss to Niagara-Wheatfield. Other close losses came against Niagara Falls, Lewiston-Porter and Middle Early College, who all had lengthy postseason runs.

Mountain said the emphasis from the entire coaching staff this year is prioritizing the importance of playing through the final whistle.

“We didn’t close and that’s the emphasis on this season,” Mountain said. “It’s going to be, ‘Finish the NT Way’ whereas last year was to ‘Progress the NT Way.’ We did and that progression did not stop. It continued in the spring league – The first one we’ve ever done (because) the guys were not happy with the outcome of the season. They wanted to win it all and they thought they were playing very good basketball and had a chance of winning the section. We came up short so sometimes in a bad loss, a team can get splintered. I thought it was important to get back to playing as soon as possible throughout that spring and in the summer league.”

With eight seniors on the 12-man roster, Mountain expects the leadership to come internally as each player’s set of skills meshes well with each other on and off the court.

“We have four to five players that can go out and score 20 points on any given night,” Mountain said. “We’ve probably got five to six players that could be the main guy on another team, which is nice to have. We have a very unselfish group. They play for each other. They understand that the next open man is the man that is going to receive the pass. Through progression, they understand how to read defenses and play together and play fast and we’re going to have a good time.”

Leading the charge again is senior guard Dante Moultrie, who was named to the All-Niagara Frontier League Second Team last season after averaging 10.6 points per game while leading in assists (55) and finishing third in rebounds.

With familiarity with each other under their belts following last season, Moultrie said the process of executing in practice has accelerated this year.

“We’ve been playing together all summer,” Moultrie said. “We have a couple years built up. We’re all just eager to get to (the season)… We’re a small team and aggressive. We’re hungry.”

“Dante took the (playoff) loss harder than anybody, in my opinion,” Mountain concurred. “He has just thought of that early exit from the sectionals throughout the entire off-season and he’s just been determined with a warrior’s mentality. He has improved his game big-time. He’s faster, he’s stronger, his shot has improved and he plays relentless basketball. The team sees that and they follow that same drive from the intensity standpoint.”

Also returning to the back-court is fellow senior Noah Fox. Coming off a lengthy post-season run with the NT boys volleyball team earlier this month, the point guard was an NFL Third Team choice after scoring a team-high 11.8 points per game while also leading in steals (62) and deflections (86).

“(The identity of the team) is the guards,” Fox said. “We’re just going to run teams off the floor.”

Fellow returning seniors include guards Tyler MacNeil and Sebastian Reid, forwards Cam and Jordan Cutter and center Tim Osborn. Classmate Liam McMurray returns to the hardwood after taking a year off and is expected to make his presence known inside the paint. Freshmen Luke Granto and Patrick McNeil, sophomore Issac Merchant and junior Nick Sciandra round out the roster.

With three scrimmages ahead of their home opener against Newfane on Dec. 3, Mountain said the team has had so much success the past decade because of the resiliency the players provide for each other.

“We all embrace our roles here,” he said. “Our philosophy is, when you are out on the basketball court, it’s your responsibility to win those individual battles and change the game, whether you’re coming off the bench or starting. Team is the most important thing in basketball, without a doubt. That’s the message.”

Further NT Boys Basketball Reading:

2018-19 Season Wrap-Up Story https://logsfromthelumberyard.wordpress.com/2019/03/16/nt-hoops-teams-optimistic-for-big-off-season/

Profile on Noah Stoddard https://logsfromthelumberyard.wordpress.com/2019/02/15/stoddard-grows-into-prominent-basketball-role-for-nt/

NT Coach Ryan Mountain’s milestone win in season opener

Mountain hits 100-win plateau for Lumberjacks

NT Hoops 2019-2020 Schedule:

12/3 vs Newfane 7 PM

12/6 @ Kenmore West 6:30 PM

12/10 vs Starpoint 7 PM

12/17 vs Niagara Falls 7 PM

12/20 @ Lockport 6:30 PM

1/3 @ Batavia 7:45 PM

1/4 vs Clarence @ Depew High School (ECIC – NFL Challenge) 1:45 PM

1/10 vs Grand Island 7 PM

1/14 @ Lewiston-Porter 7 PM

1/16 @ Kenmore East 6:30 PM

1/24 vs Maryvale @ Amherst High School (Jolly Boys Showcase) 5 PM

1/28 vs Charter School for Applied Tech (CSAT) 7 PM

1/31 vs Kenmore West 7 PM

2/3 @ Tonawanda 6:30 PM

2/7 vs Niagara-Wheatfield (NT Senior Night) 7 PM

2/11 @ Niagara Falls 6:30 PM

2/14 vs Lockport 7 PM

2/21 vs West Seneca East 7 PM

 

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NT hoops teams optimistic for big off-season

 

 

*** As seen in Tonawanda Sun, March 15, 2019 edition ***

 

Progress, progress, progress.

That was the theme both North Tonawanda basketball programs and their coaches emphasized as the 2018-19 season was completed and the new off-season began.

The Lady Jacks finished the season with a 6-14 record – with five of those wins coming in Niagara Frontier League play – and won the program’s first post-season game in three years in a victory against McKinley before being eliminated by Grand Island in the Class A-1 quarterfinals.

The Jacks, meanwhile, earned a first-round bye as the third seed in the Class A-1 bracket before being upset by rival Niagara-Wheatfield in a quarterfinal matchup at the Lumberyard, finishing 12-9 and 8-5 in league play.

With only five seniors graduating from both teams combined, head coaches Ryan Mountain and Pat Kennedy said this season was a year of growth in the right direction.

“Did we improve from game one to game 20? Yes, we did,” Kennedy said. “I thought that we got better and learned things. Our overall record did not show it… I thought our league was much stronger than it was last year. But we struggled to score again this year.”

The Lady Jacks had glimpses of success this season with quality wins against Tonawanda and taking both games against Niagara-Wheatfield. But, as Kennedy explained, his team couldn’t find consistency this season.

“We never got over that hump,” he said. “I thought that after the Niagara-Wheatfield game win at our place where we scored 51 points and start making baskets, (it would happen.) But then we struggled… If you start making a few, the basket starts to look like an ocean. Doesn’t matter if you shoot from anywhere, it would go in. But we didn’t do that.”

Leading the way this season for the Lady Jacks was Paige Book. The sophomore and All-NFL third team selection nearly averaged a double-double for the season with 10.9 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game.

“This year, Paige had to take the role of bringing up the ball and had to be the scorer,” Kennedy said. “You expect her to defend their big girl, bring up the ball and score… Next year, she’ll now have a year under her belt. She’ll say, ‘OK, I did this last year. Now I can do it this year.’ I don’t know if the pressure’s on but she’ll know what her expectations are because she now has a year underneath her belt.”

Senior Bridget Wilson was described by her coach as “pound-for-pound, one of the toughest girls in the league.” The forward averaged 6.1 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game.

“We counted on Bridget to guard the best player, rebound, score and add that toughness,” Kennedy said. “Just tough as nails. She never wanted to come out of the game. She wasn’t coming out. Didn’t matter.”

As for the Jacks, their preparation is a year-round process.

“Our entire off-season and everything we do is with Buffalo State College and possibly winning at sectionals in mind. This year, we even had visions of possibly going further and we really believed that,” said Mountain. “Looking at the season (as) a whole, and understanding that we’re still progressing, we’re right in the middle of this journey with this group.”

As usual, the Jacks faced some difficult opponents in eventual sectional champions Middle Early College, Niagara Falls and Lewiston-Porter.

And after stringing together a set of wins late in the season and going toe-to-toe with Lockport in overtime, Mountain said the preparation was on their side.

“I thought that we had great momentum coming into sectionals,” Mountain said. “Playing an extremely difficult schedule was the whole point of everything – to have us for a tournament run.”

Senior Colin Beach’s season-ending injury in January was a tough break, especially on the defensive end.

“He brought so much to the team, not only from a spiritual and leadership standpoint, but he was our best defending forward and our leading rebounder,” Mountain said. “But we were able to persevere and move on and played great basketball.”

Leading the way this season were back court juniors Dante Moultrie and Noah Stoddard.

Moultrie was named to the All-NFL second team, averaging 10.6 points per game while leading in assists and finishing third in rebounds. Stoddard was named to the All-NFL third team and scored a team-high 11.8 points per game and led in steals (62) and deflections (86).

Both players complemented each other, Mountain said.

“If one brought up the ball, the other played off-the-ball offense,” he said. “I wanted to use their talents on both ends as distributors and scorers and they’re great combination guards. They played very well at the top of our zone.”

Also returning are sophomore Wally Wisniewski and juniors Jordan and Cameron Cutter and Tyler MacNeil.

The team’s kryptonite this season was being out-rebounded on the defensive end of the floor, leading to second-chance opportunities and a large deficit in free-throw attempts.

“We’re going to have to do a better job of that next year,” Mountain said. “If you look at some of the losses that we had, we were out-shot at the free-throw line.”

The potential for a bigger year for both teams is extremely high – but it all starts in the off-season.

“Ultimately, we just want to continue to realize that we’re better as a collective unit, we’re deep and that we’re going to continue to use that depth,” said Mountain. “I believe that this team controls their own destiny on where they want to go next year.”

 

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Falcons soar on to Buff State in second half rally over Lumberjacks

 

Erik O’Bryan went “Back To The Buff” after leading Niagara-Wheatfield to postseason win over NT last weekend. Picture taken during 2009-10 season with NT

(NT Basketball Eteamz Website)

*** As seen in Tonawanda Sun, March 1, 2019 edition  ***

When the Niagara-Wheatfield Falcons last appeared at Buffalo State College for a Section VI postseason run in 2005, the New England Patriots won their first meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, Ray Charles won five posthumous Grammys and Erik O’Bryan was an assistant with the North Tonawanda basketball team.

Fourteen years later, the Falcons have migrated back to Buffalo State College for another shot at a sectional title.

Trailing 28-17 at halftime, the Falcons (13-9) swooped in, made eight second-half three-pointers and advanced with a 58-49 victory over the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks (12-9) on Feb. 23 in the Section VI Class A-1 quarterfinals at the Lumberyard.

Seniors Raejaun Smith (17 points) and Davon Ware (10 points) and freshman TJ Robinson (14 points) led the Falcons the victory. Not only was the win a post-season milestone, it was also the Falcons’ first victory over NT since February of 2011 – O’Bryan’s first season with the program after years at NT as both a player and coach.

Afterwards, O’Bryan was as happy as a kid on Christmas morning.

“They refused to lose,” O’Bryan, who is making his first coaching appearance at Buffalo State since leading NT in the 2009-10 season, said. “We’ve been through a bunch of them lately and a lot of close games too. We all knew though, that at the end of the day, we needed defensive stops to get the game a little bit quicker for us because that’s how we like to play.  We can finally say that we won a game on the defensive end tonight. We haven’t been able to say that all year.”

His counter-part and former assistant coach, NT’s Ryan Mountain, said the Falcons deserved the opportunity as they had a great season.

“It’s a shame that we had to play each other,” he added. “We both deserved a trip to Buffalo State. It would’ve been nice to play them down there. Coach O’Bryan and I both knew that one of us was going home. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles. It’s not how many shots that you hit in a game, it’s when you hit them. Wheatfield hit them right at the right times. All in all, I thought that we played our hearts out and at the end of the day, it’s called basketball for a reason.”

NT had a strong start to take a 14-5 lead after the first quarter, thanks to juniors Noah Stoddard (15 points), Dante Moultrie (10 points) and Tyler MacNeil. MacNeil scored all of his five points in the frame but was sidelined for the remainder of the afternoon due to injury.

“Tyler getting hurt definitely changed the whole landscape of the game,” Mountain said. “He’s a huge part of how we succeed.”

The Falcons started the second half on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 28, starting with a banked-in three-pointer from Ware and a pair of three-pointers from Robinson.

But it was Ware’s three-pointer to start the third quarter, Mountain said, that swung the momentum of the game.

“The game could’ve gone either way at that point,” Mountain said. “That was the feeling where it might be their day and not NT’s day.”

The Falcons put the final nail in the coffin with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter when Robinson, Ware and Smith each hit a three-pointer to extend their lead to 54-44.

O’Bryan said this victory was his best moment coaching the Falcons.

“This is for all our teams and even the teams before,” O’Bryan said. “It’s been 15 years. We’ve always had teams that try so freaking hard and play to the hardest they could and play for each other. This team did no different than them. We were just able to put the ball into the basket a little bit more. This is for all them also.”

For NT, senior James Holler had 8 points and 8 rebounds in his final game in the uniform. Junior Jordan Cutter also had 5 points.

With only three players graduating, Mountain said the clock has already been reset with every player looking to improve this off-season.

“Fresh season, fresh mindset, fresh minutes, fresh rotation,” he said. “The guys that’ll play next year are the ones that improve the most.”

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Stoddard grows into prominent basketball role for NT

(Courtesy of the Fox-Stoddard family)

 

*** As seen in Tonawanda Sun, Feb. 15, 2019  ***

Standing at 5-foot-9-inches, North Tonawanda’s Noah Stoddard is one of the shortest players on the court, let alone the team. But the junior point guard has found what he does best – being a two-way threat and doing his best with it.

It was evident his heart made up for his height when he recorded 15 points and three second-half three-pointers in the team’s 68-60 victory on Feb. 6 over Niagara-Wheatfield.

“Just do what you’re best at,” Stoddard said. “I’m not the tallest person on the court but I know how to get in and finish.”

Through Monday, Stoddard has averaged a team-high 12.1 points per game, shooting 38 percent from the floor, leads the team in steals (50) and deflections (63) and guiding the Lumberjacks to a 10-8 record.

The game against the Falcons was a turning point for Stoddard. After a poor shooting performance in the first half, he received some words of advice.

“I had a conversation with him to remind him that he’s his biggest enemy,” said head coach Ryan Mountain. “The only person that’s going to stop him is himself and (he had) to ‘take out the trash’ and clear his mind. He played probably the best half of his season.”

After moving up to the JV team under Rob Keohane for his eighth grade and freshman seasons, Stoddard had a quick learning curve when he made his varsity debut as a sophomore off the bench. Last season, the Lumberjacks advanced to the Section VI Class A-1 semifinals at Buffalo State College before falling to eventual champion West Seneca West.

While it was a great experience, Stoddard said he benefited the most last season when he had conversations with then-senior Trevor Book, who now plays at Daemen College.

“Just never letting teammates down and telling them, ‘Next Best Action,’” Stoddard recalled what Book taught him. “‘Keep shooting. Share the ball.’”

Alex Domaradzki has also influenced Stoddard’s career.

Before he was promoted to Director of the NT Youth, Parks and Recreation department last August, Domaradzki supervised the North Tonawanda Youth Center for 10 years. Its basketball program has produced most of NT’s top basketball players for almost 60 years.

“It’s the backbone of NT basketball,” Stoddard said. “It’s where all the kids (in North Tonawanda) started playing basketball and where they developed as players. Every time I’d go to the Rec and shoot around to get better, he’d always be there. We’d play one-on-one and he’d teach me how to get better. It’s just a really great program to be a part of.”

Domaradzki said helping the city’s youth find their talents is the NT Youth Center’s main objective.

“That’s ultimately why we’re there, to help people develop their skills,” he said. “I just like watching them play in open gym and having that opportunity to just give them a chance and hone their skills.”

Stoddard’s athletic gift is in his blood. His dad, Scott Stoddard, finished in the top ten in scoring at Starpoint High School and set up a net at their house when Noah was around four years old. The two text each other before and after every game and still work-out together in the off-season.

But his step-dad, Steve DeWolfe, who played baseball at Canisius College in the early 1990s, helps with the mental aspect of Stoddard’s game.

“He tells me to make sure that I don’t get in my own head and how to overcome what’s going on in the game itself,” Stoddard said. “My mom (MaryBeth Fox) is always there to cheer me on, too.”

His siblings are also familiar with “The NT Way.”

His older sister, Molly, was a cheerleader at NT. His older brother, Jordan, was a member of NT Basketball’s team which won a sectional title two years for the first time since 1961 and advanced to the Far West Regionals.

Watching his brother and his friends play at any location available made Stoddard want to play too.

“I just always felt that it was the coolest sport to play,” Stoddard said.

Basketball is how he and his older brother have bonded even though they’re three years apart. They’ve learned new aspects about the game and themselves through the years.

“It’s more of a learn from one another basis, I guess,” Jordan said. “I think my years on varsity have helped him develop his game and how he handles himself at the next level. My main advice to him has been playing with the same mindset every game. Now that he’s playing on a bigger stage, he has to realize that all eyes are on you at all times.”

At first, Stoddard admitted that it was a challenge emerging from his brother’s shadow and being referred to as “Jordan’s brother.”

Now, he’s making his own name – and others are noticing.

“Noah’s probably got the best court vision out of anyone his age that I’ve seen in a long time,” said Domaradzki. “What’s taken him to another level is the fact that he can distribute the ball and make the people around him better. That’s ultimately what you want your guards to do.”

Stoddard has also inspired the entire NT program to take advantage of the opportunities  in front of them.

“Noah’s a great example of ‘Don’t let what you can’t do get in the way of what you can do,’” Mountain said. “At his height and weight, a lot of other kids would’ve packed it in and said, ‘It’s just not in the cards. Basketball’s not my game.’ Noah has done the opposite… He knows how to take what he lacks in physical prowess and make up for it in quickness and anticipation on defense.”

When his NT career is finished, Stoddard hopes to continue playing at the collegiate level and plans to major in sports marketing or sports management. Until then, he looks to grow in every aspect of his game possible.

“Work hard and cherish every moment,” he said. “In a blink of an eye, it’ll be gone.”

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