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The calendar turns, the rosters turn over. The expectations always stay the same though.
Winning, and winning at a high level, are the goals surrounding the Putnam Science Academy prep basketball programs as the season officially started this week. It is the sole focus.
“We absolutely have high expectations with the recent success we’ve had,” said boys’ coach Tom Espinosa. “We expect good things this year. We’ve brought in the guys we wanted and we had a great preseason. We’re really excited to get this year going.”
Amanda Morales is in her first year guiding the Mustangs but she is on board.
“Everything we are doing is in preparation for that,” she said.
The boys’ team is coming off a third-place finish in the national prep tournament last year, and is two years removed from winning the national title.
The Mustangs have three returning players, postgrads Hassan Diarra, Marty Silvera, and Luc Brittian. Diarra is the headliner.
“He’s the face of our program,” Espinosa said. “He’s our heart and soul, he’s our leader. He’s been unbelievable for us the last three years and we expect nothing less from him again this year.”
Diarra is a highly regarded four-star recruit who is weighing scholarship offers from more than two dozen schools. He took official visits to Georgia, Indiana, and Texas A&M and is expected to decide soon.
“There are two ways to look at it,” Espinosa said. “Guys can commit early and then you worry about them not playing hard through the season because they’re thinking about college. Or they don’t commit early and you worry about them putting too much pressure on themselves and their season suffers.
“With Hassan, I’m not worried either way. He’s a winner and wants to go out of here a champion. He will be totally focused on that. I don’t worry about him.”
Silvera, meanwhile, is on his way to a bounceback season. He starred at Worcester’s Doherty High before playing a minimal role at PSA last year. This year figures to be quite difference for him. He dropped 25 pounds since last season ended, had a great preseason, and is drawing interest from mid-major programs.
“He was basically our 12th man last year,” Espinosa said. “He brought it every day for us, but I don’t think he wanted to go through that again this year. He’s going to play a huge role for us.”
Brittian is another player who saw limited minutes last year but figures to see an expanded role.
“It’s his third year and he’s just gotten better and better,” Espinosa said. “He’s turned himself into a Division II-level scholarship player. He’s another guy I know I can count on.”
Putnam Science Academy, which is big (two 7-footers, Josh Gray and Mathias Van Den Beemt, plus the 6-11 Elijiah Hutchins-Everrett) and deep, opens its season against Ridley Prep of Ontario, Canada as part of the Caribbean Tip-Off Classic in the Bahamas on Nov. 1.
Lady Mustangs
Morales’ group opens its season at home, then goes to Canada to play three games in three days starting on Halloween against the No. 1 prep team in Canada.
The Mustangs also play three games in three days at the She Got Game Classic in Washington, D.C., (Dec. 13-15) and the Rivers School Holiday Tournament (Dec. 19-21).
The idea is to be ready for the Insider Exposure Independent School National Championships in late February, where the Mustangs have finished in third place the last two seasons.
“We were very intentional putting our schedule together,” Morales said. “Our goal is to win that tournament. And if we want to do that, we have to win three games in three days. Our schedule is set up to give the girls the opportunity to mimic what they will have to do at the end of the season.”
So far, at the beginning of the season, Morales has liked what she’s seen. She noted the extreme competitiveness that runs through the roster.
“We realized pretty early on that we have to track everything they do,” Morales said. “Mile times, skill work. We did a fund-raiser and they competed at that. I love it.”
The Mustangs have tremendous depth and athleticism, and spent the preseason pushing each other. Morales said she saw a lot of improvement in their skill work and also their developing chemistry.
The latter is extremely important with only four players back from last year’s prep team.
Niya Fields is the only one who started last year. The point guard, who has already committed to play next year at Norfolk State, is also the only one who was on the Mustangs’ inaugural team three years ago. Damoni Tucker, a Harlem native, is arguably the team’s biggest talent and is drawing a lot of interest from colleges after a stellar AAU season. Guard Lucie Castagne has committed to Bryant, and forward Aaliyah Brittian is a junior on the rise.
Morales also likes newcomer Sabou Gueye, a native of Senegal (“No one knows about her, but she is set to have a big, big season”), and Nasserine William (“She’s 6-2 and built like a linebacker, but so nimble. She’s a freak of nature. I’m happy to have her on our team and not have to go against her.”).
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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