Being a senior on a team committed to a youth movement can be a challenge.
But Rocco Cirone and Matt Bell have handled the situation with grace, and their leadership is one reason why the future looks so promising for the Clearview boys basketball program.
Cirone posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Bell handed out eight assists on Tuesday as the Pioneers defeated visiting GCIT 55-45 in Tri-County Conference Royal Division action.
But more important than their numbers was the way they continued to mentor their younger teammates, including fellow starters Luke Andres and Kaprice Stewart, both sophomores, and Daulton Phalines, a freshman.
It’s a job they’ve embraced all year, especially after Clearview learned that star junior Carter Bobbitt had moved to South Carolina last summer.
“Coming into this season after losing Carter, our best player, me and Rocco knew we would have to step in and score more and help lead the young players to get better and progress, because they don’t have a lot of experience,” said Bell, the Pioneers’ point guard. “They’ve been playing really well — Kaprice, Luke, Russ (Manel), Daulton — they all look good.
“I just try to keep the tempo for them and give them the ball in good spots to score. I want to make it easier for them. I like getting assists over scoring, that’s my game. I’m used to that from last year, because we had four really good scorers and I would just feed them the ball. I’m trying to form all the young guys into the best they can be for the future.”
Clearview got off to a 3-11 start but is now 3-2 in its last five, so clearly progress is being made. The Pioneers are 6-13 overall and 3-2 in the Royal Division.
“I do see everybody — young people and seniors — still growing,” Cirone said. “I think we have a bright future and in the next couple of years we’ll be set. Our freshman, Daulton Phalines, is doing really well, and he’ll be good for the next four years. All the sophomores and juniors on our team are proving to be very good too.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help them out and taking a leadership role. I’m doing whatever I can to help our team win.”
It helps that the younger players have been so open to any advice Bell and Cirone are willing to give.
“Sometimes you’re better off taking them off to the side and talking to them, putting them on the right path,” Cirone said. “Once they’re focused, they can’t be stopped.”
The leadership that Bell and Cirone are showing has not gone unnoticed by Clearview coach Rob MacKerchar.
“Matt runs the point for us and has for two years,” he said. “Sometimes he and I butt heads, but for the most part he’s pretty connected to what I want him to do. He’s been there, done that, so he tries to get guys in the right spots. Rocco played a little bit last year off the bench and now he has plenty of games under his belt, so he knows what needs to be done and helps anchor us as far as rebounding.
“They talk to the guys about what we’re trying to accomplish, what’s a good shot and what’s not a good shot. That’s a work in progress for the young guys. Those two are buying into the leadership role down the stretch, which is really important because a lot of the young guys just don’t have varsity experience. Even 19 games into the season, it’s still new to them.”
When MacKerchar took over the program in 2016, he faced a similar rebuilding process, only back then almost the entire roster consisted of underclassmen. He’s happy to have seniors like Bell and Cirone this time, although it does present a balancing act between playing for the present or focusing on the future.
“I have an attachment to all of these kids,” he said. “It’s hard when you’re a senior to begin with, because the end is in sight and their thought process is college and things beyond (high school), but they’re also not ready to give up on the season yet. So I’m trying the best I can to do right by the older guys and make sure it’s not at the expense of the younger guys. … It’s tougher, but at the same time I have seniors I can lean on. Before, I was a first-year coach and I didn’t know what I didn’t know. We were all figuring it out. This time it’s easier in some sense, but it is harder in trying to make sure everybody gets what they need.”
Clearview overcame a slow start on Tuesday and took control with strong middle quarters. Another senior, Luc Chapall, broke a 15-all tie in the second period with six straight points — on a shot from beyond the arc and a traditional three-point play — and the Pioneers never trailed again.
The young guys also got in on the fun, as Andres scored all 10 of his points in the third quarter and Stewart added 10 points and eight boards. Phalines had all eight of his points after intermission.
The balanced effort will be key moving forward, and might even give the Pioneers a chance at making some noise in the postseason.
“I feel like, if all five of us play well together, we can make a run in the playoffs, especially being in Group 3 this year,” Bell said. “We have a Group 4 schedule and we play high-ranked teams. We’re used to good competition so I think we can handle it.”
Clearview’s recent hot stretch started with a one-point win over rival Kingsway. MacKerchar thought the Pioneers started to mature that day.
“The close game against Kingsway was a step in the right direction,” he said. “Figuring out how to close out this game is a step in the right direction. I do think we’re getting better. We’re right there with Williamstown and Thursday will be a good litmus test, because (Washington) Township is the class of the Tri-County right now. We’ll see how we stack up.”
Like Clearview, GCIT has little varsity experience and several talented youngsters, including freshman Mike Stanwood, who scored 10 points on Tuesday. Senior point guard Owen Bentley led the way with 12 points, three of them on a buzzer-beater from beyond midcourt to end the first half.
The Cheetahs fell to 7-13 overall and 0-6 in the division.
“With a very inexperienced team and a pretty tough conference, it might take us a while to get adjusted to the style of play,” coach McNeil Wrice said. “With only bringing Owen back with varsity experience, it’s been tough. We struggled early and we’re still struggling, but you can see as the season goes on, we’re improving. We’re doing some of the little things that we weren’t doing before and we’re scoring the basketball when we need to. Just not enough to get the win tonight.”
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