Panthers regrouping but still aiming high

Whenever the Johnston boys’ basketball team needed a bucket over the last two seasons, it knew it could count on Isaac Medeiros.

And that was a recipe for success for the Panthers, as the six-foot-five Medeiros emerged as one of the dominant players in the state and led Johnston to a combined 36-2 regular season record over that span.

But with Medeiros playing at CCRI this season, and with the graduation of three other starters, the Panthers’ team that takes the court this season is in search of a whole new identity.

So far, there have been ups and downs. Johnston lost 69-60 to Cumberland last Friday in an Injury Fund game, but then came back to beat up on Ponaganset 52-27 in the Ponaganset Pink Madness Tournament on Sunday.

According to head coach Steve DeMeo, it’s just a matter of getting comfortable with the new dynamic.

“The thing is, we had like three or four days of tryouts,” DeMeo said. “Then, a couple practices, a scrimmage, then you go right into the games. It was good last year, because we just brought the same team back. It was very easy. This year, we’re incorporating new players in. It’s going to take time.”

The potential, though, is there for Johnston to once again be near the top of Division III, even it will have to get there a little differently.

Leading the way is junior Juanita Sanchez transfer Evan Hopson, who will come in and start at one of the forward positions.

As a junior for the Cavaliers last year, Hopson was named first-team all-division, and he’ll immediately be relied upon to be perhaps Johnston’s best and most dynamic player.

“He’s strong to the basket,” DeMeo said of Hopson. “He’s like Isaac strong. He’s not quite as strong as Isaac, but if he has the ball in his hands, you’re not getting it out. He’s very good. And for a bigger guy, he can dribble the basketball.”

Returning at shooting guard is senior captain Ryan Anderson, who was the team’s second-leading scorer last year.

As a three-point specialist, Anderson’s strength highlights the Panthers’ strength as a team. While pounding the ball to Medeiros inside was the team’s bread-and-butter play in the past, making shots from beyond the arc will have a big say in how far this year’s version can go.

“For good or bad, we’re kind of relying on the threes this year,” DeMeo said. “We have four or five guys who can just drain it. Against Ponaganset, we were hitting them. Against Cumberland, we didn’t. And that’s what’s going to happen.”

Besides Anderson, senior West Warwick transfer Shykeel Colon is in the starting lineup as a forward and is also a strong threat from the outside.

“He’s a very good shooter,” DeMeo said of Colon. “He’s a good complement to Ryan Anderson.”

Senior point guard Gian Bianchi, who replaces the graduated Chris Fagbote at the position, is also capable of knocking down shots from long range, as are senior captain McKenzie Robbins and junior Steve Simone, both of whom will come off the bench. Senior Chris Pistacchio, who will play both guard positions off the bench, is also a strong shooter from the perimeter.

And while the three-point shot will make up a large portion of the offense, the Panthers will still look to establish some sort of inside presence as well.

Stepping in to Medeiros’s spot at center will be junior Alex DeNoncour, who played some last year but will have to play a much more significant role this season. Senior Mike Mendez will also handle some of the duties down low.

The Panthers have other players who will contribute as well. Sophomore Ryan McKeon and senior Paul Burrows will relieve Bianchi at the point, while senior Chris Fague and junior James Maner will also see some action.

“They all can play,” DeMeo said. “That’s one thing. When we sub, we stay talented. We don’t go from an A to a C-minus guy. Our starters and our first three or four guys off the bench can really play.”

Johnston may need contributions from just about everybody to get where it needs to go. The Rhode Island Interscholastic League did away with the divisional playoffs this season, and the only postseason will be an all-division state tournament.

The state tournament made its debut last season, and Johnston qualified, but it came on the heels of the division tournaments.

Only a select number of Division III teams will make it to the tournament, based on regular-season record, so the Panthers will need to find their rhythm in a hurry.

“We know we have to be successful to make the state tournament, because there won’t be that many Division III teams making it,” DeMeo said. “The kids understand that to continue after our last regular-season game, they have to work hard.”

Johnston, which has been the top D-III team in the regular season in each of the past two seasons, will start its leagueslate today, when it travels to Mount St. Charles to play the Mounties at 7 p.m.