Strathmore project poses questions for '09

Tuesday’s game between Strathmore and Lindsay’s temporary squads was just another summer league game at McDermont Field House.

Lindsay won, 47-33 which, in itself, isn’t surprising considering last year’s records between the two. The Spartans finished 6-14 and didn’t make the playoffs while the Cardinals ended up 20-10, going two rounds into the postseason.

But what was interesting about the game is the double-sided look Strathmore revealed in the first and second halves.

The Spartans, who were noticeably larger than the Cardinals at almost every position, played a more physical brand of basketball, pounding the ball into their bigs en route to an astonishing 18-3 opening.

“We knew Lindsay wanted to set the pace and they’re extremely quick,” Strathmore assistant coach Rick Crocker said. “We needed to handle the pressure and control the tempo. We tried to get the ball inside and Eddie (Cisneros) got four or six points right off the bat.”

It helped that Lindsay began cold from the field while turning the ball over on countless, self-inflicted mistakes including palming and careless show-boating. But the Cardinals eventually righted the ship and used their speed to wear down on the Spartans, overtaking them early in the second half and never looking back.

“We had opportunities to get the ball down low and we weren’t strong enough going to the basket (in the second half),” said Crocker, a former Strathmore varsity coach at the turn of the millennium. “I’d like to push the ball up court, but you’ve gotta know your limitations and we’re not there yet.”

Still, if the first 10 minutes of the game is any indication, the Spartan coaches have to like the ceiling of their program, which is currently in limbo since last year’s coach, Jake Winter, returned to Monache.

The varsity coaching position remains vacant as of now, but Strathmore JV coach Josh Sanchez (the summer league’s head coach) is a possible candidate.

Should he get the job, Sanchez will inherit a mostly youthful squad that started three sophomores and two juniors. Four of the starting spots for next winter will likely be filled by Cisneros, Geostan Duffin, Alex Maciel and star forward Jorge Ojeda.

The fifth spot — the pivotal point guard slot — is a toss-up. Crocker says it could go to Mario Lemus or Lionel Moreno, among others. In any case, Maciel, who played point as a freshman, could be called for playmaking duties as well.

“Even Jorge handles the ball well, too,” Crocker said. “We don’t have the strongest ball-handlers so sometimes it’s point guard by committee.”

Despite the promise that the young Spartans present, Crocker expects the summer league to act as a sort of training grounds until the real practices begin this fall.

“We’re here to work on individual improvement,” Crocker said. “We’ll wait until we get more guys out before we start working on team things.”