Bishops height factor poses big advantage in Class AA

PHILIP M. BOWMAN

sports@thedanielislandnews.com

 

Bishop England High School boys’ basketball coach Bryan Grevey gave his team Thanksgiving Day – and Black Friday – off. He gave them the option of practicing Saturday, but with so much college football on the television and so little time, the team opted to practice on Sunday.

 

There the Bishops were, focusing on fundamentals on the seventh day, a day of rest. There’s plenty of work for the Bishop England team as they prepare for the 2022-23 season. And one of the biggest areas of concern already is free-throw shooting. The Bishops went 1-1 in the recent Riptide Invitational that tipped off the season. But they might have been 2-0 if not for a 13-of-35 effort from the line in the two games.

 

Still, Grevey is excited about his team’s chances as they prepare to play Stratford this week. The team has four seniors, eight juniors and a sophomore on the roster, so the next two years could be memorable.

 

“We have a group of guys who can play,” said Grevey, who begins his 13th season at the school with a 165-126 record. “We can go big. Or, we can go small. We have the players.”

 

The Bishops have dropped down to Class AA and the roster includes three players who are 6-5. That should be ample size for the Bishops. The three players are Andrew Puckhaber, Oliver Barnwell and Will Mazur. Barnwell was the only one 

of the three who played at the varsity level last winter.

 

The focus early in the season has been finding the right rotation and chemistry – and finding replacements for departed stars Cole Alexander and Elliott Sanders. 

 

Alexander averaged 12.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while Sanders scored at a 10.0 clip per game as the Bishops posted a 13-12 record, including 7-3 in Region 8-AAA, which was good for third place in the league.

 

The starting lineup includes front court players Jack Van De Erve, Charlie Ranney and Puckhaber.

 

Van De Erve is a junior who was solid in 2021-22 with 6.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Ranney, a senior, averaged 4.1 rebounds last winter and that number should rise this season.

 

Junior Andrew Pride and senior Jack Raup are the starting guards. Raup attended Bishop England, but his family moved out west only to return in time for his final season.

 

The top three players off the bench – for now – include Zach Rooney, Ellis Rollins and Will Tarrant. Rooney and Rollins are juniors while Tarrant is the lone sophomore on the squad.

 

The Bishops opened the season with a 35-30 loss to Northwood Academy on Nov. 19, but topped Philip Simmons 50-42 on Nov. 20 to claim third place in the Riptide Invitational. The Bishops broke open the game with a 22-14 scoring advantage in the third quarter.

 

“That was a good win,” Grevey said. 

 

“I don’t want to pour salt in the wound, but we came out with a well-deserved win. When you win by eight against a team like Philip Simmons, that’s an accomplishment.”