With plenty of size in starting lineup, Shady Side Academy boys embrace modern game

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, November 16, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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This season, the Shady Side Academy boys basketball team will reflect the way the modern game is played.

The Bulldogs will have four players over 6-foot-3 in the starting lineup, but the largest players on the court won’t be anchored to the low block.

Shady Side Academy’s best passer may not be the player running the point.

Ben Michels, a 6-5 senior center, can put his teammates in the right position to score.

“We’re going to be big,” Bulldogs coach David Vadnais said. “But we still want to play quickly. We are going to run some different offensive sets, but still want to play in transition. Our bigs pass well.”

Shady Side Academy had to work through a slow start last season. After starting the year 2-4, including losing their section opener, the Bulldogs battled back to finish 18-9. Despite being upset by Burrell in the WPIAL quarterfinals, Shady Side Academy earned a spot in the PIAA Class 3A tournament.

The Bulldogs lost to Chestnut Ridge in the first round of the state playoffs.

Shady Side Academy also will have 6-4 Cam Mallory, 6-3 Seamus Riordan and 6-3 Ryan Frohlich available. While the Bulldogs will have to replace 1,000-point scorer Eli Teslovich, Shady Side Academy’s lineup gives the team many different options to attack opponents.

“It’s the era we are in,” Vadnais said. “It’s not that we have a big kid and we are going to put a kid on the block. Michels is an incredible passer and doesn’t try to force it on offense. We can pull him away from the hoop and use him on the perimeter. Cam is an above-average shooter.”

Shady Side Academy has three players — Landon Mauser, Paul Benec and Alex Demchak — who will be competing for the starting point guard spot.

“We want someone who will have confidence and understand our offense,” Vadnais said. “We need them to guard the other team’s point guard without fouling. We want them to manage the game and take shots when they are there.”

Vadnais said Shady Side Academy’s biggest challenge may be settling into its roles. Replacing Teslovich, who was a major part of the team’s offense last season, will take some time for the Bulldogs to adjust to.

“We have three or four people who could lead the team in scoring on any night,” Vadnais said. “If Ryan is the leading scorer, we can’t have people going out to try to match him. If it is someone’s night, the next will be someone else’s night. It will be interesting. We have experience, but we are a little inexperienced because we will rely on different guys to score and play more minutes.”

Tags: Shady Side Academy