First Look 2019-20: New Town
With any sport, defending a championship can be the most difficult goal entering a season. For the New Town Titans, who captured the Baltimore County crown last season with a win over Franklin, the roster will experience quite the overhaul…
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Continue ReadingWith any sport, defending a championship can be the most difficult goal entering a season. For the New Town Titans, who captured the Baltimore County crown last season with a win over Franklin, the roster will experience quite the overhaul with a handful of seniors graduating and a main cog deciding to transfer. Fortunately, head coach Derek Wise returns two of the biggest pieces to the repeat puzzle, which we’ll get into in this article.
Moving on
’19 guard Jordan Guerrero is set to play his freshman season at Albright College. At 6-foot-4 ,Guerrero brought the presence of a shot-maker from the three-point line and ability to finish athletically around the rim. Defensively, he was a versatile piece who could disrupt shots in the paint and rebound well for his position.
’21 forward Julian Reese transferred to St. Frances. Losing Reese provides the biggest blow considering his versatile skill set and size at 6-foot-9.
’19 guard Maurice Smith only spent one season at New Town, but quickly proved to be an impact presence with his play making ability off the dribble and tenacity as an on-ball defender.
’19 guard/wing Darrell Collins, now attending Goucher, brought a ton of energy off the bench. He gave fans explosive finishes in the open floor and was a good spot-up shooter in the corner.
Returning starters
’20 point guard Martaz Robinson is the engine that makes this Titans team go. Due to the roster changes, Robinson could be featured more off the ball throughout short stints of games, but when in the open floor or a big play needs to be made, he’ll have control. The 6-foot-2 floor general brings size for his position, ability to score from all three levels, and impact the game in a multitude of ways. As long as Robinson is playing at a high level consistently, New Town will be a tough team to take down.
’20 wing Andrew Mills returns after winning Baltimore County Player of the Year as a junior. Time and time again, Mills exploded for games of 25 or more points to help his team escape with wins. Even more will be expected from Mills this season with their lack of size. He’ll act as one of the anchors for the defense and will be expected to grab double-digit rebounds. Offensively, sniping from deep is where he can impact the most, but now that teams are aware, they’ll try to run him off the line. Can he consistently finish and make plays off the dribble? That is a factor that we will wait and see on.
’20 Khyrie Johnson brings toughness to the guard position. The 5’11 lefty can stretch the floor with his shooting ability that can heat up quickly. He fills lanes well in transition and makes good decisions with the ball. Johnson is a solid on-ball defender with quick lateral movement that allows him to stay in front of shifty guards.
Reserves playing a bigger role
’20 Twan Carter brings much of what Johnson does, but he’ll be expected to do so on a consistent basis this season. The 5-foot-10 guard had more than a handful of games where he made an impact with his shooting and active hands defensively. It wouldn’t surprise me if Coach Wise featured Carter in the starting lineup for many games depending upon match ups.
’22 Cam Bush is a big, athletic guard that will need to bring both of which to the floor every night. With the lack of size, he’ll need to be one of the top rebounders on the team. Utilizing Bush’s strengths will be on display in the open floor, where his strength and athleticism come to light.
Impact additions
’20 Stephon Marcano is a transfer from Coppin Academy who brings another scorer to the table. The 6-foot combo guard can get it done from all three levels and will take much pressure off Robinson when it comes to either ball handling or scoring duties.
’23 Cam Sparrow has great size for his position and age. The 6-foot-2 guard can heat up quickly from three. As a freshman, the varsity level will take getting used to, but Sparrow was one of the highly coveted freshman in the area, so I expect him to adjust quicker than others.
Coach’s outlook
“We’re gonna have a completely different team from last year. We’re gonna be more young and inexperienced than we’re used to, but with Andrew and Taz coming back, I think they should be able to lead the charge.
We’re gonna play up-tempo. I’m gonna play fast because we don’t have the size that we usually do. We’re gonna have to get out and run, beat people with speed and share the ball. We have to hit from the perimeter, play tough defense and we’re gonna have to gang rebound with the lack of size.”-New Town head coach Derek Wise