Monsignor Martin League Season Preview: Cardinal O’Hara
Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This article will preview the…
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Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This article will preview the 2020-2021 Cardinal O’Hara Hawks.
2019-2020 Cardinal O’Hara Hawks – Overall Record 10-16, Conference Record 6-6
Coach Tony Pulvirenti led his squad to a 6-6 Monsignor Martin League record in 2019-2020, good for 4th place. Of their 16 losses, many came in excruciatingly close fashion- so much, so, in fact, that they only surrendered 14 more points all season long than they scored (822 points allowed, 808 points scored).
There is no doubt that the Hawks were up-and-down in 2019-2020. After a season-opening defeat to Niagara Falls on December 7, 2019, they won two consecutive games, before dropping a whopping 9 straight contests. To their credit, they significantly improved, winning 7 of their final 10 games. Their season ended with a narrow 8 point defeat to the Bishop Timon-St. Jude Tigers on March 3, 2020.
Cardinal O’Hara will no doubt attempt to build on their successful second half of the 2019-2020 season. One area they will look to continue to separate themselves from the rest of the pack is on the glass. Now Junior Chris Wright, who averaged 9.9 rebounds a season ago, will challenge himself to finish in the double digits this year. Additionally, their second-leading rebounder from a season ago, now Junior Jimmie Green III, returns as well. Incredibly, the team had just a lone senior in 2019-2020. While the loss of their scoring, assist, and steal leader will be felt, the Hawks should no doubt have an advantage over many other teams in terms of continuity and playing with each other. If Coach Pulvirenti can get motivate Cardinal O’Hara to generally pick up where they left off, the Hawks should significantly improve in 2020-2021.
*All stats come from MaxPreps.com. All analysis is my own.