The Blue Devils look to take the Shore Conference by storm
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — The Blue Devils girls basketball team is hoping to come back strong this season after a rocky season last year. Between COVID-19 and injuries sidelining players, the team couldn’t reach their full potential. This year though, they hope to change that, and they are playing with purpose and determination.
The Blue Devils are led by junior Rylee Drahos who runs the point. As a freshman, Drahos averaged 11.1 points per game. Unfortunately, her sophomore year didn’t pan out as she hoped between a back injury sidelining her, as well as a COVID-19 infection. According to Coach William Wishart, she has worked extremely hard to come back strong.
“This is a girl who, before the season started, went to cycling class for 45 minutes before school to strengthen her back to avoid injuries,” Coach Wishart said. “That’s the type of kid she is. Hard working.”
“Our hope this season is to go all the way,” Drahos said. “Winning a championship would be all we could ask for. We also want to grow as a team and do the little things right. We also want to have fun so it’s not all serious.”
Senior guards Kayla O’Scanlon and Julia Iannuzzelli will provide leadership and function as important role players. Sophomore forward Antonette Russo came off the bench last season as a sixth man and is expected to contribute more to the offense this season. Junior forward Alana Martin is anticipated to be a spark plug off the bench. Sophomore Leliani Andrews, a transfer student from Long Branch, will have to sit out for 30 days but is predicted to have a positive impact on the team once she takes the court. Sophomore Conley Smolokoff is transitioning from a guard to a post player because of the team’s size.
“We are a small team, but we are going to try to use that lack of height to our advantage and speed teams up,” Coach Wishart said.
Wishart is beginning his sixth season as the head varsity coach for the girls team. Prior to that, he spent several years coaching boys basketball. He has been instrumental in growing the program, even starting up a holiday tournament that is played on Shore Regional’s home court.
The Blue Devil Holiday Tournament began about four years ago and has grown every year. It initially included about 10 teams and now includes 15, even hosting teams not part of the Shore Conference.
“We were in another holiday tournament, and I knew we could do one of our own,” Coach Wishart said. “It’s really good exposure for our program and our kids.”
Aside from wanting to be a strong contender in the competitive Shore Conference, the girls have decided to dedicate their season to Jack DuBois. DuBois was a 2018 graduate and student athlete at Shore Regional, playing both basketball and baseball for the Blue Devils. On Nov. 22, he passed away unexpectedly, shocking the community and everyone who knew him.
Wishart coached DuBois when he was a freshman.
“Jack was never a starter, he was never the best player on the team, but he didn’t care,” Wishart said. “He put everything he could into make his teammates better. That’s the type of team we want to be. Whether you’re the number one kid, or the thirteenth kid, or anywhere in between, your goal is everything is about the team.”
On Jan. 29, both the boys and girls teams will play a double header versus Ocean Township High School. All of the proceeds from the game will go to a diabetes organization to honor DuBois’ memory.
“Regardless of how it was going or whether he was playing or not or had points, it didn’t matter,” Drahos added about DuBois. “He was in it for his team which is all you can ask for in a teammate. He was always there for his teammates.”
DuBois’ jersey will hang in the Shore Regional gym this season. The Blue Devils intend to play every game with their heart and soul, much like DuBois did.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
