Warren JFK Eagles' 2011-12 Basketball Preview
Head Coach: Shawn Pompelia
2010-11 Record: 12-11
2010-11 Playoff Finish: lost to Windham, 62-55, in Division IV District Championship
State Tournament Appearances: None
State Championships: None
Post Season History Since 2000
Regional Championships: None
District Championships: 1 (2009)
Sectional Championships: 10 (2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000)
Returning Team Leaders
Points Per Game: Raitwann Gaston, 9.8
Rebounds Per Game: Raitwann Gaston, 8.0
Assists Per Game: Dominic Naples, 1.0
Steals Per Game: Raitwann Gaston, 1.4
Free Throw Percentage: Raitwann Gaston, 71.2% (42-59)
Three-Point Percentage: Brendan Cox, 34.3% (24-70)
2011-12 Schedule
(7:30 p.m. unless noted)
December 2 - at Mathews
December 9 - at Brookfield
December 16 - Cleveland VASJ
December 20 - Champion
December 23 - at Holy Name
December 27 - at Maplewood
December 30 - Windham
January 6 - Trinity
January 13 - Bedford Chanel
January 14 - at Girard
January 20 - at Cleveland Central Catholic
January 21 - Newton Falls
January 27 - at Cleveland VASJ
February 3 - Holy Name
February 4 - at Howland
February 10 - at Bedford Chanel
February 11 - at Southington
February 17 - at Trinity
February 18 - Pymatuning Valley
February 24 - Cleveland Central Catholic
JFK head coach Shawn Pompelia had his flock of Eagles enter the Warren District, a year ago, as the fourth seed maintaining a 9-10 mark. Kennedy cruised by Southington, Ledgemont, and top seeded Maplewood, by an average of 52.7-31.7, to advance to the District Championship. On March 11, JFK came up seven-points short against Windham, 62-55.
Martae Hainesworth (6'1/G), Patrick Hull (5'11/G), Michael Fredericka (6'3/F) and Carl Broadbent (5'11/G) all have since left the nest. Hainesworth led the team in scoring (13.0) and closed the year second in rebounding (5.1). Martae made 68.8 of his free throws (66-96) and 41.5 of his shots from the field (113-272). The Birds return seniors Raitwann Gaston and Brendan Cox. Gaston, a 6'3 forward, was JFK's leading rebounder (8.0) and free throw shooter at a rate of 71.2% (42-59). Raitwann gives Kennedy a bonafide scorer and a player who crashes the boards. Unlike Gaston, Cox is a ball handler who has a nice stroke from downtown. The 5'11 guard averaged 7.0 points per game as he shot 34.3% from beyond the three-point arc (24-70). Juniors Dominic Naples and John Hilty will be counted on to contribute. Last year, Naples (5'11/G) appeared in all but two games. Dominic averaged 3.5 points and 1.0 assists per game as he shot 70.6% from the charity stripe on 12 of 17 attempts. The 6'3 Hilty played sparringly in 14 games a year ago. Number 23 was able to gather 18 rebounds and fill the nets with 15 points. Also keep an eye on 6'2 junior forward Nick Donkers. Nick sunk 7 of his 15 shots from the field.
Kennedy had one of the better free throw shooting percentages in the area, a year ago at 64.3% (232-361). The Eagles open the season in Vienna on Friday, December 2.
