Young Huskies Gain Experience in Summer Games

Because of graduation and transfers, this year's Flint Hill boys basketball team will be barely recognizable to Huskies fans. 

With a likely roster of two — maybe three — seniors for the 2012-13 winter season, the Huskies instead anticipate a sophomore-heavy roster, all of whom have never played at the varsity level.

The Huskies signed up for three summer leagues, including their own Flint Hill Summer League, to start preparation for the upcoming season. 

Whereas many of the area's teams will be using the summer months to promote its players to college recruiters, the Huskies are aiming to give their young players experience against tough varsity competition.

"My approach to summer has always been about development," Reed said. "Normally you rely on your experienced kids, who know the expectations of the program, and develop them further to fill in the voids from graduation or transfers. But this year is so different because so many of them don't have that initial experience, so the development is really starting with the basics."

Reed knows the amount of inexperience could be a disadvantage this season, but he sees a wealth of young talent willing to learn the ropes and work hard to be successful.

Though Reed oversees the program, Flint Hill alumni take on most of the coaching duties. Daniel Giguere, who graduated from the school last month and , serves as head coach. Bryan Gross, a 2011 graduate who plays for Connecticut College, is an assistant coach along with 2012 graduates Brian McDonald and Trevor Ogundepo, a Ferrum College commit.

"It's different to be coaching. I was just playing in this league last year, but it's cool getting to share my knowledge and help them avoid making our mistakes. It's just good to give back," Giguere said. "And when you're coaching you see things you don't see when you're playing, so it's helping me, too."

Britton Anderson, a rising junior, said this summer is mostly about gelling as a team to lay the foundation for the upcoming season.

"It's always about getting better. We have lots of young guys, and a lot of them don't know our offensive sets and what it takes to be at the varsity level," said Anderson, who hopes to continue a basketball career at the college level. "We're going to play hard and the recruiting stuff with eventually fall with that later. It's about preparing for the season." 

More than halfway through the Flint Hill Summer League season, the Huskies have a losing record. But it's not about winning just yet, Reed said. 

"That's something kids have a hard time understanding in the summer. It's about development. In fact, they constantly hear me say 'Ignore the scoreboard,'" he said. "Our objective is to win every possession. Every possession the score is 0-0. If we can focus on doing that, in my eyes, then we develop a habit of playing hard." 

Summer League Roster

• Britton Anderson, junior
• Andre Ahiagbede, sophomore
• Jerrod Reed, senior
• Daniel Smith, freshman
• Austin Jones, sophomore
• Cameron Vaughn, sophomore
• Jasiah Scott, sophomore
• Jared Hardie, sophomore
• Jake Salewski, sophomore
• Cole Herdman, junior
• Greg Harris, sophomore
• A.J. Gray, sophomore
• John Whitaker, junior
• Josh Wertzberger, sophomore
• Dillon Foley, junior
• Ben Kase, senior