Coming out of the season last year after losing in the first round of the state tournament the Bears are looking to start the season off right.
Last year the Bears new head coach Ryan McMann led the team to a 11-10 record and 5-5 in their division. The team is taking a big loss with 8 seniors leaving and only 3 underclassmen touching the floor. So where will the Bears end up?
The Offense: Last year senior guard Dylan Cambian led the team 108 2pt shots made and 16 3pt shots made. This gave him a total of 323 total points over 21 games. Right behind him is sophomore Alfonso Coba and freshman Adam Reily. They both managed to put up 156 points last season. Alfonso made 56 2pt shots and 8 3pt shots. Adam made 65 2pt shots and 0 3pt shots. So it will be up to them to lead the team in scoring.
The Defense: Returning this year are two of Hawthornes best and their leading rebounders from the previous season. Adam Reily grabbed 31, while Pablo Gonzales grabbed 51. Alfonso and Pablo had a combined 21 steals through the season last year as well. Pablo also led the team in blocks having 7 total last season.
The First scrimmage: On December 9, 2024 the Bears had their first Scrimmage of the 2024-2025 season against College Achieve Paterson. The Bears looked like the better team going into this game. At the end of the first half the Bears led 16-12. The Bears were up for most of the game and this would be a common theme within the game. Junior Alfonsa Coba led the team keeping the pace and calling the plays. The rest of the starting five including Max Coba, Uriel Acosta, Pablo Gonzales, and Adam Reily were key factors in the game all showing off their skills in their own way. At the end of the first half the Bears were still playing strong commanding the game leading College Achieve 31-21. The start of the second half was easily their best quarter of the game scoring 20 points and only giving up 10 leaving the score 51 to 31. In the 4th quarter the Bears began to get tired and let off the gas. The Bears scored 8 in the last quarter while College Achieve scored 25. The Bears won in close fashion with the final score being 59-56.
What are the Hopes? While the Bears won the scrimmage, they have much to improve on. They have a starting 5 full of upperclassmen minus forward Adam Reily, but coming off the bench are all Sophomores. This season is one to look forward to while the Bears play to the best of their abilities to make it as far as they can.