All year, Anthony Latina has been playing a juggling game with his rotation in search of the perfect rotation for his young Sacred Heart squad.
He hasn’t found it yet, but that’s a good problem to have. His newcomers, especially freshmen, have stepped up when called upon and have made the case for earning time on the court.
In Sacred Heart’s 65-48 victory over Central Connecticut State last Thursday, the Pioneers were without Aaron Clarke, who was battling a knee issue and became a late scratch to the lineup. They were also without senior Zach Radz, who was under the weather (not COVID-19 related). This would mean Latina would have to reach deep into his bench for some much needed production.
Mike Sixsmith, who has been a spark plug off of the bench through the first seven games of the season, stepped into the starting lineup to replace Clarke. But who would be the boost of the bench tonight?
The answer: Quest Harris and Nico Galette.
Both Harris and Galette had been on the outside of the rotation, looking for any opportunity to see the floor. Against the Blue Devils, both Harris and Galette made their case to change that.
Harris only scored two points and dished an assist in 24 minutes, but Sacred Heart outscored Central Connecticut by 19 points when he was on the floor. Galette scored 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.
In response to the scarce playing time, Harris took the time to learn in the basketball classroom.
“Like we always say, you have to stay ready,” said Latina. “He was in the other day watching film with coach Steinway, and this guy hasn’t played more than five minutes in a game since Rutgers. He is a student of the game, staying prepared, and he earned that playing time.”
Galette began his college career in the starting lineup but began to see his minutes decrease as the season has progressed. The New Jersey product played more minutes in the win against Central Connecticut (21) than in the last three games combined (17).
“For young guys, there are usually a lot of ups and downs, but when you have the right frame of mind, the right attitude, the right approach, good things are going to eventually happen for you. Maybe not right away, but they will,” said Latina. “I’m happy for [Harris and Galette] because it has not gone as well they as I think they would’ve liked so far.”
While the rotation can change on a day to day basis according to Latina, the biggest thing that he emphasizes to his team is to be open and communicate with them.
On top of that, Latina explains to his team is that seeing playing time can sometimes be a process that takes time. In other words, good players don’t always play right away.
“One of the things that happens on good teams is that good players sometimes don’t play a lot,” said Latina. “Look at Tyler Thomas. Last year, there were times where he got the short end of the stick. Not because he wasn’t good, but we had a lot of good players at his position that were more proven. It’s not easy, but it’s a good problem to have.”
Sacred Heart has already seen freshmen such as Sixsmith, Bryce Johnson, and Matas Spokas carve out a role within the Pioneer rotation, and have produced at a high level. They have also seen JUCO transfer Cantavio Dutreil, who is coming off of a 15-point, 19-rebound outing, solidify himself as the best big man for Sacred Heart.
Based on what we saw against Central Connecticut, it seems that there are more freshmen on the horizon of production.
Sacred Heart plays two games at home against St. Francis this Thursday and Friday, looking to build on their 4-3 start to Northeast Conference play.
