The Bradford Owls will be getting back to basics in
2005-2006.

Of the 20 kids that make up the varsity and junior varsity
rosters, 11 are just sophomores and the Owls welcome back only
three lettermen.

“This is the youngest, most inexperienced team we’ve had coming
back in a long time,” noted Dave Fuhrman, BHS head coach. “We’re
breaking things down from square one and doing a lot of teaching.
We’re trying to simplify things a little more because we’re relying
on so many new faces.”

The familiar faces include senior letterwinners Shane Hvizdzak
(5-10, 155-pound point guard) and Eric Arnett (6-5, 185-pound
center) and junior letterwinner Tommy Morris (5-11, 165-pound
guard). Hvizdzak and Arnett were starters on last year’s squad.

Hvizdzak and senior Grant Ferguson (5-7, 140-pound guard) will
serve as team captains.

“Shane’s worked really hard, he’s a great kid,” Fuhrman
remarked. “He’s gotten a lot stronger and he’s improved his
perimeter shot a lot. He’s worked hard at it and I think he’s ready
to have a great year.

“He’s certainly going to be my right arm out there (on the
floor) and I think he’ll do a great job. He’s played a lot of
varsity basketball and I don’t think he’ll see anything he’s not
prepared for.

“Grant has been very faithful, very loyal,” Fuhrman continued.
“He played mostly JV last year as a junior and now it’s his time. I
have him with the first group right now. He is stronger, a good
perimeter shooter, better off of the dribble and he can hit the
pull-up jump shot. As one of our co-captains we’re asking for a lot
of leadership from him, too.

“Arnett is a legitimate 6-5 and he seems to be powering the ball
up a little more this year,” Fuhrman commented. “His shooting range
has improved. I love the way he plays – he talks constantly on
offense and defense. He’s got to be a leader in everything he does
for us.”

“It’s important that Tommy Morris stays healthy because we need
him out there. If he had been able to stay healthy he would’ve been
a bigger factor on last year’s team.”

Rounding out the varsity roster are seniors Tyler Calkins (5-5,
130-pound guard) and Rob Gault (5-7, 195-pound forward); juniors
Dan Vecellio (6-0, 195-pound forward), Tyler Hopkins (6-1,
185-pound forward) and Doug Rose (6-0, 175-pound guard); and
sophomores Tom Taylor (5-5, 135-pound guard), Ryan LaBrozzi (5-11,
150-pound guard), Ben Walter (5-10, 155-pound forward) and Ben
Lanich (6-4, 200-pound center).

“Tyler Calkins plays with a lot of heart,” Fuhrman observed. “He
has good quickness and is an excellent kid with a great attitude.
He’ll give us a little depth at the point guard position.

“Rob Gault is a grinder and could be a defensive stopper for us.
Vecellio is a hard working, smart kid. He has the highest GPA on
the team. We’re looking at him at a power forward spot. Hopkins is
strong and knows how to use his body around the hoop. He posts up
strong. Rose has a nice shot and can handle the ball. He worked
very hard in the offseason with perfect attendance and I hope it
pays off for him.”

Fuhrman is decidedly pleased with what he’s seen from the
sophomore group so far.

“Tom Taylor will probably be our back-up point guard,” Fuhrman
continued. “Shane has kind of taken him under his wing, which is
good because we’re throwing a lot at him. Ryan LaBrozzi can hit the
jump shot and he isn’t the least bit afraid. Ben Walter is athletic
and has a nice shot. We’re asking him to get a little more
aggressive. Ben Lanich is 6-4 and strong. He’s developing right
now, learning how to play in the post.”

Vecellio, Hopkins, Walter, LaBrozzi, Taylor and Lanich should
all have the opportunity to sharpen their games at the junior
varsity level as well. Joining them on the JV roster are sophomores
Randy Confer (forward, 6-0, 205), Taylor O’Brien (guard, 5-6, 190),
Stephen Hill (guard, 5-5, 165), Jim Lyons (forward, 5-11, 180),
Matt Teribery (guard, 5-7, 130), Ian Ivancic (guard, 5-6, 130) and
Garrett DeCasper (forward, 6-0, 155).

Overall, this year’s edition of the Owls should be a better
shooting team, 10 to 11 players deep and possessing more overall
size. Fuhrman also notes that the team has good chemistry.

“With Lanich and Arnett at 6-4 and 6-5, I’ve never had a post
combination that big. All the guys seem to be getting along real
well and that’s important because our best teams were the teams
that played together. Our weakness will be our inexperience and we
need to play tougher, with more aggressiveness and intensity.

“We’re excited. It’s going to be a good challenge for us and
we’re excited to get things going.”

The Owls will open with Highlands in the first round of the
Bradford Tip-Off Tournament at 8:30 p.m. next Friday. In the other
opening-round game, Penn Trafford will face Batavia (N.Y.) at 7
p.m.

Bradford opens District 9 competition Dec. 13 against respected
rival Elk County Catholic – the team Fuhrman believes “definitely
will be the team to beat” in the league.

“They have the best individual player in the league in Bosnik
(Jesse),” Fuhrman said, “and they have a lot to go with him.
They’re going to be very deep.”