Under first-year coach Tom Sloan and with several new players in the mix, the Lyons Township boys basketball team should be intriguing to watch this season. Despite losing key players like Jeff Adams, Ed Viliunas, C.J. Esposito and Matt Hirt to graduation and coach Conte Stamas’ unexpected resignation, the Lions’ lofty goals remain steadfastly intact on the heels of a remarkable 24-5 campaign.
“We hope to compete for the conference championship, holiday tournament championships, regional and sectional titles,” Sloan said. “Our strengths are competitiveness and team play.”
Lyons certainly will need an “all hands on deck” approach this season to carve out victories in the highly competitive West Suburban (Silver) Conference.
A good building block is Colin Allodi, a 6-foot-3 senior wing player who provides plenty of leadership and talent. A starter on last year’s Class 4A sectional finalist squad, Allodi is a versatile scorer who can defend multiple positions. Kevin Dunne and Kevin Muldowney, a pair of 5-11 senior point guards who played extensive minutes last year, also return to run LT’s offense. Six-foot-6 center Matt Polega and the 6-5 Mike Stanton are expected to rebound and score in the paint.
Juniors Dan LaLonde, Jimmy Stamas, Adam Washington, and Justin Phipps will comprise the Lions’ bench.
For Sloan, who previously coached at Montini, implementing his philosophy and style of play are as important as understanding his personnel.
“It will depend on the opponent, but we hope to push the ball up the floor to get great shots,” he said. “We hope to pressure the ball and play great team defense.”
Defending conference champion Oak Park, along with Hinsdale Central and Proviso West, should challenge the Lions for the conference crown.
“I have not seen everyone in the conference, so it’s tough to make any predictions,” Sloan said. “I think it will be very competitive every night in the league.”