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(March 15, 2024) The Nantucket boys basketball junior varsity team finished the year with a 7-8 record, but produced several notable victories while playing a difficult schedule that at times included teams with a mix of varsity and JV players.
“I think it was a pretty productive season,” coach Andrew Benson said. “I think over the course of the year, a lot of the guys learned what we wanted to do as a group. We made a lot of progress as a team by the end of it.”
After losing their second game of the season to Dennis-Yarmouth at home, the Whalers beat the Dolphins on the road about a month later, which Benson said showed the progress the team was making.
The Whalers also secured a big road win at the end of the season against Cape Cod Academy Feb. 9, beating a Seahawks squad that Benson said included several of the school’s varsity players.
Both games against Nauset came down to the final buzzer, with Nantucket pulling out a pair of one-point wins that tested the Whalers’ ability to produce under pressure.
Freshman Gaven Smith was the team’s leading scorer this season. Never one to pass up a shot, Smith regularly scored 20 points or more in JV games this season and has already earned some playing time with the varsity team.
“Obviously he had a lot of confi dence coming in and I think his confidence grew a lot because I gave him such a gigantic green light. Like he just shot it every time,” Benson said.
Vallon Jeanty also earned playing time with the varsity team this season, while Jake Grant and Ryder Tartamella had standout seasons for the JV team as well, with Tartamella draining both buzzer beaters against Nauset.
With the Whalers set to graduate a large senior class this year, the experience the JV players gained this year could be put to the test at the varsity level as soon as next season.
“I think this group, there’s a lot of talented and motivated kids. I think this year was beneficial to them as far as what they’re going to do in the future,” Benson said.
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