"We went into last season with such high expectations, we really did." Nally said prior to a recent practice. "We just never were able to overcome some of the off the court issues that good teams are able to do. When it was over, I really needed to recharge my batteries and reassess what we have here."

 

What Nally has now is a team built more like the team's he's been accustomed to in the beginning of his coaching tenure. Despite losing his top three scorers and rebounders from last season, the Tornadoes are off to a 2-0 start following Monday's 73-47 victory over Boston English.

 

"I think what we have this year is a team that is more in line with my basketball philosophies." Nally noted. "We have 13 players that all get after it defensively, very athletic and each one of them is really unselfish. I don't know how many games we will win as a result, but I like what I see from this group."

 

After two games, Malden has only had one player score in double figures in each, senior guard Raheem "Skip" Langston, who has poured in 20 and 25 points. Despite that, the Tornadoes have won each game comfortably, with their defense holding Revere and Boston English to 53 and 47 points respectively. The Tornadoes' calling card, with so few returning players with varsity experience will have to be their defense. The only returning starter from last year's squad is GBL all-star Mark Rogers, a junior. Rogers led the Tornadoes in assists last season as a sophomore and is off to a strong start this year, dishing out 12 assists in the first two games. Langston joins Rogers in the Tornadoes' backcourt giving them one of the most athletic and versitile backcourts in the league.

 

The front line is made up of two returning bench players from last season, senior Isaac Bethea and sophomore Nathan Ilebode along with junior newcomer Darren Pierre. Pierre has made his presence felt early, collecting 15 rebounds in the first two games to go along with 4 blocked shots. The Tornado bench is deep but untested. Returning juniors Jorge Salgado and Danley Exilhomme should provide depth in the backcourt, with Salgado excelling in the offensive end and Exilhomme expected to be a shut down defender. Senior forward Fabian Price-Hernandez should help protect the rim for Malden and provide timely offense. Price-Hernandez had a breakout performance on the glass at Boston English, collecting a career-high 12 rebounds in the win.

 

"We are inexperienced at this point with very few guys having really been battle tested in division one high school basketball." an energized Nally added. "But I'm more than happy to go to battle with this team and I think the future is bright for Malden basketball."

 

The 2-0 Tornadoes return to the court this Saturday afternoon when they travel to Salem St. College to take on Lynn Classical. Game time is set for 5pm.