Monsignor Martin League Season Preview: Nichols School

<p><b><i>Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This article will preview the 2020-2021 Nichols School Vikings.</i></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2019-2020 Nichols School Vikings - Overall Record 6-19, Conference Record 2-10</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though last season’s record may not necessarily reflect this sentiment, there is no question that the 2019-2020 Vikings simply played </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">hard</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Coached by Joe Mihalics, you can count on the Vikings to show up and compete each and every time they take the floor. A big part of their struggles came after an ill-timed turned ankle cost them their leading scorer and rebounder midway through the season. However, there are plenty of reasons for Viking fans to feel optimistic going into 2020-2021.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of Nichols’ biggest strengths comes is their rebounding. Specifically, now Junior Lucas Suero figures to play a major role this year in the Monsignor Martin Conference. Last season as an underclassman, Suero pulled down 6.1 rebounds per game, good for 3rd amongst all conference returnees. Though he stands at only 6’3”, Suero routinely roots out space amongst taller opponents and boxes out remarkably well. He has that certain “bite” to his game that must be innate; simply put, he attacks the glass relentlessly, mercilessly, and with ferocity. Along with continuing to dominate the boards, Suero would benefit by working to extend his range beyond the painted area and become more of a consistent shooter.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nichols will no doubt lean on their Senior backcourt duo of [player_tooltip player_id="1047752" first="Hugh" last="Purks"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1047754" first="Jesse" last="Adamu"] to make up much of the scoring they lost with the departure of the now-graduated Aidan Horan. The pair that combined to average 25.3 points and 5.5 assists per game in 2019-2020 will receive the majority of the guard minutes, though now Sophomore Matthew Carlson figures to have earned himself plenty of playing time as well with his strong play in the last quarter of the 2019-2020 season. One facet that the Vikings’ guards can improve upon is their ball security, as Purks and Adamu combined for 5.1 turnovers per game. To their credit, they had to adjust to shoulder an enormous load with the loss of the aforementioned Horan to injury.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, Junior Ryan McCarthy figures to play a key role for the Vikings, as well. After missing a handful of games early on with a broken nose, McCarthy returned to be a steady force for Nichols. His game features a steady corner three pointer, as well as comfortability posting up on both blocks. Standing at 6’6”, Mihalics and the Vikings will need McCarthy to exceed his 4.9 rebounds per game mark from last season in order to improve in 2020-2021.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>*<em>All Statistics Come From Maxpreps.com. All Analysis Is My Own.</em></p>