By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
DARIEN, Conn. - You won't find the marquee FCIAC boys' basketball teams at the annual Tony LaVista Memorial Tournament - no Trinity Catholic, St. Joseph or any of the Bridgeport schools driving to the hoop for a dunk or sinking a long-range three.
What you will find is four teams who go all-out for a shot at a championship trophy and, if all goes well, some competitive games involving possible conference playoff contenders.
This year's tournament, held December 27-28 at New Canaan and Darien High Schools, put on its best show for the opening round, with the two host teams winning a pair of nail-biters over Greenwich and Wilton. New Canaan, an impressive 7-0 to open a season of high expectations, bumped Greenwich in the tournament's best match, 80-68, in overtime, pulling away with a 14-2 advantage in overtime after failing to shake the Cards in regulation.
Four miles up Route 124 in Darien, the home team Blue Wave and Wilton waged a low-scoring war, with Darien picking up its first victory of the season, 39-36. The tournament consolation and finals were less contentious, with Greenwich winning the third-place game, 67-31, against Wilton, while coach Jeff Bussey's New Canaan squad ran all over Darien for the championship, 77-53.
The Rams' performance stole the show, at least in the eyes of Darien's first-year coach, Tom O'Donnell.
"The big story tonight was that fantastic team that Jeff has," O'Donnell said of New Canaan. "They're just a wonderful team and he's done a great job with them. I really hope they have a great year, because they are a fun team to watch. They play together, they know what they're doing, they're big but they can move, they're athletic, they can shoot from the perimeter or go inside. It's a great team and we were just out-manned tonight. They're capable of beating anyone on a given night."
That notion will be put to the test during the next week and a half, as New Canaan faces Trinity Catholic (6-1) and St. Joseph (7-0) on the road and Bridgeport Central (3-3) at home in its next three games.
In the meantime, Bussey was happy that his team was back on top at the LaVista Tournament after a two-year drought.
"I've been here eight years and we've only lost two or three times," Bussey said after beating Darien. "Last year was bittersweet and I was disappointed we lost that one to Greenwich. Outside of a few defensive breakdowns, I think it was (our best game of the year). Everybody was involved, everybody was solid in the offense, everybody got touches and made the shots they had to make. Defensively, we thought with our size, our zone would work and it did."
New Canaan has had the best results at the LaVista Tournament during its 12-year history, winning five championships in eight trips to the final. Since Bussey became head coach for the 2000-01 season, the Rams have reached the title game six times and picked up five wins. Wilton is second with three titles, New Fairfield has two and Darien and Greenwich have one each.
The tournament started back in 1996 and is named for Tony LaVista, an administrator at New Canaan and Darien until he died at the age of 39 in December, 1995. LaVista taught at NCHS for 14 years and was a coach for the Rams softball, girls' basketball and junior varsity baseball programs. He became an assistant principal at Darien in 1994.
The tournament's lineup has changed a few times, with Darien, New Canaan and Wilton being original members. New Fairfield was a steady participant until being replaced by Greenwich four years ago, when the tournament became an all-FCIAC event.
New Canaan's success at this year's tournament has put the Rams in prime position to earn a conference playoff bid for the second consecutive season. They were seeded eighth last year and lost to Trinity Catholic in the opening round. The Rams' strength is built on its experience and height. Bussey has called the team both the tallest in the State and the biggest he's had in more than 30 years of coaching, with four players measuring 6-foot-5 or taller.
The leaders are senior forward Billy Calanca (6-5) and senior shooting guard Will Hanley (6-6), both three-year varsity players, while junior center Joe Sindelar (6-9) and senior power forward Colton Lewis (6-5) also tower over their opponents. Junior Jamie Pares starts at point guard, with senior Kevin Reilly coming off the bench.
Calanca had an exceptional LaVista tournament and earned MVP honors, scoring 44 points in the two games, including 25 versus Darien - 13 of which came during a 28-13 first quarter. Calanca also had 13 rebounds, 10 steals, eight assists and three blocks, and became a threat from beyond the arc, sinking three 3-pointers in the final.
Hanley also made the All-Tournament team, scoring 32 points and registering 17 rebounds and 12 assists in the two games.
For Darien (1-6), the 24-point loss in the championship game didn't put a damper in the fact that they notched their first victory with the three-point win over Wilton. O'Donnell, the Blue Wave's golf coach, was once a freshman coach for Bussey at Darien and returned to the court this year with what appeared to be a promising group of veterans. Darien was 6-14 last season and with several returning players, the Wave seemed poised to push for its first post-season berth in 19 years.
But veteran James Patton tore an ACL during football season, and the gridiron also cost the Wave Matt Wheelock, who fractured a vertebrae while playing quarterback.
Then starting point guard Nikki Dysenchuk decided to take the winter off to concentrate on lacrosse - Darien sports a nationally-ranked boys lacrosse program - and suddenly the Blue Wave's solid lineup needed to be reworked.
Senior Brian Kosnik, the Wave's 6-1 center, stepped up in the LaVista Tournament and scored in double figures each game, netting 12 against Wilton and 15 in the final. Kosnik was Darien's representative on the All-Tournament team. Senior guard Austin Anderson led Darien in scoring with 17 points in the final.
Darien played the full tournament without its second-leading scorer and rebounder, McKay Potter, a 6-1 senior forward who is sidelined with a sprained ankle. Also straining matters was a fight between the Wave's junior forward Brian Curth and Wilton's Elijah Everett on opening night, as both players were suspended for Friday's games.
But Darien isn't crying despite its bad fortune.
"Nobody's making any excuses," O'Donnell said. "The kids are coming in and working hard every day. They're a great group of kids and they're playing hard. Despite everything, we've been down four at halftime to Ludlowe, down six to Stamford, down four to Greenwich and down four to Wilton the first time we played."
Coach Bill Brehm's Greenwich team, 14-8 and last year's LaVista champ, has also had some missteps during the first few weeks of the season, but seems to have righted itself after an 0-3 start. Greenwich has won three of its last four games and is 3-4 overall.
Russ Rosenband, a 6-2 senior guard, has been the Cardinals' most consistent threat this season and scored 43 points in the LaVista tournament, including 26 in the OT loss to the Rams, when he nailed six 3-pointers. Senior guard Sean Massi scored 13 in each game for 26 points, while junior guard Jon Herzog dished out 19 assists.
Wilton, under new coach Tim Tallcouch, dropped both its tournament games and is 1-6. Senior center Ryan Marut led the Warriors with 23 total points and 17 rebounds, while top gun Chris Corvese, a senior, was held to 12 points. Everett, a senior, scored seven in the opener but was suspended for the second game.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.
