The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team enters the 2021-22 season riding a 35-game winning streak.
Seven hundred and seventeen days.
That is how long it has been since the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team lost a game.
That is right, nearly two years.
Seriously, its last loss was Dec. 26, 2019.
After concluding the 2019-2020 campaign with 23 straight wins en route to a share of the Div. 2 state title, W-H went a perfect 12-0 last season and won the Patriot Cup.
It enters the new year riding a state-best 35-game winning streak. But 22-year head coach Bob Rodgers is all about wiping the slate clean this winter.
“I don’t look at it as a 35-game winning steak,” Rodgers said. “I look at it as 2020 had a 23-game winning streak and 2021 had a 12-game winning streak and right now 2022 is 0-0. I’m trying to keep it from being a distraction to the kids.”
The Panthers once again have some giant voids to fill. This time it is the graduation of their one-two punch in Patriot League Keenan Division All-Stars Nate Amado and Cole LeVangie.
Amado dumped in 24.2 point and snagged 9.3 rebounds per game last season en route to being voted the Patriot League Keenan Division MVP. He has moved on to Babson College, where he is second on the team averaging 11.7 ppg.
LeVangie, who scored 13.6 points, grabbed 9.1 rebounds and dished out 8.3 assists per game last season, has fit in quite well at Suffolk. The freshman is posting 9.1 ppg.
“I think it was very easy to know that when you have Superman and Batman on the floor something good is going to happen,” Rodgers said.
The Panthers head coach added it will be a team effort to fill their shoes.
“Right now, we are trying to establish our identity after losing two incredible impact players,” Rodgers said. “This year, the players know they have to count on each other and they may all have to step up a little bit more.”
Fortunately for Rodgers, he didn’t just have two league all-stars last season, he had four. And two of them are back in Amari Jamison and Ryan Vallancourt.
Vallancourt captains the Panthers. He netted 6.1 points and dished out 4.8 assists per game last season. He will start at shooting guard.
“We’re extremely lucky to have somebody of his character and his skill level to be leading our team,” Rodgers said.
Jamison, who will start at small forward, dumped in 9.0 ppg and shot 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“He’s a dynamic player and extremely athletic,” Rodgers said.
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound senior Malcom Alcorn-Crowder will clog up the middle. He averaged 8.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last winter. Senior Andrew Guardia will run the point, while classmate Dom Masone will man his post at power forward.
W-H tips off its season on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 on the road against Patriot League foe Scituate.
“I want to focus on doing all of the little things that make up a successful basketball team and let the results just kind of fall into place,” Rodgers said. “It’s really easy to fall into the trap of looking at the past successes and trying to live up to state championships, winning streaks, league titles — all of that — and get lost in the idea that those happen because those teams took care of all those little details.”