From the looks of things, there is nothing spectacular about the Loyola Blakefield basketball team. But the Dons prove that appearances can be deceiving.
Nobody in the starting lineup stands over 6-foot-5 ? not uncommon in public school play, but in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Baltimore Catholic League, teams routinely start players at 6-foot-8. John Carroll has a player at 7-3.
But Loyola (8-1) is powered by a 6-foot point guard and a 5-foot-7 shooting guard. And it works.
“We play four guards and a forward,” Loyola coach Josh Davalli said. “That presents some matchup problems for other teams when we?re on offense, but it also presents matchup problems for us on defense. At the same time, we really think our guard play is our strength.”
Five-foot-7 junior guard Sal Schittino led the way in Wednesday?s 71-37 win over Perry Hall with 16 points. Even as a guard, he is often five inches shorter than the man opposing him. But Schittino uses it as motivation.
“I think it?s a great advantage being small,” Schittino said. “They think they can step all over me, and I hate that.”
Joining Schittino in the backcourt is junior point guard Steele Stanwick and sophomore guard Matt Rum, who also scored 16 points Wednesday, including four three-pointers. But Schittino is the team?s heartbeat. His high-energy style is welcome on a team that is otherwise very low-key.
“He?s a scrapper,” Davalli said. “He?s not backing down from anybody.”
The Dons will have trouble battling some of the bigger teams in the MIAA, like Towson Catholic, Mount St. Joseph and Calvert Hall. Each of those boast at least one starter at 6-8.
“We just have to do our best to adjust to what they have to offer,” Davalli said. “But at the same time, they have to adjust to what we do on offense. There are pros and cons to both of those. The big guys in our league are tough.”
But the league hasn?t been too tough to the Dons so far. Their only loss has come at the hands of Towson Catholic. In their wins, Davalli has tried to play as many of his 12 eligible players as possible. On Wednesday, all 12 played and 11 scored. The only player not to score was Stanwick, who dished out eight assists.
“We play 10 and they all get significant minutes,” Davalli said.
Davalli and Schittino agree that the guard play will carry the Dons through the MIAA season. It will have to.
“The pressure is only going to increase as we play,” Davalli said.
