December 16, 2009
Versatility, quickness key Bayonne
Sophomore Lisa Rovatsos is one of five guards Bayonne will play at a time.
Click Here for photos from Bayonne Practice.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
BAYONNE – One might look at the Bees’ lack of height up front and see that as a problem. Bayonne, the defending Coviello champions, sees it as a positive.
Last season, the mismatches caused by the Bees’ five-guard lineup proved to be a winning a formula and have little concern about their lack of size.
“Even though we don’t have size, we’re fast,” senior guard Connie Hayes said. “We play hard defense and we don’t need size to win. We have players that can beat anybody off the dribble and to the basket. We have good shooters.”
“I look at it like we have to guard you, but you have to guard us,” head coach James Turner said. “And if we have quicker guards, the advantage is for us.”
Turner and Bayonne have used this alignment to create a lineup full of quick and versatile players.
One of the ways they’ve tried to combat that lack of size is through being aggressive on defense as well as boxing out on rebounds and chasing down loose balls. That aggressiveness and quickness has made the Bees one of the area’s top defensive squads.
“I think the strength (of our team) is the defense,” Turner said. “I think we’re really quick to the ball. We force a lot of turnovers. Since we’re so quick, we’ll force teams to use people to dribble the ball up the floor that they’re not used to and the advantage is ours.”
That quickness has also proven to create advantages on the offensive end as well. With virtually the entire roster from last season in tact, Bayonne has opened up their offense to spread the floor and create more opportunities off the dribble.
Leading the offense is Lisa Rovatsos. The 5-foot-7 sophomore has proven to be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Rovatsos, who averaged 13 points and 12 rebounds per game last season, is often too quick for bigger forwards and too powerful for most guards.
“She’s the most athletic girl and she’s the quickest,” Turner said. “So when she’s facing the bigger girls we have her facing up and taking them to the hoop.”
Rovatsos acts as de facto forward for Bayonne, but can play every position other than point guard.
“I’ve played post my whole life because I’ve been the tallest,” Rovatsos said. “Now that I’m facing 6-foot girls, it’s not as easy, but it’s the position I’ve played most often.”
“We have to move her around, keep her moving so if (Lisa’s) facing a big girl, she’s not comfortable with (guarding Lisa),” Turner said. “Lisa’s comfortable playing on the wing.”
Rovatsos isn’t the only one with the capability to score points for the Bees. Turner believes he has multiple players who can pick up the scoring slack. Hayes in particular is one who could fill that role.
A dangerous outside shooter, Hayes and the coaching staff have made it a priority for her to become a more complete offensive player.
“She’s a good shooter, but she needs to add more dimensions to her game,” Turner said. “We want her to be shoot and attack, not just shoot. She’s one of the few girls that can really get to the basket.”
Junior Kerri Kosikowski also has improved her offensive game and has developed into more than just a defensive specialist in Turner’s eyes.
Senior Samantha Maggio is a skilled passer at the point guard spot and sophomore Tara Flynn is a tough defender with outside range on offense.
Seniors Jill Ceglio and Kaitlin Gallagher along with Luis Montalvo round out the rotation for Bayonne giving them eight players who according to Turner “can play any position.”
With all of the main players from last year’s 19-8 squad returning, expectations are high for the Peninsula City team. This time around Bayonne isn’t merely content with winning another conference championship as they believe the pieces are in place to compete for a state title.
“I tell them you can’t just be satisfied with winning the county,” Turner said. “These girls want to play in the Tournament of Champions and I do too.”
“We want to play deep this year. We want to be playing in March.”
