By Laura Amato
Ron Naclerio is hoping to live up to his nickname this winter—the teacher.
The long-time Cardozo boys’ basketball coach is facing one of the biggest challenges of his career, at the helm of a Judges squad that is one of the most inexperienced he has ever coached.
“I’m teaching and hopefully they’re learning,” Naclerio said. “They’re not learning as quickly as I want, but we’ve got to believe we can be good in January and February. Let me put it this way, if we’re good in December you won’t want to play us in January and February.”
The Judges boast just three seniors on this year’s roster, and the majority of the squad consists of first-year varsity players. It has left Naclerio with a specific preseason challenge—teaching them how to play together.
That, however, is easier said than done.
“The pieces are there, it’s just so new,” Naclerio said. “And then, until you coach them you don’t know who has the heart, the intensity and the desire. A couple of kids are missing practices and you don’t know if that’s because they have legitimate excuses or if they’re just excuse-kids.”
Cardozo graduated 10 seniors from last year’s squad—including the team’s big three in scoring, Tareq Coburn, Aaron Walker and Rashond Salnave. All three players finished in the top 10 in scoring in Queens AA last season, averaging over 17 points per game.
But while the trio left big shoes to fill on the stat line, Naclerio is hopeful that some of his underclassmen can step up to the plate—at least in time to make a playoff run.
Dejavaughn Utley averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists during the regular season before exploding for an average of 15 points and eight rebounds during ‘Dozo’s four playoff games last year. He will be the focal point for opposing teams’ defensive schemes this winter, but Naclerio is confident the junior can continue to put up solid numbers.
“He’s one of the top juniors in the city and hopefully he’ll remain one of the top juniors in the city when the season’s over,” Naclerio said. “He’s really the only kid we’ve got from last year.”
Utley will get a bit of help from a handful of JV call-ups, including 6-foot-7 sophomore Noah Sempel and junior Marcus Hammond.
“Last year we called him seventh-grade Shamorie,” Naclerio said of Hammond. “This year we call him eighth-grade Shamorie because he looks just like Shamorie Ponds, but it’s like he’s in eighth grade. He’s good. Last year he had 34 against Christ the King’s JV.”
The key for the Judges—and what the squad has been hoping to find during its preseason practice slate and scrimmage schedule—is establishing a rhythm from the opening tip. That isn’t always easy, even with experience, but Cardozo is doing its best to stay optimistic.
After all, there’s plenty of season ahead.
“There’s a lot of pieces and it’s taken a lot of time to get it together,” Naclerio said. “We’re just trying to get them to understand Cardozo basketball.”
