(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) ATTENTION GRABBER: Hun School boys’ basketball star Egheosa Edomwonyi grabs a rebound in action last winter. Hun will be relying on senior star Edomwonyi for production and leadership this winter. Hun opens its 2008-09 season by playing at the Blair Academy on December 3.

Hun Boys’ Hoops Undergoing Makeover, Relying on Chemistry to Pull It Through

Bill Alden

Roster turnover is a fact of life in high school sports. But this winter, the Hun School boys’ basketball team is undergoing an extreme makeover.

The Raiders have lost nine of 12 players from a 2007-08 team that went 13-12 and advanced to the semifinals of both the Mid-Atlantic Prep League and state Prep A tournaments.

Graduation hit Hun heavily with the departure of such stars as Doug Davis, Lance Goulbourne, Sterling Melville, and Matt Florio, who are playing college basketball at Princeton, Vanderbilt, Colgate, and Babson, respectively.

The Raiders have also been hit by injury and the decision of a couple of players to stop playing the sport.

Hun head coach Jon Stone acknowledges that he has his work cut out for him as he looks to keep the Raiders among the elite programs in the area.

“I don’t think I have had turnover like this since I’ve been here,” said Stone, who is in his ninth season guiding the Hun program. “It is going to be a challenge.”

Fortunately, Hun is returning rugged senior forward Egheosa Edomwonyi. “Egheosa has a lot of experience; both against the competition we play and knowing what we do,” said Stone, whose team tips off its 2008-09 campaign by playing at the Blair Academy on December 3.

“It has been a pleasure watching him grow as a leader and athletically. We will rely on him a lot for those things and for his scoring and athleticism.”

Joining Edomwonyi in the Hun frontcourt will be senior returner Mehmet Onen and junior newcomers Ryan Adams and Rob Michel.

“Onen has developed a lot,” said Stone. “He is from Turkey; he played mostly JV last year. He has a big body. Ryan Adams and Rob Michel are both about 6’4 or 6’5 and they should help us up front.”

The Hun backcourt rotation will feature a trio of seniors, Jonathan Lee, R.J. Griffin, and Laurent Mikerson together with promising freshman Miles Melville, the younger brother of Sterling Melville.

“Jon Lee is a strong point guard; he is athletic and he has the ability to run the team,” said Stone, who may also have the service of junior guard DeOliver Davis depending on how quickly he recovers from a broken leg suffered during football preseason.

“R.J. Griffin is pretty good. Mikerson has really made some big strides. While he didn’t play much last year, he was really doing well in practice by the end of the season He had a good summer. Myles is only a freshman but he is physical and smart. He should grow into a good player.”

Hun will be undergoing a growing process, particularly in the early stages of the season.

“The first four games are the four of the toughest we will have all season,” said Stone, whose team follows its opener with Blair by playing at Northfield-Mt. Hermon and Hotchkiss School before hosting St. Benedict’s.

“We need to get some experience. Most players are either new to us or haven’t played much at the varsity level. We need to get solid leadership and stay on the same page.”

Stone, for his part, is confident that his players will stay on the same page as the season unfolds.

“I like the chemistry of this team; I am excited for the season,” asserted Stone. “You can have all talent but if you don’t have chemistry, you aren’t going to win a lot. Chemistry can beat talent.”

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