Aultman Alliance Community Hospital Athlete of the Week | Scott Boston of Sebring basketball
SEBRING — Two basketball games don't make an entire season.
For Sebring junior guard Scott Boston, the Trojans' 41-32 win over the Leetonia Bears removed any self-doubt about having the ability to play varsity hoops. He led Sebring scorers with 16 points, helping head coach Lee Knepp record his first varsity win.
Refusing to become complacent, Boston added 10 markers in Sebring's second game, a 58-36 win over the Kingsway Christian Eagles at Orrville, and led the Trojans with 17 points in a loss Saturday to Southington Chalker.
More: Basketball | Sebring teams sweep Kingsway Christian on the road
A Sebring native, Scott Boston knows the history of success with the Trojans basketball program
"I'm from Sebring and I know about the history of the basketball program," said Boston, the Aultman Alliance Community Hospital Athlete of the Week. "I've heard about Coach [Rick] Brook, his 500 wins and his two state tournament appearances and what a great coach he was during his time. I've also heard about the 2004 state tournament team. Joe Amabeli, one of their starters, talked to me about that team and what it took for them to get to state. I'm excited to get a chance to play."
Boston, who stands 5-foot-10, was a late arrival to the Sebring basketball program.
"I transferred two weeks before school started," he said. "I remember coming to the open gyms at Scarpitti Courts. We scrimmaged a little bit."
Sebring, which graduated almost its entire roster from Brian Clark's 6-17 team last season, is transitioning, not only with player personnel but also with the head coaching post. Clark resigned to concentrate on teaching and administrative work in the school district and was replaced by Knepp, who played at Marlington in the early 2000s and most recently served as a middle school coach in the Lake High program.
Having played football during the fall, Boston was familiar with many of the Sebring basketball players.
"We have a lot of guys on the basketball team who also played football, guys like Kade Leasure and Carter Holodnak, guys who also came from West Branch," he said. "I also played basketball with Noah Frederick and Elijah Frederick when we were little kids, so there was some [familiarity] with the players."
Boston, who played slot receiver, safety and linebacker for the Trojans in football, conceded the biggest adjustment was getting into basketball shape.
"It took me a week to transition from football shape to basketball shape," Boston said. "In football, you [condition] for shorter spurts, because a normal play might take four seconds. The longest a play might take is 40 seconds. In basketball, you are constantly moving for a longer period of time. You're sprinting, doing [defensive] slides and jumping."
During preseason play, Boston and his Sebring teammates went through a grueling scrimmage schedule, one he thought helped prepare him for the start of the regular season.
"We went into our scrimmages blind," Boston said. "We met good teams and got beaten pretty badly by Malvern, but we learned a lot and knew where we had to get better."
More: Boys Basketball | Southington spoils Sebring boys basketball's home opener
While prepared in preseason play, Boston admitted there were jitters before he took the floor as one of the five starters for the regular-season opener at Leetonia.
"I was extremely nervous before the game," he said. "Once the game began, the nerves went away."
Boston, a left-handed shooter, struggled from the floor in the first half, converting only 1-of-11.
"My outside shot was terrible the first half," Boston said. "I was pushing my shot, instead of just flicking my wrist."
Boston wasn't the only Sebring player who struggled offensively during the first two quarters. The Trojans scored only 11 points in the opening half. Leetonia didn't exactly scorch the nets, but it nearly doubled Sebring's output, tallying 21 points.
After the halftime break, Boston rediscovered his shot, and the Trojans picked up the pace collectively at the offensive end, outscoring the Bears 30-11 to earn a comeback win.
"We stepped it up physically and we played better defense in the second half of that Leetonia game," Boston said.
Boston shot more infrequently but more efficiently in the final two quarters, sinking 3-of-7 shots. He also was 6-of-9 from the foul line for the game, finishing with 16 points.
"I took better shots and I shot the ball better in the second half, using better technique," Boston said. "I flicked my wrists, instead of pushing the ball."
With a new head coach and so many inexperienced players, the Trojans will need time to develop team chemistry and find an identity. Boston understands his defined role and what he must accomplish on the floor to help Sebring accelerate that process.
"Coach Knepp talked to each of us individually and what he expected us to do in order to help the team," Boston said. "He told me my main focus is to play the point, although we have a lot of guards. While I shoot left-handed, my strong hand is my right hand. I need to keep working on my ball-handling, improve my shot selection and play good defense, because I want to help us grow and become a good team."
Six questions for Scott Boston
What is your favorite color?
Green.
What is your favorite subject?
3-D Printing.
Playing multiple sports, do you have a favorite sport?
Basketball.
What do you consider your team's strength?
Our speed and our hustle.
What's the strength of your game?
I think I have very good knowledge of the game and what we need to do to succeed.
What skill do you need to improve the most?
I need better shot selection.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Scott Boston of Sebring is the Alliance Review Athlete of the Week
