DANVERS — Last season didn’t go quite as planned for the St. John’s Prep basketball team, which went 9-12 and missed the state tournament. But the Eagles gained valuable experience throughout the year, and now they’re aiming to take that experience and make a run at a Catholic Conference title.
“We had a lot of guys who gained some really valuable experience last season,” said Prep coach John Dullea, who is now in his eighth season as head coach. “Hopefully we can now take that experience and transfer it into in-game success this season.”
The Eagles have some strong talent returning in 2020-2021, led by sophomore Rollie Castineyra — who led the Prep in scoring as a freshman last year — and jack-of-all-trades senior Aidan Callahan at point guard.
“It’s always great when you get two players of their caliber back for another season,” Dullea said of Castineyra and Callahan. “Aidan is a four-year player and he’s so strong on both ends of the floor. Getting Rollie back as our leading scorer will be great and we’re expecting him to have another strong year.”
St. John’s will also be getting back senior Noah Thomas, who missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in a fall league game. Sophomore Mike O’Brien, who stands at 6-foot-8, will be looked upon to provide some size and strength in the paint.
“Our roster is a nice mix of veteran and younger players,” said Dullea. “We still have some spots to be filled and we’re taking things day by day.”
The Prep has taken things slow to open up the winter season, and the tryout process is still ongoing for the Eagles.
“Nothing is written in pen, that’s for sure,” Dullea said. “This year our plan is to take a positive approach to everything and take whatever happens in stride. We understand that everyone is in the same boat in terms of getting ready for the season, so we’re just going to focus on working hard.
“The biggest thing for us this preseason is going to be getting our conditioning right,” Dullea added. “We’re glad that we have some extra time to prepare and practice before we open up the season.”
St. John’s will have a gauntlet of a schedule once again this year, with all of its games coming within the Catholic Conference. Dullea notes that the league is as balanced as it has ever been and every night will be a battle.
“This is my eighth year, and the league is the most competitive I’ve ever seen it from top to bottom,” said Dullea. “Every team is good and anyone can beat anyone on any given night. We have a challenging schedule and we’re going to have to be ready to go every game.”
St. John’s Prep opens up the season on Jan. 15 (6) on the road at rival Xaverian.
“Normally at this point in the year, we’d already be a couple of games into the season,” said Dullea. “It’s a little strange to get used to and the schedule will be pretty crammed once we get going, but we’re going to make the most of our opportunity to play this year.”
