The Suburban Council boys basketball coaching fraternity has some new faces this season, along with one person who has switched schools.
There are five new varsity coaches in the league, including Mike Cavotta, who takes over for Jeff Holmes at Shaker. Columbia, Mohonasen, Guilderland and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake also have new head coaches.
“I’m happy to say that coach Holmes left this program in great shape,” said Cavotta, who has coached Shaker’s modified and freshman teams for 16 years. “The kids we have in the program are very skilled, and it’s because of him.”
Ken Dagostino is the coach who switched schools. The former Mohonasen coach will be guiding Colonie this season.
“It was just the opportunity … the opportunity to rebuild a program again,” said Dagostino. “Not only rebuild the program, but also rebuild the school. They had a great reputation in basketball not that long ago.”
Dagostino will try to move the Garnet Raiders forward from a 2013-14 season where they showed some improvement under head coach James Boland.
“I think getting back interest in the program — that seems to be the biggest thing I’ve seen since I got here,” said Dagostino, who was hired in August to replace Boland. “I went to the Colonie Youth Basketball pancake breakfast (Sunday, Nov. 16), and I was impressed with the number of kids involved with the program. They’re (the program is) very well organized.”
Cavotta takes over a Shaker program that hasn’t had a new head coach since Holmes became the varsity coach in 1987.
“I’ve learned everything I know about coaching basketball from being in this program,” said Cavotta.
Cavotta is trying to put his own stamp on the Shaker program by introducing an up-tempo offensive style this season.
“It’s definitely a different style than what we’ve played, and it’s my style to push the ball up and down the court,” said Cavotta. “We’re long and athletic, which is what I like.”
Dagostino’s Mohonasen teams were known to be tough at the defensive end, which served the Mighty Warriors well over the last several years. Dagostino won a Section 2 Class A title with Mohonasen in 2012, and he said he hopes to bring Colonie its first Sectional championship since 1999.
“I enjoy that rebuilding process,” said Dagostino. “We were successful with it at Mohonasen, and I’d love to do that at Colonie. It’s my wife’s alma mater.”
How much success Cavotta and Dagostino have this year won’t be predicted before the Suburban Council season begins Tuesday, Dec. 2. With so many new coaches in the league, both Cavotta and Dagostino said it will take some time for them to figure out what they’ll need to do in order to guide their teams to victory.
“Jeff (Holmes) was trying to help me in scouting to see what the other teams will be running this season, but it became impossible because of all the new coaches in the league,” said Cavotta.
“I don’t know how (the league) will be,” said Dagostino. “The kids will be the same, but the style of play could be all over the place.”
Cavotta makes his varsity coaching debut Dec. 2 when Shaker hosts Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, while Dagostino’s first game at Colonie is against Columbia. The two of them coach against each other when Shaker visits Colonie Friday, Dec. 19.