OPENING NIGHT
The Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 boys season is scheduled to get underway Tuesday with three games, Wyoming Seminary at Holy Redeemer, Hanover Area at Lake-Lehman and MMI Prep at Wyoming Area.
Nanticoke has the bye and begins conference play Friday at MMI Prep.
ON THE BENCH
Chris Gray is back at Hanover Area after missing most of last season with medical issues.
Adam Dizbon is in his first full season at Lake-Lehman after taking over in the middle of last season for Dwayne Kolinay.
BACK FOR MORE
MMI Prep is back in the division after taking last season off as part of COVID precautions at the school.
REALIGNMENT
The return of MMI Prep bumped Dallas up from Division 2 to Division 1 where it would have competed last year if not for the adjustment to balance the number of teams in each division.
2021 STANDINGS
Wyoming Seminary is the defending champion.
The final 2021 standings: Wyoming Seminary 10-2, Holy Redeemer 9-3, Lake-Lehman 8-4, Dallas 6-4, Nanticoke 4-8, Wyoming Area 2-8, Hanover Area 1-11.
TOP-RANKED
Unbeaten Holy Redeemer opened the season as the top-ranked Small School boys team in the My City Mortgage Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams and has held that spot through the three weekly in-season updates.
THE RACE
As its ranking suggests, Holy Redeemer is the favorite.
In fact, it is easy to make a case for the Royals being the most clear-cut favorite in any of District 2’s dozen divisions of boys and girls basketball.
The mystery is which team develops to mount the best threat.
Wyoming Area and Nanticoke could be the best candidates there.
CLASSIFICATIONS
Four of the division’s seven teams – Wyoming Area, Lake-Lehman, Nanticoke and Hanover Area – are in Class 4A. The other three are small schools.
Holy Redeemer and Wyoming Seminary are in Class 3A while MMI Prep is in A.
FOR THE RECORD
Holy Redeemer is the only team in the division to come through December with a winning record in its non-league games.
The Royals took it one step further, going unbeaten.
Going into league play, the teams’ overall records are: Holy Redeemer 4-0, Wyoming Area 3-4, Lake-Lehman 1-2, Hanover Area 1-5, Nanticoke 1-7, Wyoming Seminary 0-6, MMI Prep 0-8.
Wyoming Area, Lake-Lehman, Hanover Area and Nanticoke are fifth through eighth, in order, in the 10-team race for eight District 2 Class 4A playoff berths.
All Class 3A teams are guaranteed a spot in the postseason, so the district’s Power Rankings there are simply to determine seeding. Holy Redeemer currently leads those seven teams while Wyoming Seminary is in last.
MMI Prep is last among nine teams in the District 2-11 Class A Subregional playoff race, but the Preppers are guaranteed a spot at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza for the district final against Forest City, the only other Class A team. That game does not advance a team in state play. Qualifying must be done through the subregional.
RETURNING STARS
Holy Redeemer has the only two players returning to the division from last season’s WVC Division 2 all-star team, as selected by NEPABasketball.com.
Justice Shoats and Matt Prociak were both first-team selections.
Shoats, who surpassed 1,000 career points during his junior season, was a division Player of the Year and all-District 2 selection as a junior.
Prociak had received honorable mention as a sophomore.
