Cardinal Hayes High 2019-20 Season Preview

By Robert Pena,


After making a deep run last season and losing in the City-wide finals, the Cardinals from Cardinal Hayes High School should be right in the mix of things again come this March. Per head coach Joe Lods, “I’m not preoccupied with the beginning of the season, but more with where we finish. We are going to try to get better every game,”

 

Coach Lods also added “I expect to win, but is hard to have specific expectations with a group of such young guys. I expect the young guys to let me coach. Hopefully, they will play defense, and if we get a few breaks, then let’s see what happens.”

 

The Cardinals front court players are Shamani Fuller, Tyliek Weeks and Mammodou Taore. Fuller is a senior and returning starter. As a center, he’s an excellent jumper and dunker who averaged 17 points per game, 8 rebounds last year. Weeks is a sophomore forward averaged 15 points per game and 8 rebounds per contests last season as a freshman in JV ball. Taore is sophomore and is a key new player who transferred in from Stepinac High School.

 

As for the known high impact backcourt players, Julian Soumaoro will be one. Soumaoro is a senior guard and returning starter. He averaged 11 points per game with 5 assists and is a tough scrappy defender and excellent shooter.

 

The other guys who will be in the mix for the Cardinals are Tobe Awaka, Tyler Wise and Daryl Victory.  Awaka is sophomore power forward that has good energy and averaged 20 points per game with 12 rebounds per game last season in JV play. Wise is a sophomore transfer new player from Thomas Jefferson High and is known as a very good shooter. Victory a sophomore transfer player from St. Francis Prep. A key emerging player who will be featured more in the offense this season is Thomas Hoffman. Hoffman is a senior guard who averaged 3 points per contests last season. “Now he’s a new man, and one of the best shooters in the City right now”. Per coach Lods.

 

With the number of young players outnumbering the upperclassmen this season, the coach wants his young players to develop comfort as the season goes along. “The short term goal is to get them game experience. The long term goal is that at some time in the season to have my sophomore feel like they are not sophomores any more.” said Coach Lods.

 

Shemani Fuller has offers from the University of Umass, Quinnipac Universityand Bryant University, and Julian Soumaoro “will get a scholarship” per Coach Lods.
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