Newfield continues basketball success

Following a streak of successful seasons and state championship runs under head coach Chris Bubble, the Newfield boys basketball team is picking up right where it left off under a new coach. After two years leading the junior varsity program, Michael Nembhard has been bumped up to be the varsity head coach and has the Trojans off to a 5-1 start.

Newfield has been one of the best teams in the area in recent years, winning three of the last four Section IV Championships. That is a tradition of success that Nembhard is proud to now be a part of.

“I joke with Coach [Chris] Bubble a lot,” Nembhard said. “When he decided to go, I said, ‘You left me with some big shoes to fill with what you’ve accomplished.’ But it’s been great. I’ve been trying to prepare myself for this opportunity to be here, to be the head of the program and just to continue to lead the Newfield winning tradition like it’s been over several years.”

Outside of a close loss to the defending Class A Section IV champion Johnson City, Newfield has taken care of business in both blowouts and competitive games. Nembhard discussed his team’s hot start to the season.

“I think the key to our early success is that the guys are really excited after we had a condensed season because of COVID last year,” Nembhard said. “So, the guys really came in this year ready to go knowing that possibly we can have a full season. They came in locked in and just ready to go out and play basketball and have fun.”

The loss to Johnson City came at an early-season tournament that featured three bigger schools, elevating the Trojans’ level of play before the bulk of the schedule gets underway.

“It’s always great to play against competition that’s higher than you, so to speak,” Nembhard said. “We were able to get a win over Norwich and then took Johnson City down to the last quarter in the game. It was a great experience for us. The guys were really excited about going out and playing a high-level school. It kind of took our team to the next level.”

On the court, Newfield is led by junior point guard Jalen Hardison, who has been starting for the varsity team since eighth grade. He’s a consistent 20-point scorer loaded with talent, and Nembhard gave his thoughts on the standout player.

“Anytime you’ve got a player the caliber of Jalen Hardison, you give yourself a chance to win each game,” Nembhard said. “I’ve been watching Jalen since he was in fifth grade and I knew he was special back then. He’s an awesome ballplayer and he comes to practice, he works hard and he’s a great leader. Besides that, he’s just a great kid. I’m honored and privileged to be able to be his coach.”

The players around Hardison have been excellent as well this season. Austin Jenney, Derek Pawlewicz, Garrett Porter and Zach Taylor are all dangerous scoring threats defenses have to account for.

“Jalen has a great supporting cast,” Nembhard said. “I coached those guys on JV a couple of years ago. They know my system and they bought right into my system. Those guys are just great individuals that come ready to learn and come ready to play. They work hard in practice. It just shows in our record.”

One thing Nembhard is doing to ensure a constant flow of talent is holding junior varsity and varsity practices together. That early exposure to a higher level of basketball has helped freshman Hezekiah McCoy make an impact on varsity as the youngest player on the team. While the idea did originate from a lack of gym space, it has plenty of benefits.

“I think it’s great that we practice together,” Nembhard said. “We give the JV guys an opportunity to see what we’re doing. They get a head start on learning the things that we do at Newfield. They also get some experience playing the varsity level. It’s been great and it’s been working for us.”

The standard at Newfield is high, and this year is no different. The Trojans are an early front-runner to compete for an IAC Championship alongside the Moravia Blue Devils. Then, of course, there are the hopes of a deep sectional run.

“I think the potential is high,” Nembhard said. “I’m excited. We set a goal at the beginning of the season on what we wanted to accomplish. I’m sure any coach coaches to win. That’s what our goal is. We hopefully will be at the end of the season the last one standing. That’s our goal.”

A coaching transition has not slowed down the Trojans at all, as they continue to be a team to beat in Section IV. Newfield will continue its season with a holiday tournament next week, Dec. 29 and 30, featuring Windsor, Spencer-Van Etten and the host school, Watkins Glen.

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