Poland High School boys basketball preview

POLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – The 2023-24 Poland Bulldogs won the Northeast 8 Conference and advanced to the districts in the post-season by finishing with a 16-8 record.

Coach Eric Fender must replace the contributions of Danny Nittoli (6.5 ppg), Andrew Todd (8.5 ppg) and Cole Fulton (8.7 ppg) – who graduated after scoring a combined average of 23.5 points of the team's 47.1 during the season.

Poland welcomes back four seniors – Oliver McCully (7.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg), Jacob Hayes (2.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg), Jas Stefancin, Michael Daley – and its top scorer Carmine Tukalo (13.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.3 apg).

Newcomers who could see significant minutes are Anthony Delluomo, Brady Kendall, Nick Nittoli and Pano Xipolitas.

Fender states, "I think any team wants to rely on or be led by their most experienced group of players. For us, that will be our senior class, we bring back a lot of kids who have varsity experience. Team chemistry will be a huge strength. We have a nice mix of underclassmen coming in that I think will mesh well with our seniors, which I'm excited about."

The Bulldogs are set to open the year against rival-Canfield on Tuesday, December 10.

"Our expectations are the same as any other year," points out Fender. "We want to come in everyday, work hard, and find ways to improve. We want to play solid defense, force teams to work hard for open shots and to try and push the tempo offensively. We'll have to try and use some of our size to our advantage."

Poland Bulldogs Fast Facts Head Coach: Eric Fender (181-77, overall) Assistant Coaches: Matt Baker, Zac Capan, Chad Fender 2023-24 Record: 16-8 (11-1), 1st place in Northeast 8 2023-24 Post-Season Finish: Lost in District Semifinal to CVCA (64-47)

Team Stats Scoring Offense: 47.1 Scoring Defense: 42.1

Individual Leaders Scoring: Carmine Tukalo, 13.5 Rebounding: Danny Nittoli, 6.1 Assists: Carmine Tukalo, 2.3 Three Point Percentage: Carmine Tukalo, 33.9% Free Throw Percentage: Carmine Tukalo, 85.9%

Dec. 10 – at Canfield Dec. 14 – Neshannock (United Way) Dec. 17 – Girard Dec. 20 – at Niles Dec. 21 – vs. Marlington (Mount Union Holiday Classic) Dec. 28 – at Springfield Dec. 30 – at Campbell Jan. 3 – Howland Jan. 7 – Lakeview Jan. 10 – at South Range Jan. 11 – at Hubbard Jan. 14 – Salem Jan. 17 – Struthers Jan. 21 – Hubbard Jan. 24 – at Girard Jan. 25 – Streetsboro Jan. 28 – Niles Jan. 31 – at Lakeview Feb. 4 – South Range Feb. 7 – at Boardman Feb. 11 – at Struthers Feb. 14 – Canfield