Thanksgiving is synonymous with football. Many high school teams play a game that day, and some of the fortunate ones that are still in the playoffs have practices.
But Executive Education was the rare boys basketball team also getting in a practice on Turkey Day.
“We were in the gym for an hour on Thanksgiving morning, for about an hour from 10 to 11,” Raptors coach Ray Barbosa said. “These guys work hard. They’re very committed.”
To the chagrin of many public school officials who aren’t particularly fond of charter schools, Executive has established itself as one of the premier basketball programs in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
It has won a district championship in each of its five seasons of existence and figures to be just as good, if not better, this season.
Executive has three key pieces in guards Rylan Muniz, Gabe Hornberger and Lamine Sanoh. Muniz averaged 16.6 points per game last season and Hornberger delivered 12.6. The 6-foot-9 Sanoh scored just 4.4 points per game as he took turns in the low post with his brother Moustapha, who is now playing at Rider University in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.
But he made his presence felt with 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. His offensive game has grown since last year.
“I only started playing basketball four years ago and I have worked developing my game,” said Sanoh, who is receiving Division I and II interest.
“We have a few offensive sets for him and we can add a few more,” Muniz said. “But we know Lamine is going to block shots, defend and rebound. That’s where he thrives.”
Barbosa said others are ready to emerge.
“We have size, we have some guys who can shoot, some guys who can handle the ball and some guys who are really going to help our depth,” Barbosa said. “We’ve got a lot of pieces and we have a chance to be in the spot we were in last year. I’m just hoping we can play well at the right time in March.”
Unlike most teams that are challenged by the demands of league play and make a league playoff berth and title their first goals, the Raptors use the regular season to get ready for the District 11 and PIAA tournaments. Throughout the course of the season they’ll face teams from all over the eastern half of the state and take on a lot of Philly opponents.
After being stopped in the second round of the state tournament for four straight years, Executive broke through with two PIAA wins last year and battled West Catholic tough before falling in the quarterfinals.
Barbosa believes this team has a chance to get back to the same point of the season last year and beyond.
“We’re ready to go,” Barbosa said before his team’s scrimmage against Neumann-Goretti. “We’ve been in the gym so much going against each other that we need to start playing somebody else. We have great kids here and I think we’re going to have another good season.”
Executive Education
Coach: Ray Barbosa (sixth season at Executive, 92-33, 156-55 in nine seasons overall).
Last season: 22-5. Beat Palmerton 54-42 and Saucon Valley 45-32 to win the District 11 3A title. Beat String Theory 69-49, beat North Penn-Mansfield 78-45 and lost to West Catholic 59-43 in the PIAA 4A tournament.
Season opener: Friday vs. Council Rock North at Cheltenham Tip-Off tournament
Players to watch: Gabe Hornberger (Jr. G); Rylan Muniz (Sr. G); Heavin McCain (Jr. G); Lamine Sanoh (Sr. C); Jayden Shipley (Jr. G); Elias Lopez (Jr. G); Damon Young (Sr. G/F); Michael Ramos (Jr. G); Jamal Aybar (Sr. G/F); Max Placide (Jr. G) Jayden Manning (Sr. F); Deshawn Shaw (Sr. G/F); Elijah Styles (So. F/C); Eshaan Tung (Fr. G/F); Alfred Rios (Sr. F/C); Mathew Ramos (So. G); Ameire Troope (Jr. G).
Take note: Jamil Newsome, the Allentown police officer who was once the interim head coach at Dieruff and an Allen assistant, has joined the Executive staff as a varsity assistant. Justin Rockmore, who played on Barbosa’s first Executive team in 2018-19 after transferring from Dieruff, is the Raptors’ freshman coach. … Barbosa said that even though the school’s new fitness center will open in 2024, the boys basketball team will still play its home games at the 1,600-seat gym it opened in its second season after using Muhlenberg College for home games in its first year. … This year, Executive has just eight home games, with Columbia, Scranton Prep, Maritime Academy, York Catholic, Overbrook, Roberto Clemente, College Achieve and Williamsport coming to East Allentown. … The team will play in three showcase events, including the Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase on Feb. 4 at Parkland.
Why the Raptors are Dandy Dozen material: Until proven otherwise, the Raptors are one of the most successful programs in area basketball. No one has won five consecutive District 11 titles. The threesome of Hornberger, Muniz and Sanoh give the team proven talent with a lot of scoring punch and athleticism. The team had another successful offseason and played a lot of quality opponents, so it won’t be overmatched or intimidated by anyone it play.
Final word: “I think this could be our best season so far,” Muniz said. “We have a lot of good pieces and if we stay together we can make our best run in states.”