Last November, Chaminade's Flyers entered the basketball season as defending state champions. With a record of 8-3 through mid-January, back-to-back belts seemed to be a real possibility. However, a bout with the second-half skids resulted in a final regular season record of just 14-10.

Still, the Flyers' 7-5 mark in league play was good enough for a home playoff game. On February 26, they welcomed in the Kellenberg Firebirds - whom they had already defeated twice - for a showdown in the league quarterfinals. Despite their earlier successes against the Firebirds, the Flyers failed to make it three-for-three against their Marianist rivals, dropping a stunning 46-42 decision and ending their hoop dreams.

Today, almost 300 days later, the Flyers are ready to exorcise those demons and prove that they belong at the top of the NSCHSAA.

"I think about [the loss to Kellenberg] every day," said Chaminade head coach Dan Feeney, who is entering his fifth season at the helm. "It's something we've talked about. We don't continue to talk about it because we move forward, but definitely, it's still there - no doubt. It's part of our motivation, but not the only part."

"We feel like we let people down by losing in the quarterfinals after being so successful in years prior," said senior guard Kyle Dillon. "But with that, a new season is here. We have different guys and a new mindset and motivation to make it back to the top, and we're hungry for that."

If the Flyers want to have sustained success this year, it will start with a veteran senior class headlined by third-year contributors Dillon and Michael Wede. Dillon led last year's squad, averaging 17.9 points per game, while Wede topped the three-point percentage category, converting on nearly 37% of his shots beyond the arc.

"Kyle's been steady since he was a sophomore. He leads by example, and he goes out there every single day of practice and sets the tone of what's expected. He and I are always on the same page as far as stuff on the court," explained Feeney.

"For Mike, I've seen a change in the way he approaches practice," the head coach added. "Like a lot of younger kids, I think he would come, and he liked to do what he was good at. Now, he's starting to master what he's good at and really buy into the other parts of the game."

Feeney hoped the pair would be complemented by the senior trio of Gregory Wyckoff, Ian Laurencin, and Peter Tagios III - all of whom are third-year players - but injuries will throw a wrench into those plans. Wyckoff and Laurencin are both expected to be back at some point this season, but Tagios will be recovering for the remainder of the year.

As a result, it's a "next man up" mentality for the Flyers.

"We've got to stay disciplined and focused on the goal we have set, which is to get back to the top of the league," said Wede. "Everyone has to step up - especially us seniors taking on bigger roles - because we have so many guys out injured."

"We'll get to see some of the seniors that didn't play a whole lot last year," added Feeney. "The one who has been at the forefront of those guys is Emmett Nelson. He's had a good start to our season."

Other seniors who will run it back this year include Ryan Fennelly, Daniel Doyle, and John DeLuca - one of last season's managers.

The next line of reinforcement comes from the rising class of juniors - a talented group that has won championships in each of its first two seasons at Chaminade.

"Jake Ellwood has been in our starting lineup for the first three scrimmages. I think Jake is somebody that can come in and help us on both sides of the floor," said Feeney. "Nicholas Sweeney has an opportunity to play, along with Jonathon Walsh, due to some of the frontcourt injuries."

Sweeney, Walsh, and Diego Dersch - the only returning junior from last season - will form a trio of skyscraping forwards who hope to facilitate in the paint and dominate on the boards in the absence of Tagios and Wyckoff. In a league as physical as the NSCHSAA, rebounding will be crucial. 

The rest of the junior class is composed of playmaking guard Nicholas Collura and forwards Sean Ambrosi and Andreas Donas.

To round out the roster, Feeney pulled up sophomore Lucas Dillon - Kyle's younger brother. He had an explosive '24-25 campaign with the JVB team, spearheading the way on a 20-3 championship team.

The Crimson and Gold will yet again play a competitive non-league schedule to supplement its always-difficult league slate. This holds true from the opening tip, as their first five games of the campaign are all against tough non-league opponents. Early-season menu offerings include the annual matchup with the nationally-ranked LuHi Crusaders, as well as dates with well-rounded teams like Christ the King, Stony Brook, and Uniondale - arguably Nassau County's best public school team.

Other non-league highlights include two away tournaments - the Governors Challenge in Wicomico, Maryland, and the Hoophall Invitational in Springfield, Massachusetts - as well as the Gary Charles Tip of the Hat Classic, to be hosted at the AAC for the fourth year in a row. 

"It prepares you to play anybody, and it's why kids want to come here," said Feeney of the importance of non-league competition. "It's to be in environments like that, to compete against the best teams around, and to find out where you stand and how you match up with those guys." 

In league play, Chaminade will look to reestablish itself at the top of the standings. To do so, it will have to play better against last year's leaders, the St. Dominic's Bayhawks and the St. Anthony's Friars. Both of these teams - who are expected to be towards the top yet again - swept their games against the Flyers a year ago. 

Holy Trinity and St. Mary's will also serve as formidable competition this year. The Flyers will open their league schedule by hosting the Gaels as part of the NSCHSAA League Tipoff Showcase at the AAC on December 20.

Another contest the Flyers have circled is a January 22 date with Kellenberg - the first matchup between the two Marianist schools since the Firebirds dispatched the Flyers from last season's playoffs.

There is reason to be excited for this group of Flyers, especially after impressive scrimmages with Archbishop Stepinac - the preseason number-one team in the nation according to MaxPreps - as well as St. Francis Prep and Roslyn. 

"It was a balancing act, but it was good. It's why we schedule that whole week for just scrimmages - to see where we're at," said Feeney. "We're far from finished products right now, but we're definitely not afraid. I think we've played enough basketball and been in enough competitive environments that we're not going to back down."

"The one thing that's been the best for our team since I've been in the program is how much the guys actually care and want to get better or make the right play," Dillon added. "No one is checked out, and everyone wants to give full effort in every drill regardless of who's on the floor."

It's clear that the Flyers have the talent and potential to get back to the NSCHSAA summit, but will they put it together on the hardwood?

Their quest starts tonight with a road matchup against Christ the King. Tipoff in Middle Village is set for 7:30 p.m.