Fairport has seen the summit the last two years. The Skippers led Cornerstone Christian in a Division IV district semifinal in 2023, and they were in a D-VII district semifinal against Heartland Christian in 2024.
The Skippers aren’t making any excuses for what happened but know that the pieces are in place to make the trek to the summit.
Coach Dustin Ettinger sees an experienced bunch around the court. He knows the players aren’t just hungry after back-to-back 18-win seasons.
The players want to prove Fairport is going to be a contender in D-VII for seasons to come.
“We are gung-ho to change the culture,” Ettinger said. “It’s transitioned from football to basketball even with the early exit in the playoffs. The boys are hungrier than ever. They want to get after it.
“The depth really makes it nice. There are endless options. And they know that they can go 100% and have enough in the tank for a reserve to come in and assist them. So the culture is next man up, we over me. It’s been a whole culture shift in our voices of programs in every sport here. We’re going to look to continue that, especially into the start of the year.”
It starts up front for the Skippers in the guard trio of Yomar, Jan and Abraham Castellano. The brothers bring a scrappiness to the game that helps them be able to overcome any teams’ height inside as they drive.
Yomar Castellano has led the team in scoring the last two seasons, with 21 coming a season ago. Jan Castellano finished averaging 11.9 points, with both able to control the game inside and out.
But the playmakers don’t stop with the Castellanos. Shane Greenwood and Brady Lawson are strong 3-point shooters who can alleviate the pressure if Fairport is struggling on the drive.
Players such as DJ Dambolena, Ben Allen and Isaac Maldonado will handle the boards with their aggression inside. That versatility allows for the Skippers to be a multifaceted team.
“We’ve been working so much together, and nothing is new to us now,” Yomar Castellano said. “It’s us coming together this season. Like we were working out in the mornings, adding afternoon sessions to it as we got closer to the season. We’ve just been together a lot this summer, and this season I’m excited and ready for us to get going.”
There are new additions to the Skippers’ rotation as well in Kam Leftwich and Brandon Gibson. Both are expected to play big roles for the team.
Leftwich is a versatile guard who can play outside but is more comfortable slashing to the rim. And he can thrive with Fairport’s ability to create inside with its work beyond the arc creating openings in the high post.
Brandon Gibson adds another threat from beyond the arc and creates more spacing for the slashers to the hoop.
Getting the new names caught up to the brand of Fairport basketball the team has established over the years has been easy for Yomar Castellano and the returning pieces.
The Castellanos and Leftwich play AAU basketball together as well, so they have already created some on-court chemistry.
“We can’t ask for anything better. Everyone knows their roles,” Yomar said. “Kam is position-less and can switch to guard anyone. Ben is a stretch that can shoot. Jan is a pass-first type player. Brandon can score, and I’ll take him over any defender. We all know what’s going to be asked of us every night.”
With all of the pieces there, Ettinger is reiterating to the team to not try and solve everything right away. There are going to be speed bumps along the way in any campaign.
The Northeastern Athletic Conference has several different styles of play that will challenge teams to adjust to the vastly challenging schedule. And the Skippers’ out-of-conference schedule is going to challenge them.
They have tilts with Riverside, Andrews Osborne, Akron East and Berkshire, all by design from Ettinger.
While he shares the high expectations his team has, Ettinger is excited how the team grows and adapts as the season goes to try and get the school’s first regional banner since 1965.
“Everyone can see the RPI rankings (that the OHSAA uses), and last year we were up there with Cornerstone and Hillsdale,” Ettinger said. “But people see that or the football record and say Fairport isn’t a real competitor, that really struck a nerve with us. But we still have to look forward to the next game. This year, everyone has that mindset of we have to play 22 games, one after another and not look forward. We can only look at what’s in front of us.”
Fairport opens the season Dec. 5 with a trip to Vienna Mathews. The Skippers and Mustangs played a pair of close contests a season ago and in Fairport’s final season in the NAC, it looks for an early leg up.