Corning-Painted Post is a head-turning boys basketball team in more ways than one.
Full-court defensive pressure has created fast-break opportunities in the blink of an eye.
High-paced offensive sets and an unselfish attitude have turned baseline drives into passes that set up wide-open 3-pointers.
Energy, effort and talent have led to an 18-0 record, the first unbeaten season for the program since the merger of teams at Corning East and Corning West prior to the 2010-11 season.
Corning is playing its best as the postseason approaches.
“We came in and had some rough patches, but I feel like the last eight to 10 games everything has been clicking,” said sophomore guard Nolyn Proudfoot, who is making his own individual history.
“We’ve been having a really good time. Practices are really fun, energy is really high. It’s really good.”
Next challenge is STAC semifinal
Corning returns to action at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 when it hosts Oneonta in a Southern Tier Athletic Conference tournament semifinal.
A win would put Corning in the final against either Maine-Endwell or Binghamton Seton Catholic Central on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Corning.
The bulk of this year’s starting lineup helped Corning to an 18-4 record and a Section 4 title last season. Most have been playing together since they were little kids.
“It’s been something we’ve been building for and they haven’t let us down,” Hawks head coach Mike Johnston Jr. said. “Really proud of them and what we’ve accomplished so far. A STAC West title and an undefeated regular season. Now we’ve got new goals. Our next step is to win a semifinal game in the STAC championships.”
Corning has wins over Oneonta (83-68) and Maine-Endwell (85-72) this season. A potential Game of the Year in Section 4 looms if Corning and once-beaten Seton CC, the state’s third-ranked Class AA team, can both make it to the STAC final.
“Our focus is going to be completely on Oneonta,” Johnston said. “We know what they’re capable of and we know what they’ve done. Their only losses are to three really good teams and there’s no way we’re looking ahead. Not even close.”
Even so, the thought of playing in a conference final in front of one of the most loyal and loudest student sections in Section 4 is appealing.
“We’ve got the home-court advantage this year, so it would feel super good if we can get there,” senior Kyler Stevenson said.
Making mark with unbeaten regular season
Before last week’s 105-71 win over Wellsville, the last unbeaten regular season for a boys basketball team in the Corning-Painted Post School District came when Johnston guided West High to an 18-0 start in 2002-03. That group finished 20-2.
Corning averages 84 points per game while surrendering just under 59. The Hawks’ closest contest was a 71-59 triumph over Elmira. Corning has topped 100 points twice and the starting five is routinely watching from the bench by the third quarter.
The Hawks are ranked 21st in Class AAA by the New York State Sports Writers Association and is the eighth-ranked NYS Public High School Athletic Association team in a class dominated by powers from the New York City region.
Stevenson is hoping this team can make a deep run in the state tournament if it repeats as Section 4 champion.
“Undefeated right now. We’re working our tails off in practice every day making each other better,” he said. “It feels amazing to be 18-0.”
Not big, but coming up big
The starting five includes Nolyn Proudfoot and his older brother Carter, a junior; along with Stevenson, junior Kohl Hogue and senior Teigen Gill.
Nolyn and Stevenson are the tallest starters at 6-foot-2. Corning’s lack of size could be a problem against the wrong foe, but the Hawks’ makeup helps them play with great tempo. Every starter can handle the ball, hit from long range, and defend on the perimeter. Rebounding is a collective effort.
“The past couple of years we’ve been really small, but I feel like that really doesn’t matter around here,” Nolyn said. “We move the ball so well and we’re so fast.
“I feel like everybody’s got an edge on their shoulder and they know their role. That’s what’s really special about us.”
Nolyn Proudfoot ‘a special player’
Speaking of special, last season Nolyn became the first freshman boys player in Section 4 history to reach 1,000 career points. Proudfoot, a varsity starter since seventh grade, has raised his total to more than 1,600 this season.
That included a program-record 50 points against Canisteo-Greenwood that topped his own mark of 42 set two games prior.
Proudfoot is averaging 29.8 points and more than 9 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field, 44% from 3-point range and 87% at the foul line. He is drawing interest from Division I college teams.
“He doesn’t miss shots,” Stevenson said. “He has a full bag. He has a pull-up jumper, three, can get to the rim, rebounds. He works every day at his house. Every morning he gets like a thousand shots up. He puts the work in and it shows.”
The Proudfoot brothers have a gym at the family’s home in Gang Mills and their high school teammates routinely join them in utilizing it. Summer league and AAU ball have also paid big dividends for Hawks players.
Their mom is former Corning West two-time all-state pick Melissa DeClemente Proudfoot, who helped the Vikings to the Class B girls public schools state title in 1995. Their dad is Kevin Proudfoot, one of the career rebounding leaders for Elmira College.
When asked about Nolyn’s 50-point game, Johnston joked he wasn’t sure he scored 50 in his entire career at Elmira Notre Dame, though he added he had plenty of assists.
“He’s a special player, but that doesn’t happen by accident,” Johnston said. “His parents have offered them opportunities. He’s taken full advantage of them. He’s put himself out there as far as being a prospect to get to the next level.
“His work is never done. He’s daily working on making himself better. He’s very coachable and I think that’s what makes him such a great player.”
Defense backbone of Hawks’ success
While Nolyn’s play puts him in rare air, the Hawks have a lot of offensive balance.
Stevenson is scoring 17 points per game and has a pair of 30-point efforts. Carter Proudfoot averages nearly 12 points per game and scored 31 against Ithaca. Hogue is scoring 11 per game and has 55 assists over the last six contests. Gill is generally good for three or four buckets and his defensive play was among the reasons he was a STAC West all-star last season.
Johnston and assistant Bill Hopkins harp on defense. Hopkins has roughly 50 seasons of experience as a head coach and assistant at the high school and college levels.
“Really smart minds,” Nolyn said of those two, who get a coaching hand from JV head coach Bryan Kurcoba.
“You put both of them together and it’s really good for us.”
Nolyn said if you take a bad shot on offense, Johnston is likely to let it go. But if you’re late closing out on a shot or get beat on a baseline drive, you’re going to hear about it.
“We talk about energy. Defense creates energy,” Johnston said. “We know we shoot it pretty decent. When you have off nights, and we’ve had some of those, you’ve got to go out and play at the defensive end and you’ve got to make things happen.
“Our kids have been willing to do that and they’re patient and they let things come to them. Everybody’s got a role and each game they continue to flourish because they’re unselfish and willing to share the ball with each other. They don’t care who gets the credit.”
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Records and shots falling with frequency for unbeaten Corning boys
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
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