AJ Sports

By Gerard Hetman ghetman@theabingtonjournal.com

When the Abington Heights High School Comets hit the court for a varsity basketball game, opposing teams face the challenge of how to stop the Comets’ prolific offensive attack. Some teams may focus on stopping the dominant inside game of Nathan Basalyga, while others may try to limit the blistering outside shooting of Ross Danzig and Luke Petersen.

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Abington Heights’ Ryan Vassil awaits an inbound pass.

Abington Journal/Stephanie Walkowski

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But what if a team had a player who could do it all? What if a team’s game plan needed to account for a player on both ends of the floor, taking into account all statistical categories?

For Abington Heights, Ryan Vassil is that sort of player. A throwback to the days of the “utility man” in the game of basketball, Vassil is a force in multiple categories for one of the top teams in the Lackawanna League.

When Comets head coach Ken Bianchi looks for a leader to step up and inspire his team, he needs to look no further than Vassil. According to the veteran hoops mentor, his senior swingman is a driving force the success of his team each time they hit the court for practice or a game.

“He brings the energy, he brings the intensity every day,” Bianchi said of his senior leader. “He causes havoc for opposing teams in every facet of the game.”

Leading his team in steals, Vassil has also averaged 40 percent as a 3-point shooter and eighty percent from the foul line on the season. Besides being a deadly shooter, Vassil also gets in on the rebounding and assists end of a game as well. His talents have led to the Comets getting off to a 12-1 start in league play at press time.

According to Vassil, growing up in a basketball-oriented family has been a big help in developing his overall game and all-around basketball skills. His older brother Matt was a standout post player for the Comets who graduated in 2004, while his younger brother John is currently playing his part on the junior varsity for the Comets.

“My brothers and I were always playing when I was younger, so it helped me a lot as I started to play more over the years,” Vassil said of his family connections. “My older brother is six years older than I am, so I got to see him playing well at an important stage of my basketball development. That helped me out a lot when I got to this level myself.”

As an example of how Vassil impacts the team, Bianchi points to his statistics in big games this season. Vassil scored 14 points- including going 7-for-8 from the foul line- in a non-league win at Dunmore. While the Comets suffered the team’s first loss of the season at Scranton, Vassil poured in a team-high 17 points in the effort. In the team’s recent game at Wallenpaupack, Vassil scored 13 points- going 6-for-6 from the field in the process.

“For our team to be successful, we need him at his best,” Bianchi said. “He has a motor that never stops.”

As the season rolls on for the Comets, Vassil is looking forward to a big second half for himself and his teammates. While he is yet to make a decision on his college selection, he intends to study business, and hopes to keep playing basketball at the collegiate level. In the meantime, he hopes to keep up the good times with his teammates, such as their pregame tradition of hoagies from Nikki’s in Clarks Summit.

“We’ve got a great bunch of guys here, I have known all of the seniors for a long time,” Vassil said of his teammates. “We don’t want the good times to end for a while yet.”