Planets' molten core
ADAMS TWP — From baptism by fire to being the engine of Mars' basketball machine.
In a nutshell, that's Andrew Recchia's life on the court over the last 13 months.
Now a junior, Recchia is averaging nearly 14 points per game as the team's starting point guard. But it was not long ago that he was one of a group of Mars players surrounded with question marks.
Last season, star guard Robby Carmody was the only returnee from Mars' 2015-16 team that played in the state championship game in Hershey. But Recchia joined a slew of new varsity players that included Cade Hetzler, Ben Lewis, Ben Perdziola and Michael Carmody, who helped the Planets once again play well into March, reaching the state quarterfinals.
It was Recchia, though, who spent the 2015-16 season on Mars' freshman team, who had the most responsibility as the point guard.
“I had built myself up through hard work,” Recchia said. “Physically, I was ready, but the speed of the game caught me off guard at the start of the season. I was nervous the first couple of games, but caught on pretty quick.”
Mistakes were made, as would be the case with a veteran starter at the position, let alone a sophomore. But Planet coach Rob Carmody knew what Recchia could do for the team.
“He was always reassuring me that I was the guy for that role,” Recchia said. “The seniors and upperclassmen helped me out a lot, too.
“My parents and coaches have driven me to have a thick skin. If I make a mistake, just forget about it and move on to the next play.”
Recchia ended his sophomore campaign averaging 10 points and three assists per game. When Robby Carmody was out for six games with an injury, Recchia's production reached nearly 20 points per game. The effort allowed Coach Carmody to know what he had at the position entering this season.
“Andrew is an outstanding offensive player,” he said. “He can get to the rim, has a solid mid-range game and is outstanding from the free throw line. Defensively, he's usually matched up against the other team's point guard. If you can win that matchup, it gives you a good chance of winning the game.
“He's a guy who sets the tone for us on both ends of the court. He initiates things for us and settles things down.”
Occasionally, Recchia gets to play off the ball while Robby Carmody or junior Brandon Caruso mans the point.
“I like playing point guard the best, but it is nice to get a break from leading everything.”
The Planets enter the new year with a record of 5-2. Four of their wins have come by an average of nearly 36 points.
“Our two losses have come by two points against out-of-state teams, from Kentucky (Corbin) and Wisconsin (Kaukauna),” Coach Carmody said. “Both of them are in the discussion to win state titles this year. We're off to a fantastic start. If Andrew wasn't doing his job, we wouldn't be in this position. His coaches and his teammates recognize that.”
“Our expectation is to win a state championship,” Recchia said. “The talent is there. It's just a question of keeping that chemistry and getting better as a team.”
