When one guy leaves, another one steps in.

In Norwich’s case, when one really good basketball player finishes his high school playing career, another good one seems to step to the forefront – every single season. The Tornado boys lost their leading scorer and rebounder (Richie Bonney) and top playmaker and assist man (Derek Hughes) to graduation. What remained was a returning lineup devoid of any varsity starting experience.

“When we looked at this team, we thought it was important that Jon (Foulds), Dennis (Oralls), and Seth (Thomsen) be the nucleus that we build around,” said longtime NHS head coach Mark Abbott. “These are the guys that had the most varsity playing experience, and they’re relishing their roles.”

For Oralls, the transformation from a spot reserve to a starter and leading scorer has been nothing short of remarkable. The junior guard, in the words of Abbott, could not have had a much better start to the 2010-2011 season.