SAGE WISDOM: Hun School boys’ basketball player Sage Mateo heads to the hoop in a 2023 game. Last week, senior guard Mateo scored six points to help Hun defeat Abington Friends (Pa.) 70-29 in its season opener on November 25. In upcoming action, the Raiders are playing at the Haverford School (Pa.) on December 4 before heading to the Blair Academy to face College Achieve on December 6 and the Darrow School (N.Y.) on December 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Jon Stone liked the camaraderie he was seeing from his Hun School boys’ basketball team as it headed into its season opener last week.
“The vibe with this team has been really strong, it is really good chemistry,” said Hun head coach Stone, who guided the Raiders to an 8-15 record last winter. “The guys seem to really like each other on and off the court. It has been really good.”
Playing at Abington Friends (Pa.) on November 25 to tip off its 2025-26 campaign, Hun got off to a very good start as it rolled to a 70-29 victory.
“We have improved in a lot of areas so far in this short time,” said Stone, reflecting on the win in the opener. “We have been working a lot on defense. That is probably the thing I was most happy about.”
Stone is happy about his starting backcourt duo of junior Blake Hargrove and senior Sage Mateo. Hargrove scored 10 points in the win over Abington Friends while Mateo chipped in six.
“Blake is looking really good, we expect him to pick up where he left off last year,” said Stone, who guided the Raiders to an 8-15 record last winter. “He can just do so many things. It is continued overall development and maturity, recognizing times to go and times to not go. His overall court management has really improved. Sage just continues to develop and grow, he has been so steady for us. He is our captain, his leadership has been really, really exceptional. He has committed to Cornell. He has just been tremendous.”
The Raiders boast depth at guard with seniors Eshan Kulkarni and Charlie Juliana.
“Kulkarni was with us last year, he had a terrific first game,” said Stone of Kulkarni, who tallied 14 points in the opener. “Sage got into foul trouble so he didn’t play as much as he normally would. Eshan came right in and we didn’t miss a beat. He was terrific and we expect that out of him all year. He has great experience and great abilities. He is going to play starters minutes the whole year long even if he doesn’t start. Charlie has continued to grow and develop and do things well.”
The frontcourt trio of junior Julian Van Hoeck along with junior transfer Jackson Cullert and sophomore newcomer Marshall Douglass give Hun some inside punch. Cullert tallied a team-high 17 points in his Hun debut while Douglass contributed five.
“We start a bunch of 6’6, 6’7 guys up front, Julian has made some great strides and improvement,” said Stone. “Cullert is just a tremendous shooter. He is really long and has great athleticism to go with it. He can score in multiple different ways. We are getting him to use his length defensively too, he is really quick for a guy his size. Douglass also has great length. He has this great mid-range game and he can shoot it from deep. He can also defend. He has a certain toughness and grit about him as well.”
Hun features additional length in junior Ben Ayugi, senior Joe Poller, junior Haytham Elhamri, and senior Roan Eiben.
“Ben is another newcomer, he is going to play a ton,” sad Stone. “He is about 6’9 and is really long. He is really athletic. Four of his six points were dunks the other night. He gives us an inside presence. Joe is a little more front court, he was our eighth man the other day. He is always willing to do the dirty work. Another newcomer, Haytham, is coming along, he has some work to do. He has a lot of potential, he is 6’7. Roan was with us last year, he is coming along.”
In Stone’s view, Hun has the pieces in place to come up big this winter.
“It is continuing growth and development on the court; we have some newcomers so it is getting them into the fray and into the mix,” said Stone, whose team is playing at the Haverford School (Pa.) on December 4 before heading to the Blair Academy to face College Achieve on December 6 and the Darrow School (N.Y.) on December 7. “We have a lot of strong returners and a lot of great leadership returning. I really like that combination. Like always, it is our ability to jell and play well on the court. I think we are going to present some different things this year. We have more size and more length. It is hopefully going to prove well for us. We do have a lot of guys returning, it will give us a lot of experience that we need.”