Curie lost some talented senior guards like Elijah Joiner, Allante Pickens and Terry Smith from last season, but the Condors still have reason to be optimistic heading into the 2017-18 season thanks to some talented transfers.
Though head coach Mike Oliver has a few new notable perimeter pieces, senior guard Maurice Commander, a transfer from Marist, made the biggest impact with the Condors at Riverside-Brookfield this past weekend.
The 5-foot-11 guard is a noted perimeter threat who can also make plays for others with the ball in his hands. Commander drew a lot of defensive pressure on him in helping Curie win the title at R-B.
In a semifinal blowout win against Simeon, Commander made a major statement by canning five 3-pointers in a row in the first half as he showed that he can stretch the floor for Curie's big men. Since Commander can knock down 3-pointers off the catch from multiple spots, he can draw a lot of defensive attention even without the ball in his hands — a valuable tool for the other players in Curie's offense.
With Commander joining the roster, Curie is in position to once again compete for a city and state championship this season. They also added notable transfers Marquise Walker (St. Joseph) and Jayden Gasby (Urban Prep-Englewood).
If Commander can continue to shoot the ball like he did at Riverside-Brookfield then he has a chance to be on the All-Area team next season and the Condors won't miss a beat from last season's top-10 team.