Revamped Baldwin off and running

Baldwin boys’ basketball head coach Darius Burton has had many golden seasons in his 22 prior years but this one has had a unique glitter.

Coming off last season’s spectacular run to the Long Island Class AA championship, Baldwin lost 12 of 15 players. Burton came into the 2022-23 season with 13 new faces. Gone were two studs in Jamir Stewart, last year’s Nassau County Player of the Year now at John Jay, and Jacob Oka, an All-County player now at Brockport.

Burton didn’t know what to think entering the campaign. So he’s been overwhelmed by Baldwin’s unbeaten 8-0 start – 4-0 in conference AA2 – as led by senior star 6-3 forward Joshua Petion.

“I had never done this in my 22 years,’’ Burton said. “This is really special. We’re way ahead of what I anticipated.’’

Baldwin is winning and winning big with a 24-point average margin of victory. It is allowing 41 points per game and scoring 65. Defense is the team’s trademark. The goal of Burton’s clubs has always been on that end where the motto is never allow more than 55 points. The Bruins are not.

“We’ve shown pride with what we did with the offseason work,’’ Burton said. “We want to be the first group to win a state semifinal. They’re like sponges and absorb everything.’’

After an All-Conference season in 2021-22, Petion is even more productive and his coach paid him the kindest power-forward comparison of all. Petion is averaging a double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds) as the lone returning starter. He also plays some center when Baldwin goes small.

“I call him the high-school Draymond Green,’’ Burton said. “He doesn’t do anything great, but he does everything well, particularly his passing and rebounding.’’ (Petion has drawn interest from Division II/III programs).

Then there is senior Jaylen Brown, no relation to the Celtics star but as valuable to Baldwin as the NBA player is to Boston.

The 6-3 forward is averaging 14 points, netting18 3-pointers in the first 8 games while shooting it at a 45-percent clip from deep. This for a player who came off the bench last season.

The Baldwin return of Dylan Madden to man point guard has also been key. Madden played mostly JV in 2019-20 but left the district for two years to join two other programs. Now he’s back as the senior quarterback and averaging 4.0 assists.

Madden is paired in the backcourt with sophomore off guard, Jalen Waters, the JV’s leading scorer last season. He’s averaging 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals and has still has a long scholastic future. “He breaks you down and gets to the rim,’’ Burton said.

The center is junior Jadis Chenet, a 6-4 big man who is a solid rebounder and finisher around the rim.

While the defense is the team strength, the 65-point scoring output is deceiving because of all the blowout games, leading to late-game substitutions.

Baldwin beat Plainview JFK to win the county title, then Half-Hollow Hills East for the 2022 Long Island crown. Those are the goals again with making the state championship game the biggest one of all. Baldwin, which has made the playoffs 22 straight seasons, is 0-4 in the state semis.

“They have so many big goals,’’ Burton said.