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By Dave Haley, Posted 03-03-2013
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Devin Wade and Newport want Conant..they get them Tuesday night

 

 As we did a year ago we have asked coaches from Division III who have faced teams among the four semifinalists to give their take on the teams. No one knows these teams as well as the coaches who face them and we spoke to five different coaches who gave us tremendous insight into Tuesday's semifinal games.

 (5) Campbell vs. (1) Berlin

  The top seed replaced four starters from a championship team last season and rolls into the semifinals for a fourth straight season after back to back double digit wins. Coaches we spoke to talked about the depth Don Picard's team has and how they got to 19-1.

 "Don actually has a deeper team this season, certainly not as talented but they can sort of bring it at you in waves. They'll pressure you and they box out very well. This isn't a team with very much size but they are your typical tough Berlin team and they all come after you." Another tournament coach agreed, "Dmitri Giannos can shoot if you leave him open but he is more of a kid who scores putting it on the floor. He's strong and he handles the ball pretty well, every guy on their team can handle the ball so they are able to move the ball up the floor quickly. The way to beat them is to get them to take quick shots, if they go against a team like Conant down the road and they stop passing the ball and start putting up quick shots I think that is where you could se them get in trouble."

 Coaches talked about Campbell and how you stop the 5^th seeded Cougars. "What we did is guarded (Max) Gouveia end line to end line. You have to just not let him touch the basketball because with Jesiah Wade out (ruled ineligible for the remainder of the season) they don't have anyone else who can handle the ball. When we played them we were physical with him and he was totally out of the picture by the second half." Other coaches talked about forwards Nick Freson and Jacob Morgan, "Freson can hurt you if you don't put a body on him but he isn't going to beat you off the dribble or with post-moves, his baskets are off of effort. Morgan is going to get his, he can shoot it but he can't handle the ball against pressure and I think he benefits from Gouveia setting him up."

 Coaches like Berlin's chances to make it back to Saturday's final. "I think Levi Arsenault can hurt them, he finishes well at the basket and although he isn't as talented as his older brother Curtis he works extremely hard. Berlin likes to play physical and they'll even do a little talking out there, which is ok, they back it up. Don has them moving the ball and staying patient. I think they'll beat Campbell and if they continue to be patient on offense they can hang with Conant or beat Newport.

 

(3) Newport vs. (2) Conant

 Conant is about a double digit favorite to win the Division III tournament so does Newport actually have a chance to beat them and what can we learn about the 19-1 Tigers? We put that question to the coaches.

 "Well everything runs through (Newport's) Andrew Houde and so you want to try and put someone on him who has some length to them so they can contest his fall-away jumper. Devin Springfield might be the right guy to put on him because physically they are very similar." Another tournament coach talked about the Tigers as a whole, "Devin Wade is a good player for them, he does a lot of good things out there. Spencer Coronis is another guy as well; the other two guys to watch are Derek Pare and Peter Wacholtz. Pare can really shoot it but he won't create his own shot so you just have to always be aware of him out there. The first time we faced them we put a diamond & 1 defense on Houde and Pare hit four three pointers on us. The second time we faced him we made a real effort to guard him and he didn't hit one. Wacholtz is a kid I like a lot, he's not super talent and he won't score a ton but he does all the little things in setting screens, rebounding and playing defense. He's valuable to them."

 And Conant?

 "I think they might be the best team I've seen in the last five or six years in this division. Every guy can shoot it and every guy can handle the ball. They rotate very well into their traps and Eric (Saucier) is pushing all the right buttons." Coaches talked about two of the all-state performers on the Orioles. "Devin Springfield is as good as advertised. Everything he does has a purpose; when he catches the ball he goes to the hoop in one motion and when he sets to shoot he is absolutely in rhythm from a triple threat position when he catches & releases it."

 Fellow coaches talked about Springfield's running mate Robert O'Brien.

 "I know Devin Springfield is their best player, and I voted for him for player of the year, but I told my kids before they played them that Rob O'Brien is really 1a to Springfield. He is a really, really good player, I voted him first team all-state and I'm glad I did."

 "If there is a weakness it might be a player who could hurt them in the post. Is that Andrew Houde? I didn't face him so I don't know but they get up the floor so quickly that it throws you in a defensive mode all game long. They dictate everything."

 Coaches were not split on who they picked to win. " I think Conant is going to blow them out, take nothing away from Newport, they do a great job but Conant is too good and I think here is where the weak schedule Newport played comes back to bite them because they had good battles with Hopkinton, split the two games,. Well Conant beat them by 20 and were never challenged and that game was at Hopkinton, Newport got them twice at home." Another coach agreed, "Berlin might be able to give Conant a game but I don't see Newport or Campbell doing that, they are too good and this team plays like they want to win the title by 30. They just might do it."