Every year the two week Holiday break gives us a pause in the regular season and an opportunity to see teams from two or three different divisions competing under one bracket.
 

 Experience will tell you that you need to look at holiday tourneys from the proper perspective. Sure the results can be a glimpse of what's to come this season but they also can be affected by coaches playing every guy all the way to the end of the bench and doing more teaching on the sidelines than actual coaching. Sometimes the opening round games feature more effort and enthusiasm than the championship match-up that ends up as the third game in as many days.

 The games don't count in the standings and the bigger picture is to learn and improve for when the games count. Still there is insight to be gleaned from the ‘exhibition' games.

 Today in our first article of 2014 we take a look at what we learned over the past 10 days.

 Not sure if you’ve noticed but Nashua South has played five games so far and no one has beaten them….

 So much for all-state point guard Tim Preston’s move to prep school being the nail in coffin. Nate Mazerolle’s team followed up a good opening night win at Spaulding with four wins (ok only one counts in the standings) and a Chick-Fil-A Holiday tournament title that was highlighted by the play of Yordy Tavarez and Pete Tarrier losing a halftime game of knockout to a bunch of nine year olds. Trevor Knight has stepped into a bigger role and it was his game winning lay-up in the final seconds that beat Alvirne in the final.

 His peers will tell you Mazerolle is one of the most liked and respected coaches in Division I and if his team can split the next two games against Winnacunnet (on the road) and Concord (at home) you’re talking about a 3-1 start. Alvirne was expected to be a top ten team in Division I and nothing that happened last week changes that thinking. Seth Garon is getting twenty plus points a night out Tyler Brown while he figures out his rotation.

 Manchester Central is the best team in New Hampshire…for today at least.

 A 66-55 win over Trinity in the Queen City semifinals and a subsequent title game win over Exeter establishes that. I’m quite certain neither Dave Keefe nor David Wheeler showed their cards in the ‘exhibition’ game but the addition of Jon & Joey Martin make Central the deeper team and right now the best player on either team is Brett Hanson. Exeter is the real deal, let that be made clear. Head coach Jeff Holmes runs some very nice sets in the half court and he has the kind of athleticism and depth on his team to pressure full-court with success. Zach Holler does a nice job running the offense, Max Medley has the ability to set a high pick and roll to the basket for two and there are shooters all around in Bryant Holmes, Matt Vigars and Jordan Dickenson. The Blue Hawks have a nice blend of experience and first year players, expect to see them compete for a spot in one of the four lay-up lines at UNH in March.

  Merrimack defeated Weaver High School (CT) after they took warm-ups at each end of the floor while the Weaver players enjoyed the sights & sounds of 93 North. After a delay and near cancellation Weaver arrived and played a down to the wire game against the pre-season #3 team in Division I. The Tomahawks led Exeter by eight the following night early in the fourth quarter when the Blue Hawks full court pressure caused four straight turnovers and changed the scope of the game. Merrimack’s twenty plus point loss to Trinity in the consolation round was their third game in three days and with nothing at stake was played by the Tomahawks with all the intensity of an afternoon nap. Hey it happens…

 Getting back to the two best teams in New Hampshire; as I said on last week’s radio show the strength of Central and Trinity is that neither relies on their perimeter shots falling to win. Patrick Keefe, Carmen Giampetruzzi, Ryan Otis, Hanson, Jon Martin and Mike Plentzas can all the get to the basket off the bounce (trademark: Jay Bilas) and even though Dawson Dickson & Joey Martin are knock down shooters & Patrick Keefe is much improved behind the arc these are teams that will get their fair share of trips to the free throw line. That  intangible will help them avoid defeat on cold shooting nights. Now if someone can tell my 6’7 friend Wenyen Gabriel to get back on the low block I’d appreciate it. Speaking of that…

 RIP: Post-Players (1959-2013)

 After watching sixteen teams over two days in our Coaches for a Cause jamboree, four Holiday tournament games and a pair of regular season games I feel like I’m on some eternal quest to find a player…any player..who has a back to the basket game in the state of New Hampshire. So far a Charlie Nevejins (of Spaulding) drop step against Lebanon ( a move that was created in I believe 1936..) would serve as the best post move I’ve seen all season long. Wenyen? Nope, he was taking people of the dribble from 15 feet out. Shayne Bourque of Merrimack? Nope he is setting high screens and looking to shoot 20 footers off of them. Max Medley? Not his game. Dominic Timbas of Pembroke? Nope, he is comfortable in the five to ten foot range. Teammate Kafani Williams? Close..and he’s a beast (more of him later) but he likes to square up and drive from ten feet in, not get on the low block and make a move with his back to the basket. Heck even 6’5 Zach Robertson of Prospect Mountain was far, far more comfortable shooting three’s than simply posting up against a Gilford frontline with no one over 6’2. What has happened here??? I blame Dirk Nowitzki for all of this……

 Division III is a one team….two team….is it even a three team race??

 I remember Conant head coach Eric Saucier reading ‘Doc’ Wheeler’s comments in the Manchester Union Leader (Remember ? The two jamboree previews where they extracted every coaches’ comment about NHsportspage ..you know, the organization that put the event together?….Bravo Vinny..) that he was only going to play his top 8 or 9 rotation guys against the Orioles in an all-out effort to win. Saucier told me how happy he was to hear that because he knew how good Central was and wanted no excuses coming out of that game. It would be his best against theirs and he couldn’t have been happier about it.

 That is how Conant measures themselves and after wins over Keene, Lebanon and Smithfield (RI) in the Keene State Holiday Tournament there are whispers that this addition of the best program in Division III (formerly Class M) has a chance to be really special. Up north Berlin rolled through Groveton (improving very quickly under Mark Collins) and Colebrook Academy (not remotely there yet and their coach is the first, second and third person to tell you that) and has a very good shot at 18-0. Berlin head coach Don Picard is very comfortable going eleven players deep and an improved Nick Foder and Levi Arsenault are controlling the paint while players like Brad Frenette and Tommy Gallagher are applying full court-pressure.

 Hopkinton was beaten by double digits in their match-up with Bishop Brady, a Brady team that lost by double digits to Conant on their home floor in the regular season. The Hawks still look like the third best team in the division but slots four through twelve are wide open and there for the taking.

Holiday random observations from around the state…

Andrew Houde was good enough to carry a team all the way to the final four a year ago, Jordan Litts of Wilton-Lyndeborough and Zach Bergeon of Campbell (who led his team to a win over Division I Keene) may be able to accomplish that in 2014……….It’s sad what has happened to the Manchester West basketball program……….Bedford is by a million miles the best winless team in New Hampshire…..Portsmouth is the best defensive team in Division II, they shut Richie Ruffin & Sam Knollmeyer of Winnacunnet down after easily beating Dover, and if they get consistent scoring from Donovan Phanor, Pat Glynn and Devonn Wilson-Miles to go along with the preparation Jim Mulvey provides them..watch out……Littleton is a year away from being maybe the best team in Division IV but in a down year, and with 11 players who can contribute on any given night Trevor Howard still may find his way back to Plymouth State in March……..when Lisbon beats someone this season it will be of the 36-32 variety,,they need shooters but Sam Natti is keeping them in it with patience and that match-up zone……Gilford needs to continue to share the ball in close games,,,until the last three minutes,, and then it’s time to put the ball in Josh Joyce’s hands, set a high ball screen and allow him to dictate the offense,,,trust me on this,,don’t re-invent the wheel and head coach Chip Veazey knows this,,the kids though need to know it as well……..Tom Boudreau is doing a really good job at Prospect Mountain after heavy graduation losses, that team competes and Logan LaRoche is a gamer, any coach would take that kid on their team in a heartbeat……you’d take Aiden Dean of Laconia on your team any day as well…….Newmarket will be a very tough out in March, Jamie Hayes is just too good of a coach……add Ian Baker of Profile to the list of players that help you win games....the questions with Epping, fair or unfair, are how they’ll handle themselves off the court this winter, Sean Young has them playing hard & smart on the floor but that’s not where the concerns lie………Sunapee is going to score over 100 points in a game multiple times this season………Pinkerton needs better guard play……Salem is going to be very tough come March, Rob McLaughlin has them really playing hard and once they find some rhythm offensively they are going to start knocking people off....Derryfield beating Division II Kennett (a tournament team) by double digits was the under-played victory of the Holidays.
 
 Patrick Welch is still the best player on Pembroke…but the gap isn’t as far as you think……..

 That’s because Kafani (Jordan) Williams is starting to assert himself as one of the best players in the state. The 6’4 Williams didn’t start playing organized basketball until middle school but under Matt Alosa has developed into a good defender and a great finisher around the rim. With all the deserved attention being paid to Welch outside and Timbas inside Williams is putting up huge numbers and developing into a player whose game will take him to the Division III or even the Division II college level.

 The Spartans ran roughshod over the Concord Holiday tournament in blowing out both Concord and Bishop Brady. Division II coaches don’t want to hear it but this team may be superior to the team we watched win the title last March before it is all said and done. Players like Max Curran are contributing and when Alosa is able to take some of the ball handling duties away from Welch, to keep him from wearing down, this may be an offense superior to last year’s champions.

 We're back Friday night with Game of the Week action followed by The New Hampshire High School Basketball Show Saturday morning on WGIR & online from 8 to 9 am as well as McIsaac on Sports on WTSN or online from 9 to 10 am