Justin McIsaac & I announced the teams & the match-ups for our 3rd Annual Coaches for a Cause Jamboree on a podcast you can listen to right here:

Link: Coaches for a Cause Jamboree Podcast

 The idea behind the event is to have eight of the top teams from Division I New Hampshire high school basketball face off against eight of the top Division II, Division III & Division IV programs in a game their fans can attend and with the intensity of a regular season game.

 This is a two day event that will raise money for the New Horizons homeless shelter & food pantry in Manchester and serve as the tip-off event for the 2015-16  boys basketball season.

 Alvirne high school hosted our inaugural event in 2013, highlighted by Division I defending champion Trinity holding off defending Division II champion Pembroke in front a packed house.

 Last year Londonderry high school hosted the second annual event which featured Londonderry, Manchester Central, Portsmouth & Pelham before over 1,800 people and over 2,500 views on YouTube.

 This year the event will be covered LIVE by our radio partner ESPN NH with Pete Tarrier calling the play by play and Justin McIsaac serving as the event’s announcer. Video highlights of both days of the event will be featured as well as player & coaching interviews throughout the eight game jamboree.

 Teams were selected by myself along with event organizer Kevin Bonney and Pete Tarrier. If you are angry because your team was not selected this year please send any and all complaints to justin@wtsnam1270.com. He’d love to hear from you.

 Admission will be $5 to attend the block of games on each day and once again Londonderry high school will serve as our hosts on Saturday December 12th and Sunday December 13th.

2014 Jamboree Highlights
 
On to the games:
Games to be played Saturday December 12th at Londonderry high school
(All Division I teams will be the home teams)

Noon:  Salem vs. Epping

 Most Division I coaches you talk to felt like Rob Mclaughlin’s team was a year away last season and after a very good start to their 2015 fall league schedule the Blue Devils look to be right on schedule. Led by 6’5 center Matt Vartanian, 6’2 shooting guard Griffin Curtis and guard DJ Coletti Salem will be fighting for a home playoff game, or even a pair, in Division I this season.

 In Epping they face Sean Young’s Blue Devils who will enter the 2015-16 season as the favorites to win the Division IV title after back to back appearances in the finals. Big man Jackson Rivers will have to battle a very good Salem frontline while point guard Tommy Bullock and all-state guards Dylan Derosier & My Man Colby Wilson make up one of the best backcourts in the state.
 
1:30: Trinity vs. Goffstown

 The Goffstown Grizzlies and Trinity Pioneers make their second & third appearances in the event but will face each other for the first time.

 Longtime Merrimack assistant Mike Gasper takes over as head coach for Goffstown, inheriting a team that advanced to the Final Four a year ago.

 Goffstown will be led by one of the biggest frontlines in Division II featuring Rob Girardin, Casey Gervais and Tim Comeau. Guard Mike Bailey will be expected to step up into a bigger role with the graduation of leading scorer Marcus Haynes if the Grizzlies are to make a second consecutive trip to Durham.

 Trinity is back in title contention with all-state forward Connor Walsh (who I think has been in high school for 7 years) leading a nucleus that includes Justin Trickett, Dante Timbas, James Santos and exciting freshman point guard Jordan Santos. Matt Lemieux took his team to the quarterfinals a year ago in his 1st season as a head coach.
 
3:00: Manchester Central vs. Pelham

 The new look Division III champs take on 18 time champion Manchester Central as Matt Regan’s Pythons square off against Doc Wheeler’s Little Green for the first time as both programs make their third straight appearance in the jamboree.

 Division III player of the year Keith Brown is the best player in the state ( in the NHIAA..save your frantic messages to Wenyen..) and will work alongside guard Ryan Frank and forward Cam Deloreto to compete for the school’s first ever back to back titles. Central is a perennial contender for the state title and is led by forward Jalen Leroy and knockdown shooting guard Evan MacDonald.
 
4:30: Merrimack vs. Portsmouth

 Tim Goodridge and Jim Mulvey’s teams square off for the first time in the fourth game of a loaded Saturday afternoon slate of games.

 The Tomahawks are going to be a pre-season Top 5 team in Division I are led by 6’3 forward  Ian Roberts and guards Zack Kerr & Ian Cummings. The Clippers return three starters from the Division II runner-ups. Mulvey’s team will be led by point guard Shon Parham and a pair of pre-season all-state performers: sophomore shooting guard Cody Graham and junior power forward Joey Glynn.
 
 6:00:  Londonderry vs. Lebanon

 The tourney hosts and defending Division I champions will square off with likely pre-season #1 Lebanon of Division II in the feature game of Saturday night.

 Point guard KJ Matte and shooting guard Ryan Milliken are arguably the best backcourt in the state as juniors and will square off with a Lancers team that will feature shooting guard Jake Coleman (who is about to have a breakout season for head coach Nate Stanton) and sophomore guard Cole Britting

 This will be the first match-up of these two programs as Kieth Matte’s Raiders make their third appearance in the jamboree while Stanton’s Lancers make their second.
 
 Games to be played Sunday December 13th at Londonderry High School
 
 11:00 am: Nashua South vs. Windham

 Nate Mazerolle leads Pete Tarrier’s alma mater Nashua South into the Coaches for a Cause Jamboree for the first time and will feature one of the most exciting players in the state, shooting guard DJ Frechette.

 Todd Steffanides' Jaguars make their second appearance in the jamboree and will feature 6’3 forward Cole Gill and guard Marco Allanach for a team that advanced to the Division II quarterfinals last March.
 
 12:30:  Winnacunnet vs. Littleton

 Jay McKenna’s Warriors make their first ever appearance in the jamboree and will do so with what could be one of the most entertaining teams in Division I. Winnacunnet will be led by a very good backcourt of shooting guard Anthony Primavera and up & coming point guard Liam Viviano. Power forward Freddy Schaake can finish at the rim for a team that likes to get out in transition.

 Trevor Howard’s Crusaders have advanced to four consecutive final fours and return all five starters from a team that lost to eventual champion Wilton-Lyndeborough in March. Howard’s team also likes to get out and go behind the forward combination of Kuba Kubkowski & Logan Briggs while shooting guard Danny Brammer led Littleton in scoring a year ago.
 
2:00: Nashua North vs. Manchester West

 The 3rd annual jamboree closes with what might be one of the best games of the weekend.

 Steve Lane’s Titans were the Cinderella story of the Division I tourney a year ago in knocking off Manchester Central and Trinity on their way to the Final Four. With point guard Ronnie Silva and power forward Nathan Hale back the Titans aren’t sneaking up on anyone and will square off with former Division I rival Manchester West.

 Danny Bryson’s team has had to survive the loss of all-state guard Zach Jones and power forward Monytung Maker but will again be a top 4 pre-season pick in Division II behind 6’5 Keenan Caron, guards Jacobee Burpee & Joe Simpson and combo guard Corey Descoteaux. All four players started for Bryson at times a year ago.

 
 Look for much more coverage of the event as we get closer to December.