Anyone can get you on any given night in Division I. You hear it over & over again when you’re talking to Division I coaches (that and ‘Why do we only have five practices before our first game and a month between football/soccer and basketball season??).

 But that’s a topic for another day..

 Last year’s eventual champion Manchester Central lost to 7-11 Bishop Guertin while runner-up (by precisely .005 seconds) Merrimack lost at home to 6-12 Alvirne. Were people surprised by those results? Sure, but nobody was shocked either.

 No division is deeper and that’s the case every year. Teams like Conant and Littleton routinely are guaranteed a win on certain nights when the bus driver arrives, it just doesn’t happen that way in Division I. Never has.

 In 2017 it’s going to get a lot tougher, summed up by one coach who told me, “ So not only is every team capable of beating you night to night but 0-18 Pembroke was replaced by 18-0 Portsmouth. Great.”

 The Clippers arrive fresh off a 22-0 title run in Division II a year ago and will enter their new division as the team to beat. That by no means should lead you to believe they’re getting anywhere without a fight. Jim Mulvey knows they’ll be circled on schedules eighteen different times and if any team gets out of the regular season above 15-3 that will surprise me more than any game result possibly could from here to March.

 Today we take a look at Division I in the final of our four pre-season previews where not one but two teams try to repeat as champions.

 

 Division I Predicted Order

1.Portsmouth

2.Winnacunnet

3.Nashua North

4.Spaulding

5.Manchester Memorial

6.Nashua South

7.Londonderry

8.Bishop Guertin

9.Salem

10.Manchester Central

Lurking outside the Top 10: Merrimack, Bedford, Exeter, Alvirne & Concord

Thank you to our Division I Gold Level Coaches & Members:  Rob McLaughlin of Salem basketball, Brian Lynch of Alvirne basketball, Dave Keefe of Manchester Central basketball, Jim Mulvey of Portsmouth basketball, Mark Elmendorf of Bedford basketball and Amy & Jeff Waterhouse of Winnacunnet.

 Each Gold Level member has access to every full game video we cover all season long up until the finals in Durham.

 Click to become a member today!

 

 After New Mission (MA) all-state point guard Charlie Mitchell buried a three pointer in last Saturday’s jamboree he made sure the closest Portsmouth Clippers knew about it. On the ensuing possession all-state shooting guard Cody Graham up faked a New Mission defender and buried a three from the wing. As he ran back down court Graham looked right back at Mitchell and shook his head ‘Too easy…too easy.’

 That’s about the time I figured out Portsmouth was not going to shrink away from the night to night grind that is Division I basketball. “ We’re really excited to be competing in Division I,” said head coach Jim Mulvey who has won three titles in Division II. “ It’s a way more physical style of play and if we don’t rebound we’re not going to win many games, Joey (Glynn) can’t do it all by himself. We need to rebound as a team because in this division every kid on the floor is an athlete with size.”

 Joey Glynn, the 2016 co-player of the year in Division II, is one of four returning starters for the Clippers. Shon Parham returns to run the point, Graham is back to run the wing and Christian Peete is back to do anything & everything his coach asks of him. Add to that sophomore Alex Tavares who had 17 points & 10 rebounds against New Mission plus a very deep bench and you see why Portsmouth is the team to beat.

 “ We are a better team than we were last year because of our bench,” said Mulvey. “ Players like Mike Sanborn, AJ McManus, Max Lincoln, Hughie MacDonald, even freshman Jamel Shaheed is going to play for us. We’re going to need them all to compete and in case of foul trouble.”

 Glynn walks into Division I as the best big man in the division. “ He deserves a lot of credit for how hard he has worked,” said Mulvey. “ He’s put in the time and played with BABC last year to test himself against better competition than other players get on the seacoast. I think you’ll see it pay off for him.”

 Graham was a first team all-state pick a year ago as a sophomore and although slowed by a knee injury, he is the team’s best scorer and has still improved as a defender. “ As long as Cody is healthy he’s going to get it done every night. His defense has gotten ten times better than last year, I’ve been really impressed with that.”

 Parham is a three year starter who takes good care of the basketball, leads the front of the Portsmouth press and can knock down the opener jumper when he isn’t getting the attention he’s earned. Peete is best remembered for volunteering to guard 6’10 Akok Akok in last year’s opener against Manchester West and then generally driving the big man crazy for the next 25 minutes.

 Alex Tavares spent the fall working on his game while three of his fellow starters played football . The 6’3 forward runs the floor and gets his hands on a lot of shots coming off the rim. AJ McManus can drill jumpers all day when left alone on the wing, meaning he will spread the floor with his mere presence and it is Mike Sanborn that is the most improved shooter on the team. “ As a coach you love it when kids that put the work in see the results. You don’t just walk out there and play well, it’s a process and it’s a lot of hours alone in a gym,” said Mulvey. “We needed to be deeper to even compete in Division I and we are. I’m comfortable with ten different guys out on the floor for us. We’ll see if that’s good enough.”

 If you were a GM putting a team together you’d be hard pressed to put together anything better than what Winnacunnet has in 2017. You want shooters? Zach Waterhouse, Ben Allen & big man Logan Keene. Big men to patrol the lane? Freddy Schaake, younger brother Jack Schaake, Logan Keene and 6’7 280 lb. Seth Provencher. Then cap it off with one of the best point guards in the state; Liam Viviano.

 Oh and last years NHsportspage Division I coach of the year Jay McKenna.

 Anyone can beat anyone in this race…don’t forget what we stressed up at the top of the page, but the Warriors are a 2016 final four team with the goods to get back again in March. “ Yes we have size, yes we have athletes and yeah we have a lot of guys back that played in Durham (in the final four),” said head coach Jay McKenna. “ But the biggest thing with this group…they genuinely have a really good time together. When we drove over to the (Coaches for a Cause Jamboree) last weekend I said ‘Ok put the phones away, let’s just spend some time as a team’ and it was nonstop talking for an hour each way. That’s when I knew we had something.”

 It begins with the backcourt of Viviano & Waterhouse (also a possible future law firm name..I’d hire Viviano & Waterhouse in a heartbeat). Viviano’s strength is in his ability to get to the rim and finish either getting past contact or scoring through it. Waterhouse is a knockdown shooter on the wing with the size (6’2) to get his shot off with a defender closing out on him.

 Freddy Schaake is as good a big man in transition as any forward in Division I. Schaake, who will compete in the high jump at the Division I level somewhere, has battled injuries in the past but gives Winnacunnet the perfect baseline cutter with his ability to both finish at the rim and bury the foul line jumper against zones. Brother Jack, a sophomore, is more of a back to the basket big man (that’s the first time I’ve written that about anyone in 15,000 words..). Schaake can bury the 15 footer or go by you as you close out and McKenna will use him from day one. “ Jack and (fellow sophomore) Ben Allen give us a different look that we didn't have last season. Both are going to be really big factors for us this season.”

 Logan Keene at 6’5 will protect the rim, the Warriors have a few of those, and can draw the opposing center out with his ability to shoot. 6’7 Seth Provencher will get minutes and can finish on the block and lay a (very large) body on you in the paint. “ Seth can really play, I’m happy about him being in the mix,” said McKenna.

 Mike Fiacco is a very solid back-up point guard to Viviano while Johnny Cadigan, Mike Lamprey and Matt Doyle round out as good a roster as you’ll find in the division. “ This division is so tough and there isn’t a night where we can’t win or be beaten by 20 points,” said McKenna echoing the theme. “ With this group it’s about working together and sharing the spotlight. It’s a really fun group to come to practice with every night and I’m excited to see us compete.”

 Nashua North must replace the all-state backcourt of Ronnie Silva (prep school) and Nate Hale (Plymouth State) but head coach Steve Lane has a loaded roster ready to make another run at a top seed in March. “ It’s a really good group and this early on, between the late start and weather cancellations, we are still figuring out who fits in where,” said Lane. “ But this is a group that enjoys playing together and we will come together as we go along.”

 6’3 shooting guard Alonzo Linton was the leading scorer in Division I over the second half of last season and returns to a backcourt that includes Sclyler Boykin & Jordan Buckmire (“ Maybe the nicest kid I’ve ever met in my life,” says Lane of Buckmire).

 “You’re not going to find a quicker backcourt in New Hampshire,  said Lane. “ (Sky) is in charge and he is very comfortable being the guy who will handle the ball for us.” Lane is excited about his backcourt but stopped to praise one of the best guards in Nashua North history. “ You don’t replace a Ronnie Silva, that’s just a huge void,” said Lane of his former point guard. “ But we love the players we are going to have out there every night.”

 The Titans will have size upfront as well. 6’5 Vishvak Vadivel will start at center alongside 6’4 power forward Levi Gosselin (last seen mowing people down on the football field). Joining them will be forward/guard Casey Lane who is not only the coaches’ son but an all-state shooting guard who came over from Division IV Wilton-Lyndeborough. “ Casey has been fitting in great and he’s going to help us out this season,” said the elder Lane.

 Spaulding flew a little under the radar last season (everywhere but on the McIsaac on Sports Network) until they upset 4th seeded Exeter in the first round of the tournament. With five starters back and one of the best coaches in the state the Red Raiders are a good bet to make a run towards their sixth final four appearances since 2008.

 6’5 Cal Connelly emerged as one of the best players in the state as a junior a year ago. As a senior, and after a summer skipping AAU tournaments for daily skill development, Connelly will again lead Spaulding with an improved team around him. “ Cal has worked incredibly hard and he’s going to have a very good year for us,” said head coach Tim Cronin. “ But it can’t be all Cal scoring for us. The opposing team will have three guys in his shirt every game so we need other players to step up.”

 “Cal is never satisfied with the level he is at,” praises his head coach. “ He works so hard to improve every facet of his game and that is going to make him a big time player at the next level.”

 With a balanced starting five Connelly will have plenty of help. Senior point guard Matt Roy is one of those players who you grow to appreciate more every time you see him play. “ Matt is very consistent for us and very strong with the ball,” said Cronin. “ When he is going to the basket, with his size and strength, he does a very nice job of finishing against contact.”

 6’5 sophomore Arie Breakfield should emerge as that second fourteen to fifteen point a night scorer to take the pressure off of Connelly. Cronin wants his sophomore forward to be more consistent and to stay within the offense but he has the ability to be an all-state performer for years to come.

 Combo guard Keagan Calero showed signs of a breakout sophomore season after a 15 point performance against Hollis-Brookline in the jamboree. The 5’9 guard, who also happens to be one of the best baseball players in Division I, relishes covering the best guard on the other team. “ You don’t find many kids who come to you every night and tell you they want to guard the other team’s best guy, and he LOVES it. He loves his role,” said Cronin. Griffin Towle stepped up and made some big plays in last year’s quarterfinal loss at Merrimack and will be relied upon again to do whatever Cronin needs game to game, “ Griffin is solid in every phase of the game,” said his head coach.

 “We have really good leadership from our seniors and that’s a big deal. They set the tone for the rest of the team.”

 

 We will be out at two games Friday night and will bring you video highlights & post-game interviews of each.

 Jennifer Chick-Ruth and I will be in Portsmouth when the Clippers make their Division I return against defending champion Manchester Central.

 Pete Tarrier & The Great Jon Kesty will be in Bedford when the Bulldogs hope to spoil Dave Chase’s debut as Concord head coach.

 All the highlights will be on the site Saturday morning and the full game videos of each game will be available for all of our Gold Level Members.

 

 If you are a fan of good old fashioned half-court basketball then steer clear of Manchester Memorial. Jack Quirk’s team is going to run, they’re going to chase, and they are here to exhaust you. “ We want teams completely worn down by the fourth quarter.” Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 “ Our strength is in our depth and I think if we play in the half court we aren’t taking advantage of that,” said Quirk who has led the Crusaders to the final four in two of the last three seasons.

 Craig Preston returns after a year at prep school to lead the Memorial offense. “ Last year we played without a true point guard,” said Quirk. “ I played Paul Rodolf there a year ago, he was a true two (shooting guard)  but we had to play him at the point. Craig does a very nice job seeing the floor and he is a very good shooter as well.”

 Tyson Thomas played well a year ago and will both back up Preston at the point and handle the role when Quirk wants to play Preston off the ball. Junior guard Michael Roumraj is coming off a very strong performance in last year’s final four run and is joined in the backcourt by Jake Santiago and Manny Alisandro. “ Manny could be the surprise player for us this season,” says his head coach. “ He’s played very well and Jake is one of the quickest players on our team.”

 Jake Carrier is another shooter coming off a big season a year ago. “ He’s a shooter but he’s also shown an ability to slash to the basket as well,” said Quirk. “ He is a key guy for us to have back.” Quirk calls Elvin Barbosa one of the best pure shooters on the team.

 Memorial is going to be happy, and fully capable, of beating you 92-85. “ You don’t push your philosophy as a coach on to the team, you adapt to their strengths as a group,” said Quirk. “Our strength will be pressuring you on defense and wearing teams down over the course of the game.”

 A year after helping one of his best friends lead Division I in scoring Kevin Genao moves over from the passenger side to the driver’s seat as Nashua South reloads for 2017. “ Last year Kevin worked with DJ (Frechette) and made sure he was getting good looks,” said head coach Nate Mazerolle. “This year it’s Kevin’s role to be our go to guy and he’s ready to do it.”

 “That doesn’t mean you aren’t going to see Kevin play the point,” explains Mazerolle. “We want the ball in his hands, but we’ll be able to get him some looks off the ball and that opens up the floor for everyone else on our team.” Alex Amigo will handle some of those point guard duties while shooting guard Tony Agor will join them in the backcourt.

 6’5 Max Osgood will give South the rare true center and a player capable of a breakout season. “ He is going to have a huge year for us,” predicts Mazerolle. “He’s still shaking off the football rust (South played as recently as Thanksgiving eve in the Turkey Bowl against North) but you see him coming along every day and he makes such a big impact for us in the post and on the glass.”

 6’4 Razz Alkalay and 6’9 Clay Medling will ensure no one is pushing Pete Tarrier’s alma mater around in the paint. “ This is a great group to work with every day,” said Mazerolle. “ They come in and work hard and want to get better, you can’t beat that.”

 The beginning of every conversation I had with a coach at the jamboree on Saturday before 2:30 pm, “Hey how are you?”

 The beginning of every conversation I had with a coach at the jamboree on Saturday after 2:30 pm, “Hey how are you? Did you see Jake Coleman!!??”

 The sophomore guard who helped Londonderry to their first boys’ basketball title while playing alongside player of the year Cody Ball now leads his own team as a POY candidate, and his coach can’t believe how quickly it’s gone by. “ I can’t believe he’s a senior,” says Nate Stanton. “ I’ve coached him since he was a freshman, and..what an unbelievable kid. I love coaching him,  can't say enough good things about Jake.”

 He’s a pretty good basketball player too. Coleman leads a three guard attack that gets some size with the return of power forward Brandon Radford after sitting out a year ago to concentrate on football.

 Who hit the game winning lay-up against Pinkerton in the 2015 Division I title game? Cody Ball…Jake Coleman…Marc Corey….Joe Kwiatkowski?? Nope, Brandon Radford.

 The Lancers have all the ingredients to get back to Durham after a one year absence. “ We have a lot of kids that put the work in. Not just playing games but working on their footwork, working on their conditioning. They lost in the first round a year ago (to Winnacunnet) and aren’t satisfied with that happening again,” said Stanton.

 Cole Britting will emerge as a scorer as a junior while Ethan Garofolo is set to make a major impact as a sophomore. “ Opposing teams might think that if they stop Jake they’re going to beat us but they’d be wrong,” said Stanton. “ We have a lot of guys capable of winning us games. Cole has gotten a lot stronger over the off-season and needs to look for his shot more to keep teams honest.”

 Radford returns to the frontcourt and joins a rotation that includes Ethan May (“He does all the little things for us,” says his head coach) and Cam MacDonald, a very good shooter that has improved his ability to get to the rim.

 “ We’re not going to be a very big team but we have a lot of different weapons that are going to make us tough to guard night to night.”

 Matt Regan wasn’t leaving Pelham for just any job but when Bishop Guertin opened up after the school mutually parted ways with Jim Migneault there was little delay in putting his name in the hat. “ This is one of the best jobs in the state and it was just the right time for me to come onboard,” said Regan.

 The cupboard is never bare at BG and what Regan finds is a lot of size & talent but a group that will have to adjust to their new coach and learn to play a different style. “ I want them to loosen up and not worry about making mistakes,” says Regan of his new players. “ We are going to go over the fundamentals & skill development every single day so that when they are out there playing it will become second nature to them to play with confidence.”

 Pat Donovan is back to run the point for the Cardinals and will be joined in the backcourt by Mike Allanach. “ Mike is a guy who can guard the other team’s best guard while Pat is a very good ball handler who does a little bit of everything out on the floor,” said Regan.

 The frontcourt is loaded with options as Mike Rinko, Yannis Nyentenji, Aiden Sullivan and Victor Djoleto will all see extended time for BG. “Yannis plays above the rim and is a player who I’m really excited about,” said Regan. “ Victor is really coming along and playing better & better as the pre-season goes along and Mike (Rinko) may be our most talented player.”

 “Aiden Sullivan is a player who can shoot it but also does a nice job getting to the basket when players close out on him.” 6’3 John Begley will return to the team after he recovers from an injury sustained during football season. “ It’s going to take some time,” admits Regan. “ They are adjusting to me just as I am adjusting to them. What I like is the attitude of the kids and I can see practice by practice that we are beginning to come together. My hope is we are playing our best at the end of the season.”

 Rob McLaughlin has a good mix of veterans and underclassman ready to contribute for Salem. Now it’s about avoiding injuries and controversy (someday they’ll appreciate the fact they were on Barstool Sports) to make a run for Durham. “ There is a core group of players that have been together for a few years now and that allows us to get right to work as the season begins,” said McLaughlin. “ We’ve had a real good first week and we’ll see where that takes us because you know going in every game can go either way.”

 Griffin Curtis was set for his breakout year last year, but injuries sidelined him and the minute restrictions that followed made that impossible. After a good summer Curtis looks like one of the elite forwards in the state. “ Griffin has worked very hard and he’s going to be our go to guy this season,” said McLaughlin.

 Curtis has teamed with guards DJ Coletti and Matt McLaughlin to form a very good Salem nucleus. “They’ve played a lot of basketball together in a lot of different gyms so it’s a group that works very well together.”

 Matt Soldano, fresh off a season as the Salem quarterback, will contribute right away as will Jake Fantasia, who may be the team’s best defender. “ Jake is a player we can plug in there when a guard starts getting hot on the other team. He has the ability & work ethic to stop him,” says McLaughlin. “That’s something that’s crucial to any team.” 6’5 Matt Camey is an athletic big man that should provide rebounding. “ This is a group that works at it day in & day out so it should be a fun ride this season.”

 It’s impossible to have the kind of impact at Manchester Central that David ‘Doc’ Wheeler had both on the court and off but as far as finding someone to step in as the new head coach; is it possible to do better than Dave Keefe??

 Unless Stan Spirou decided to leave SNHU for the Little Green I’d say you can’t do any better than a head coach who not only has won two Division I titles at Trinity but happens to be a Central alum. “ I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be a high school coach again but I got back into this because it was Central,” said Keefe of his choice to apply for the job after stepping down at Trinity two year ago. “ This is where it all started for me and this is my school.”

 It will be a rebuilding job with challenges attached. After Wheeler led  last year’s team to the title behind Jaylen Leroy & Evan MacDonald (two of my all-time favorites) only one starter remained, and that starter was a freshman.

 Enter sophomore Osiah Lewis..team leader. “ I know.. as a sophomore he’s a leader, whether he’s ready or not,” jokes Keefe. Carl Jean-Baptiste returns after being in the rotation a year ago along with David Baraka ( a Wheeler favorite). “ We need to keep David healthy because he is a player who can really defend and we need a lot of those types of players,” said Keefe. “ We must have taken six or seven charges in our scrimmage against Lebanon last Friday night so you see the instinct and willingness to make a play is there. That’s always been a part of playing for Manchester Central.” Antwoine Revere takes over at point for the graduated and very underrated Seth Shea. Keefe expects to play at least ten players a night until the group out on the floor start fitting together.

 Central has talent, an excellent coaching staff (former Alvirne coach Kevin Bonney and former Franklin head coach Rich Otis will be on the bench with Keefe) and they’ll play hard. Central always does, that may make them a very tough out in March. “ When I walked into the (Coaches for a Cause) Jamboree on Saturday I saw Spaulding and thought they were Keene State College,” joked Keefe. “ I couldn’t get over how much bigger than were than our guys. So we’ll have to learn as we go and play very good defense to try and win. It’ll be fun trying I know that.”

 Seven players who saw the floor for Merrimack last March graduated last June. In 2017 Tim Goodridge will have a team of mostly football players surrounding a first team all-state guard who can score on anyone.

 That’s usually a pretty good formula for the Tomahawks.

“ We lack experience and so that has to come with time,” said Goodridge. “ I have two key players back from our team that almost won the championship last year but the rest of the rotation is completely new.”

 Ian Cummings was a kid with potential at this time a year ago, and by March it was he and Zach Kerr that were taking the biggest shots of the game at UNH. “ He’s really grown up a lot. He has always sort of been the third wheel on offense but he is our go to guy now, no question,” said Goodridge. “ He has some big shoes to fill.”

 Point guard will be an issue early on as Merrimack looks to replace Mike Dudash and Andrew Wojciak. Danny Vanecek, Zach LaChance and Andrew Michaud are all in the mix to be the teams’ floor general.

 Danny McKillop is the lone returner to the frontcourt and two months after I listened to football coach Kip Jackson sing the praises of McKillop Coach Goodridge couldn’t help but join in. “ He has to be one of the Top 10 kids I’ve ever had in 20 years of coaching. In terms of heart and desire to compete I don’t know what more you could ask of him. In fact last year in the championship game he held Jaylen Leroy (the NHsportspage player of the year) to 9 points in the first three quarters of the championship game. After Danny fouled out that’s when Leroy scored about 15 points and took over the game.”

 6’5 freshman Jared Dyer, whose family has a big Nashua sports history..which means Pete will instantly love him.., 6’5 Alex Thornton and 6’3 Owen Ploss will step right into the rotation along with guard Ben Eichman. “ I really like the effort of this group,” said Goodridge. “ We’re a young team but the goal is to get into the tournament and be a tough out for somebody in March.”

 Mark Elmendorf has taught most of the players on his team since they got to high school, so no one knows better when the pieces fit and when they don’t. What the Bedford second year head coach sees is a team that really likes playing together and comes to practice every day ready to work. “ We might not have a great basketball player on the team but we have a lot of great kids and they are a lot of fun to coach,” said Elmendorf. “ The chemistry of this team is phenomenal this season and I’m looking forward to seeing how we develop as the season goes on.”

 That leadership begins with senior Liam Greene, last seen dancing around with Pete Tarrier chanting ‘We undefeated’ on the football field at UNH. Greene is not only a three sport athlete but a team captain on all three teams. “ Liam is a good shooter and tough as nails,” said Elmendorf.

 Greene will be joined upfront by 6’4 Nolan Anderson and 6’3 Nick Mokas. Several times during Bedford’s jamboree game with Kearsarge the head coach could be seen huddling with Mokas about what was happening on the floor. “ He’s another player who is a great communicator, whether it’s on defense or in the huddle,” says his head coach.

 Troy Meservey, whose older brother Cam plays at Colby Sawyer and once buried five three pointers on McIsaac’s team in the seacoast tournament, will be one of the go to guys for the Bulldogs. A player capable of scoring in bunches and with the size on the floor to get him good looks on screens. 

 Ryan Porter will also be a big contributor for a Bedford team looking to build on their quarterfinal run a year ago. “ We’ve got a big opener against Concord and it doesn’t get any easier from there. This is a very good division and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”

 Exeter lost seven seniors from last year’s team including all-state guard Bryant Holmes. With two all-state players returning head coach Jeff Holmes will not be as deep but may have just as many weapons. “ We probably won’t be as deep as we have been in the past but I like the group we have,” said the Blue Hawks head coach. “ I don’t expect us to playing as well early as we did a year ago when we won the Queen City Tournament but this is a team that could be playing its best in March.”

 Any team would gladly take junior shooting guard Cody Morissette as a starting point. After sharing scoring duties with Holmes a year ago Morissette is the go to guy from Day 1. “ He’s only a basketball player full time in the winter so he is working off the football rust but, he’s such a competitor. He’s a very smart player and a kid you really enjoy coaching.”

 6’4 forward Steve Natola is poised for a breakout season after working on skill development all summer alongside Spaulding’s Cal Connelly. Natola will give Exeter a very good 1-2 option, the questions begin with the group around them. Bobby Cliché, at 6’1 210 and one of the best football players for Bill Ball, gives Exeter a banger on the low block while shooting guard Kyle Shaw re-joins the team after having to miss the season a year ago. “ I think Kyle will be a real key for us,” predicts Holmes. “ He would have been in the rotation a year ago.” Cam Clark and Jake Ross each figure to be in the Exeter rotation in the opener Friday night.

 With depth and a player who may emerge as one of the top scorers in the division Brian Lynch likes what he sees in his Alvirne Broncos, “ This team really works well as a unit and that doesn’t happen with every team you coach,” said Lynch of his 2017 team. “ That kind of chemistry really can translate into wins on the court and that’s what we’re looking for with this team.”

 6’3 forward Max Bonney-Liles is poised for an all-state year after averaging 15 ppg. last season as a sophomore. “ I knew he could score but what impresses me with Max is that he’s stepped up and become a leader,” said Lynch.

 The Broncos are still holding guard auditions but both Connor Lambert and sophomore Ryan Weston are more than capable of getting the job done. Three year varsity member Jack Brown, one of the top golfers in the state, can play either guard position and is another player in addition to Bonney-Liles, who can go for over twenty points on a given night. “ Jack is a big part of what we do but he golfs year round so, he’s working his way out of golf shape,” in a quote I told Brian I had to use simply because no one had ever told me they were waiting for someone to work their way out of golf shape before.

 Jake Canelas and brother Joey (“He’s looked very good in the pre-season,” notes Lynch) will both be a part of the Alvirne rotation along with senior Trevor Bolduc. “ We have a lot of speed on this team and players who can really shoot it when they get going,” said Lynch. “ This is going to be a tough team to guard when we are working together.”

 Tired of being an afterthought in the Division I race Concord goes into 2017 with one of the best scorers in the state and a first year head coach willing to wipe the slate clean. “ This is a really good group of kids,” said Dave Chase after a weekend of pre-season games. “ There is talent as well but we need to learn how to play as a team. That will come, it’s a process and those usually take patience.”

 In a loaded division Chase doesn’t want to wait too long but with Matt Giroux able to give you 20 points a night, well it’s a solid starting point. “ He really has had a terrific pre-season shooting the ball,” raves Chase. “ We want to get him as many good looks as we can because he’s a proven scorer.”

 Brothers Tyler & Teddy Blodgett are part of a rotation that is still trying to define their roles. “ They are both key guys for us,” said Chase. “ What we need to recognize is when is the right time to look for your offense and when it isn’t. We have a lot of very good complimentary players and that really helps you win games. I think Tyler & Teddy will be a part of that.”

 Sophomore Tyler Bruns will also play a big role in any Concord turnaround. “ Right now there is a lot to be improved; we don’t rebound well and we don’t defend well. You’re not going to win many games when you can’t do any of those things. We have the potential to be a playoff team, even in a year where only thirteen teams get in the playoffs.”

 Dominant. Big. Imposing. Talented.

 All are words that have been used to describe the Pinkerton Astros.

 “ This is a really scrappy basketball team,” head coach Peter Rosinski tells me.

 Scrappy??

 Pinkerton???

 “ I’m telling you this is a really scrappy bunch, I like this group a lot,” insists Rosinski

 Ok let’s roll with scrappy….led by guards Matt Anzivino and Joey Merrill the Astros will be a smaller but quicker unit that will still look to trap you in the half court and beat you with their athleticism. “  We won’t be big in the post but we have three or four guards that can really shoot it,” said Rosinski. “ When we get it going from the outside, as we have a few times in the pre-season, we can put up points in a hurry.”

 Forward Jay Reynolds will step right in after coming over from Exeter a year ago (“He’s a player who plays above the rim,” says Rosinski). Giving Pinkerton an under the radar team to worry about in 2017. “It’s a great team to come to practice with every day. I’m excited to see what we can do.”

 Kevin Ritter takes over as head coach at Keene after a basketball career at Keene State (the other alma mater). Four key seniors graduated from last year’s tournament team that came thisclose to upsetting eventual champion Central in the first round. “ We don’t have the size we had a year ago but it’s a group with a lot of athletes and a scorer that I think can have a very big season for us,” said Ritter.

 That scorer would be shooting guard Logan Galanes, “ He’s a leader for us and one of the hardest working kids I’ve been around,” said Ritter of his senior captain. 6’2 Jake Blaisdell is an athletic forward who compliments Galanes ability to knock down shots while point guard Sean Corrigan will run the point after quarterbacking the football team in the fall.

 Tucker Lawrence will be a key part of the Blackbirds guard rotation as Ritter makes his first tour of Division I as a head coach after serving as the junior varsity coach.

 “ We are going to have to play multiple defenses to be successful,” notes Ritter. “ Not only over the course of a season but in the course of a game. We will give teams different looks based off of our personnel on the floor and the team we are facing.”

 Trinity head coach Matt Lemieux will build around an eight player sophomore class after the NHIAA ruled against Connor Walsh’s request for a ninth year of eligibility (look I’m at 6,600 words let me throw inside jokes around..).

 That class will be led by point guard Jordan Santos, who takes over the leadership role left by Walsh and Justin Trickett. “ Jordan does a very good job handling the basketball and I’m expecting a breakout year from him,” said Lemieux. “ One of the most important parts of his job will be taking care of the basketball. We have a team that can do some damage shooting from the perimeter and we can’t give up possessions.”

 Will Spencer is one of the team’s most improved players and has the green light from his head coach. “He is going to be a really good player if he continues to work at it.” 6’4 Simon Berry will give Trinity rebounding along with 6’3 Dante Timbas. “ Dante is really effective being physical for us in the paint,” said Lemieux. “ He does a nice job on the boards.”

 Joe Constant will be in the rotation as well for a team that will go as far as their underclassman take them. “ We are going to be one of the youngest teams in the division but I think this could be a really special group for us.”

 Matt Fennessy takes over at Dover after Mike Romps stepped down as head coach last summer. The Green Wave will try to get back to the post-season behind four key members from last year’s team; Devin Cady, Griffin Young, Eric Evans and John Cantwell. “ It’s a group I coached while they were on the JV team so they know me and what my expectations are,” said Fennessy who teaches at the high school. “ That’s makes for an easier transition.”

 Dover will focus on shot selection and will look to get out and run to utilize their speed.“ We want to attack more on offense but not at the cost of taking good shots. We need to recognize the right times to push the basketball and when to set up in the half court.” Fennessy knows Dover will have to be better defensively to get back to the post-season, “ We want to establish ourselves as a good man to man defensive team. That’s where it starts for us as we head towards the opener.”

 

 Pre-Season First Team All-State (Players of the year *)

 Jake Coleman of Londonderry *

 Cal Connelly of Spaulding *

 Joey Glynn of Portsmouth

 Ian Cummings of Merrimack

 Liam Viviano of Winnacunnet

 

 Second Team

 Kevin Genao of Nashua South

 Cody Morissette of Exeter

 Alonzo Linton of Nashua North

 Cody Graham of Portsmouth

 Griffin Curtis of Salem

 

 With apologies to: Matt Giroux of Concord, Steve Natola of Exeter, Max Bonney-Liles & Jack Brown of Alvirne, Logan Galanes & Jake Blaisdell of Keene,  Liam Greene & Troy Meservey of Bedford, Zach Waterhouse, Freddy Schaake & Logan Keene of Winnacunnet, Jake Carrier & Craig Preston of Manchester Memorial, Osiah Lewis of Manchester Central, Shon Parham of Portsmouth, Max Osgood of Nashua South, Pat Donovan & Mike Rinko of Bishop Guertin, Sclyler Boykin of Nashua North, Arie Breakfield of Spaulding, Cole Britting of Londonderry, DJ Coletti of Salem & Jordan Santos of Trinity.

 

 

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