Every Tuesday we will breakdown six teams from across all four divisions using scouting reports from opposing coaches. The idea is to give you a coach’s perspective of each team and the quotes are always anonymous.

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 Today we start with Littleton, Bedford, Inter-Lakes, Concord, Profile and Milford.

 

 Littleton

 Trevor Howard’s defending champions are off to a 5-0 start heading into a showdown Friday night at rival Woodsville. We asked opposing coaches to breakdown the Crusaders.

 Littleton Team Page

 Strengths: “ They run their system almost flawlessly, in that Trevor’s players know where they are supposed to be on the floor and you never see a guy taking a shot that he shouldn’t. There is a very universal sense of what they are running and the system as a whole.” Another opposing coach agreed, “They do a very good job of wearing you down with pressure and Danny (Kubkowski) does a good job of getting his hands on a lot of passes, just like his older brother (Kuba) did for them.”

 “They come at you with that 2-2-1 press but I think the purpose of that press is more to control the pace of play than to turn you over. Against the weaker teams they get a ton of steals and even against the elite teams they get their fair share. What I think the strength of that press is, it comes with controlling tempo.” What about the depth of the Crusaders? “ They are deeper than most Division IV teams, and the players have filled in nicely after graduation losses but the playmakers aren’t what they were a year ago.”

 Weaknesses: “ First and foremost you turn Logan Briggs into a jump shooter. If he decided ‘I’m going to take 12 shots a game from four feet and in then Littleton would run the table and win the Division again, but all the evidence is he won’t do it. PCA pushed him away from the basket in the title game a year ago and he became a non-factor after dominating Groveton in the semifinals.”

 Another coach talked about slowing the offense down. “ You keep Briggs out of the paint, put your lockdown defender on Cy Kezerian, because I really think he is the true leader of that team, and you force a third person to beat you. Cooper Paradice is a good point guard but he won’t score and Kubkowski gets a lot of his points off of the press. You make a third scorer emerge.” Another coach agreed with the strategy, “ A year ago that scorer was Danny Brammer…this year I think it would be Gabe Anan, who has really stepped up for them. That will be the question though, who steps in when you shut Briggs and Kezerian down?”

 

Bedford

Bedford Team Page

 Mark Elmendorf’s team is 2-1 on the season including a good win against Londonderry. We asked coaches to breakdown the Bulldogs.

 Strengths: “ They play good team basketball and whether it is setting screens or making the extra pass, it looks to me as a team with very good chemistry. Mark (Elmendorf) seems to have a very good connection with this group.” Another coach talked about the size and athleticism of the Bulldogs. “ They have interchangeable parts defensively and they rebound well as a team. They don't have one kid who cleans the glass for them but they know that and so they rebound as a group. That’s better than having that one player who will get you 12 boards a night.”

 What players stand out? We asked opposing coaches. “ I like Max Chartier and Liam Greene a lot. They are both just very strong with the ball and because of that you just don’t expect them to be bothered by defensive pressure.” A fellow coach talked about Bedford’s leading scorer. “ Troy Meservey is a very tough player to stop, he has good size and does a really good job being ready to shoot as soon as he gets the ball. That comes with skill development.”

 Weaknesses? “ If you can focus on Meservey late in games you force other guys to make that play, players that maybe aren’t equipped for it. You want to force them to make a play one on one because they are at their best when they are in the flow of their offense. They will drive, kick to the corner and find that man cutting to the rim. You want to force them to try to get it to one player, and then make someone create when you take that away.” Another coach talked about the Bulldogs frontcourt. “ Take away their top 3 options (Meservey, Chartier & Greene) and I think you can get away with their front court guys having to score.”

 

 Inter-Lakes

 Inter-Lakes Team Page

 Mike Rathgeber’s team is 4-1 on the season and coming off a win in the Farmington Holiday Tournament. We asked Division III coaches to break them down.

 Strengths: “ It starts with Zach Swanson. He’s a bull down low and whether you have a good big man or not you’re going to have to send multiple guys at him. His younger brother Eli is really coming on as well, he killed us when we played them.” A fellow coach talked about guard Ryan Kelly. “ Kelly is a kid who gets overlooked, he’s legit. He sees the floor very well and when they run sets to get him good looks he knocks it down. He’s a good player.”

 Another coach talked about the chemistry on the floor for the Lakers. “ When you make a run on them they are smart enough to say, ‘Ok, we’re going to pound it down low to Swanson and get some points. That is a quick, smart & easy way to get the momentum back.”

 “Mike (Rathgeber) does a good job of playing that zone in a small gym (at home). That makes them a tough team to beat on the road and they understand how to use that to their advantage.”

 Weaknesses? “ When you get physical with Swanson, he eats it up, he loves it, but you can get physical with Kelly and it can affect him. We tried to be tough on their guards and I thought it affected them.” Another coach talked about pressuring their guards. “ They have good guards, especially Kelly and (Davis Jollimore) but I think you want to make them push the pace. They’ll turn it over, when we played them they did turn the ball over quite a bit. If you push the pace then you might be able to get them out of a halfcourt game and I think that’s where they are at their best.”

 Another coach talked about depth being an issue for the Lakers. “ They really don’t get much from their bench, so you try to wear down their starting five, but that is a very good starting five. Mike is doing a nice job with that group.”

 

 Concord

 Dave Chase’s team is off to a 1-2 start but coming off a victory in the Capital City Holiday Tournament.

 Concord Team Page

 

 Strengths: “ They do a nice job of getting their scorers the ball in a good position to score. I think Dave (Chase) is doing a nice job getting players like Matt Giroux the ball where he has a good look at the basket. He’s a very good player and getting him easier looks only makes him more dangerous when you’re playing them.” Another coach talked about the team getting used to Coach Chase’s system. “ The big guys seem to be playing better than they did when they opened at Bedford. They will run the same four or five sets and you need to recognize what is coming.”

 Another Division I coach praised Matt Giroux. “ He uses his screens really well and does a really nice job of controlling his body when he is getting ready to shoot. He squares himself to the basket and that is one of the reasons he is so effective.”

 Weaknesses? “ The strength of that team is in the backcourt ..the Blodgett brothers and Giroux in particular. Their frontcourt is a little behind and I think they are pretty susceptible on the glass. I’ve seen them on several occasions give up a lot of second shots. The player I really like for them is the sophomore Tyler Bruns. That kid is really going to be a player by the end of the season.”

 

 Profile

 Paul Greenlaw’s Patriots are 2-2 and coming off a win in the Gorham Holiday Tournament. We asked opposing coaches for their thoughts on the Patriots.

 Profile Team Page

 Strengths: “ They are very disciplined on offense and do a good job sharing the basketball. Sort of the strength & weakness of the team is they really have four kids who score but not one primary scorer. They don’t have one player you have to game plan for, but they move the ball and will run Paul’s sets.”

 A fellow coach agreed, “ They have a good idea of who they are and they know they are not going to outscore you. So they are patient and will run different sets to create good scoring opportunities.” A Division IV coach talked about a player he liked on the Patriots, “ I like Maker Manning, nothing flashy and he doesn’t score very often but he gets his hands on a lot of rebounds and seems to have a good sense of where he needs to be on the floor. He’s a player you like to have in your rotation or off your bench.” A fellow coach talked about the effort level of Greenlaw’s team, “ They play hard, they get after loose balls and play hard every night.”

 Weaknesses? “ They tend to try to do too much defensively instead of focusing on getting really good at one aspect. They will play several different defenses but there isn’t one that they do better than the other. When they play man to man they struggle with man to man concepts like rotating defensively or seeing the basketball when they are defending on the wing,” Another coach talked about the Profile offense, “ They can get rigid running their stuff and there isn’t a lot of creativity, they also tend to struggle to adapt to different defense so you see them using timeouts for Coach Greenlaw to explain it to them.”

 

Milford

Dan Murray’s Spartans are off to a 3-0 start. We asked Division II coaches to break them down.

Milford Team Page

 

Strengths: They shoot the ball very well and they are constantly moving on offense. They run everything though their point guard Ryan Banuskevich and they have so many players that can shoot it that it allows them to really space you out. Nick Gutterson is a player who can really shoot it from deep for them.” A fellow Division II coach agreed, “ They are very active on offense so your ability to rotate is going to be a key. Ryan gets all the attention because he is their scorer, and he is a very good player, but the glue to that team is Shane Winnett. He rebounds, handles the ball and is the guy who kind of calms them down when things are going bad. He does so many things to help that team win.”

 “ They are disciplined on offense and their big guy Evan Ryan stood out when we played them. He does a really good job down low and he gave us problems. “ A fellow coach agreed, “ Evan Ryan is a very serviceable big man, he does some good things for that team. “

 Weaknesses?: “ You have to run them off the three point line. When we played them we figured that out a little late and it cost us.” Another Division II coach we spoke to echoed that sentiment, “ If you are a team that struggles to guard the three point line then you are going to be in trouble. Gutterson has more of a set shot so you have to make him put the ball on the floor. If you leave him alone he’s going to knock down the shot.”

 A key to facing Milford is controlling pace. “ You need to limit their possessions. Make them play defense for long stretches and you can find openings. They can be susceptible for being beaten backdoor of they lose focus out on the perimeter. Make them defend and play at a much slower pace because they want to get out and get looks in rhythm and when they do they are a very tough team to beat.”