The Merrimack Valley Sports Division I Mid-Season Snapshot
2015-02-04
Geo Baker of Pinkerton is a First Team pick
By Dave Haley In the last of our four mid-season snapshots we take a look today at Division I at the midway point of the season.
If forced to pick the two teams that will meet in the final:
Manchester Central vs. Pinkerton Academy
I feel like I’m imbedded with Pinkerton now after putting them as my pre-season #1 so I’m not jumping out of the foxhole now.
The questions remain: 1) Are they in good enough condition to win a physical game late in the fourth quarter? 2) Are they disciplined enough? 3) Can their best big man David Faulks stay on the floor and out of foul trouble?
There is still a lot of skepticism about this team and Friday night’s showdown with arch-rival Londonderry (a game Pete Tarrier and Jon Kesty will be covering for us) will tell us more.
What the Astros need to do over the final month of the season is figure out who their 8 man rotation is going to be in the post-season. They’re not alone (Littleton has to do the same thing) but that is one of the tasks of head coach Peter Rosiniski over the next month. They let Pembroke back in the game we covered earlier in the season when they emptied their bench at the end of the third quarter. Matt Alosa is going to play seven or eight guys’ tops, and when the Astros sat all five starters the Spartans cut a 12 point lead down to 6 in two the final minutes of the 3rd quarter.
The Astros have big men that can finish and three guards who can create off the dribble and throw your defense off balance. It starts with one of the best point guards in New Hampshire Geo Baker (15.6 ppg). Unselfish, smart and quick Baker has good size at 6’2 for a 1, keeps his head up under pressure and does an excellent job of reading the defense. Matt Rizzo (11.1 ppg) just makes plays, on both ends of the floor. He gets into the paint to create opening for teammates and then will just as easily draw a charge on the other end.
Drew Green does a terrific job running the baseline and seems to have a real chemistry on the floor with Baker. Brennan Morris (13 ppg) is a flat out knock down shooter. He has a quick release, a ton of confidence and a point guard who knows how to get him the ball not only in the spots he likes but puts the pass where Morris can gather & fire quickly.
Caleb Godin is your 6’5 big man who has to be covered on the perimeter and center David Faulks is a beast. His size, ability to protect and attack the rim is rare even in Division I. The brothers’ Tommy & Ben Olsen give the Astros two 6’8 big men off the bench to pound the glass and finish Baker dishes at the rim. Every piece is there….it’s an embarrassment of riches and Baker seems to have tied it all together. He’s the straw that stirs the drink.
I’m not sure how I can explain what David ‘Doc’ Wheeler has done at Central but I give him, his assistant Tommy Dickson and Joey Martin the credit. Wheeler has had to teach the Central concepts to an almost entirely new group both on the floor and off of it. Few coaches provide as many life lessons as Wheeler is able to, that is one of the reasons coaches like he and Tim Goodridge are revered by their peers in the Division I coaching fraternity. It’s also in his ability to know the manner in which to get the message across.
Martin (18.3 ppg)watched his brother graduate, one of his close friends head off to prep school (Brett Hanson) and three invaluable teammates (Tyler Kelly, Dawson Dickson & Mike Plentzas) move on. Instead of trying to turn it into the ‘Joey Martin Show’ featuring Joey scoring 30 points a night he invested in his teammates and has built chemistry in endless hours playing pick-up ball in the Central gymnasium. He’s watched Jaylen Leroy (14.3 ppg) emerge and gave the keys to the offense to Oumaro Kante (18 ppg) and Nate Guillermo (who Wheeler hopes will return to the team soon). Evan MacDonald is their Brennan Morris, a knockdown shooter and someone who along with fellow sharp shooter Jonathan Makori spreads the defense out for a player like Kante to operate.
The Little Green might be the best passing team in the division and that is amazing for such a new group. They’re not the 2014 undefeated edition but in 2015 they don’t have to be to win a back to back championship. It’s unfair to speculate on who might be coming or going as the last half of the season plays out but if Central stays whole someone is going to have to take the title away from them, they’re not handing it over.
Most intriguing team: Manchester Memorial
This one is all about personnel. Is Trevon Moughn coming back and possibly Wade Gop with him??
This is what every Division I coach I talk to wants to know, what are we getting in the second half of the year? If Moughn does return than this then becomes the best offensive team in the state overnight. No team is more capable of turning a 33-32 game into 46-32 in three minutes. Kabongo Ngalakulondi (22.2 ppg) has been as good as expected and the more weapons on the floor playing for Jack Quirk the more you tend to forget about Craig Preston (12.6 ppg) out on the wing.
This was an inconstant team a year ago, the run to the Final Four seems to overshadow the fact this was an 8-10 team last year. No one though denies this is an elite offense packaged with a veteran coach and absolutely no fear of teams like Pinkerton, Londonderry and Central. If they get everyone back…..
Co-Players of the Mid-Point of the Season: Joey Martin of Manchester Central and Cody Ball of Londonderry
Fine it’s a bit of a cop out but both players have been outstanding. Also Cody Ball proved you don’t need to go to prep school to earn a Division II scholarship to one of the best programs in New England.
Coach of the Mid-Point of the Season: David ‘Doc’ Wheeler of Manchester Central
For all the reasons outlined above…ask coaches from all four divisions who the best of the best are and his name always is mentioned.
First Team All-State (First half of the Season)
Joey Martin of Manchester Central
Cody Ball of Londonderry
Geo Baker of Pinkerton Academy
Darian Berry of Spaulding
Kabongo Ngalakulondi of Manchester Memorial
With apologies to: Marc Corey of Londonderry, Dominic Timbas & Max Curran of Pembroke Academy, DJ Frechette & Mike Osgood of Nashua South, Bryant Holmes & Cody Morrisette of Exeter, Connor Walsh of Trinity, Sam Bonney-Liles & Andrew Wetmore of Alvirne, Matt Rizzo, Caleb Godin & Brennan Morris of Pinkerton Academy, Matt Vartanian of Salem, Ronnie Silva of Nashua North, Mason Blanchard & John Link of Keene, Craig Preston of Manchester Memorial, Jaylen Leeroy & Oumaru Kante of Manchester Central, Jack Zimmerman & Kyle Gavin of Bishop Guertin, Anthony Ciccotelli of Spaulding, Ryan Brown & Ryan Hughes of Bedford and Ian Roberts & Austin Franzen of Merrimack.
Manchester Central vs. Pinkerton Academy
I feel like I’m imbedded with Pinkerton now after putting them as my pre-season #1 so I’m not jumping out of the foxhole now.
The questions remain: 1) Are they in good enough condition to win a physical game late in the fourth quarter? 2) Are they disciplined enough? 3) Can their best big man David Faulks stay on the floor and out of foul trouble?
There is still a lot of skepticism about this team and Friday night’s showdown with arch-rival Londonderry (a game Pete Tarrier and Jon Kesty will be covering for us) will tell us more.
What the Astros need to do over the final month of the season is figure out who their 8 man rotation is going to be in the post-season. They’re not alone (Littleton has to do the same thing) but that is one of the tasks of head coach Peter Rosiniski over the next month. They let Pembroke back in the game we covered earlier in the season when they emptied their bench at the end of the third quarter. Matt Alosa is going to play seven or eight guys’ tops, and when the Astros sat all five starters the Spartans cut a 12 point lead down to 6 in two the final minutes of the 3rd quarter.
The Astros have big men that can finish and three guards who can create off the dribble and throw your defense off balance. It starts with one of the best point guards in New Hampshire Geo Baker (15.6 ppg). Unselfish, smart and quick Baker has good size at 6’2 for a 1, keeps his head up under pressure and does an excellent job of reading the defense. Matt Rizzo (11.1 ppg) just makes plays, on both ends of the floor. He gets into the paint to create opening for teammates and then will just as easily draw a charge on the other end.
Drew Green does a terrific job running the baseline and seems to have a real chemistry on the floor with Baker. Brennan Morris (13 ppg) is a flat out knock down shooter. He has a quick release, a ton of confidence and a point guard who knows how to get him the ball not only in the spots he likes but puts the pass where Morris can gather & fire quickly.
Caleb Godin is your 6’5 big man who has to be covered on the perimeter and center David Faulks is a beast. His size, ability to protect and attack the rim is rare even in Division I. The brothers’ Tommy & Ben Olsen give the Astros two 6’8 big men off the bench to pound the glass and finish Baker dishes at the rim. Every piece is there….it’s an embarrassment of riches and Baker seems to have tied it all together. He’s the straw that stirs the drink.
I’m not sure how I can explain what David ‘Doc’ Wheeler has done at Central but I give him, his assistant Tommy Dickson and Joey Martin the credit. Wheeler has had to teach the Central concepts to an almost entirely new group both on the floor and off of it. Few coaches provide as many life lessons as Wheeler is able to, that is one of the reasons coaches like he and Tim Goodridge are revered by their peers in the Division I coaching fraternity. It’s also in his ability to know the manner in which to get the message across.
Martin (18.3 ppg)watched his brother graduate, one of his close friends head off to prep school (Brett Hanson) and three invaluable teammates (Tyler Kelly, Dawson Dickson & Mike Plentzas) move on. Instead of trying to turn it into the ‘Joey Martin Show’ featuring Joey scoring 30 points a night he invested in his teammates and has built chemistry in endless hours playing pick-up ball in the Central gymnasium. He’s watched Jaylen Leroy (14.3 ppg) emerge and gave the keys to the offense to Oumaro Kante (18 ppg) and Nate Guillermo (who Wheeler hopes will return to the team soon). Evan MacDonald is their Brennan Morris, a knockdown shooter and someone who along with fellow sharp shooter Jonathan Makori spreads the defense out for a player like Kante to operate.
The Little Green might be the best passing team in the division and that is amazing for such a new group. They’re not the 2014 undefeated edition but in 2015 they don’t have to be to win a back to back championship. It’s unfair to speculate on who might be coming or going as the last half of the season plays out but if Central stays whole someone is going to have to take the title away from them, they’re not handing it over.
Most intriguing team: Manchester Memorial
This one is all about personnel. Is Trevon Moughn coming back and possibly Wade Gop with him??
This is what every Division I coach I talk to wants to know, what are we getting in the second half of the year? If Moughn does return than this then becomes the best offensive team in the state overnight. No team is more capable of turning a 33-32 game into 46-32 in three minutes. Kabongo Ngalakulondi (22.2 ppg) has been as good as expected and the more weapons on the floor playing for Jack Quirk the more you tend to forget about Craig Preston (12.6 ppg) out on the wing.
This was an inconstant team a year ago, the run to the Final Four seems to overshadow the fact this was an 8-10 team last year. No one though denies this is an elite offense packaged with a veteran coach and absolutely no fear of teams like Pinkerton, Londonderry and Central. If they get everyone back…..
Co-Players of the Mid-Point of the Season: Joey Martin of Manchester Central and Cody Ball of Londonderry
Fine it’s a bit of a cop out but both players have been outstanding. Also Cody Ball proved you don’t need to go to prep school to earn a Division II scholarship to one of the best programs in New England.
Coach of the Mid-Point of the Season: David ‘Doc’ Wheeler of Manchester Central
For all the reasons outlined above…ask coaches from all four divisions who the best of the best are and his name always is mentioned.
First Team All-State (First half of the Season)
Joey Martin of Manchester Central
Cody Ball of Londonderry
Geo Baker of Pinkerton Academy
Darian Berry of Spaulding
Kabongo Ngalakulondi of Manchester Memorial
With apologies to: Marc Corey of Londonderry, Dominic Timbas & Max Curran of Pembroke Academy, DJ Frechette & Mike Osgood of Nashua South, Bryant Holmes & Cody Morrisette of Exeter, Connor Walsh of Trinity, Sam Bonney-Liles & Andrew Wetmore of Alvirne, Matt Rizzo, Caleb Godin & Brennan Morris of Pinkerton Academy, Matt Vartanian of Salem, Ronnie Silva of Nashua North, Mason Blanchard & John Link of Keene, Craig Preston of Manchester Memorial, Jaylen Leeroy & Oumaru Kante of Manchester Central, Jack Zimmerman & Kyle Gavin of Bishop Guertin, Anthony Ciccotelli of Spaulding, Ryan Brown & Ryan Hughes of Bedford and Ian Roberts & Austin Franzen of Merrimack.