The Merrimack Valley Sports Division I Semifinal Scouting Report
2016-03-16
Zak Kerr and Merrimack face Memorial tonight
By Dave Haley Photo by Joe Marchilena of NH High School Sports
As we do in both basketball and football we hand over our semifinal previews to the people that know the four teams better than anyone; the coaches who have competed against them all year. The following are scouting reports from three Division I coaches we spoke to using blind quotes.
Thank you to all of the players & their families that registered for full access to our website through next (2017) season. Those registers will be given a simple login before the site is registration only and closed. Registers will have complete access to our videos, statistics & previews.
I will be ordering everyone’s NHsportspage shirts at the end of this week for all of our registers. If you haven’t already please send me your shirt size at davehaley@nhsportspage.com
Look for our enhanced coverage of the two final fours. Video highlights, play by play and post-game celebrations of each game plus our Division I championship preview video and Jen Chick’s Championship Saturday video as well.
If you can’t make it to Durham listen to Justin McIsaac & I call the game live simply by clicking on www.mcisaaconsports.com from your phone or computer.
Division I
(7) Winnacunnet vs (3) Manchester Central
Doc Wheeler’s Manchester Central team won a close 48-45 decision over Jay McKenna’s Warriors on February 26th. We asked three Division I coaches' to breakdown the first semifinal game tonight.
First the third seeded Central Little Green; “ I know the Big 3 (Jaylen Leroy, Evan MacDonald and Jonathan Makori) get all the headlines but I still think Makori flies a little bit under the radar,” said one Division I tournament coach. “He was the player that really hurt us when we played Central and he does a nice job handling the ball if (Central point guard) Seth Shea is out of the game.” A fellow coach agreed, “Makori is underrated, no question.”
How would you break down the Central offense? “They like to play that run & gun style so I think the big floor at UNH will suit them well.”
“ They run a lot of curls in the lane and Doc gives his players the freedom to read what the defense is trying to take away,” said another head coach. “ They run their sets very precisely and everyone is on the same page. Makori is the key because he hurts you out on the wing if you lay off him. He has a very quick release and a ton of confidence.”
Another coach talked about head coach Doc Wheeler. “Doc is the best; he and Timmy Goodridge really just do such a good job.” Coaches agreed, “Doc will sometimes use (Evan) MacDonald as a decoy to get your defense to chase him, meanwhile he beats you with another guy and often times the screener.”
“Jaylen Leroy is outstanding; you know he is going to get his. The kid I think you need to stop is Evan MacDonald. I think you need to make him put the ball on the floor because if you allow him to get looks on the perimeter he is going to kill you. He’s a knockdown shooter.”
What about the Central defense? “Their defense is the staple of their program. They switch as well as any team in the state and that makes it very difficult to constantly get to the paint off the dribble. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Central go with some full court pressure against Winnacunnet to push the pace.”
One coach talked about how Central handles in-game adversity. “When things go wrong they tend to bicker at each other, which is unusual for a Central team,” noted one coach we spoke to. “There were times this season where it looked to me like they weren’t handling adversity very well.”
What about the Winnacunnet Warriors? “The first thing you need to do is contain Liam Viviano. When he is getting to the paint off the dribble that opens everything up for (Zach) Waterhouse and (Freddy) Schaake. I think Schaake is a key guy for them because it took him some time to round into form after being hurt but he looked good last week.”
Another coach talked about the improvements on Jay McKenna’s team as the season has gone along. “They have become much more unselfish as the season has gone along. When we played them Waterhouse killed us and I think that is sort of the theme with them; a new guy seems to step up every game. They don’t have that one guy you have to stop. If you hold Viviano in check the other guys will step up.”
Coaches talked about Winnacunnet in transition. “Most teams that play zone like to play at a slower pace but they actually will try and run whenever they can out of that defense. Viviano and (Anthony) Primavera are very good in transition and Schaake is very tough to slow down in the open floor.”
What about that Winnacunnet defense? “They will pressure you at times,,,1-3-1, 2-2-1 and fall back into their 2-3 zone. They rotate very well. They take away the short corner and will trap you in the middle (the high post).” A fellow coach talked about the Winnacunnet zone, “ You don’t see a ton of zones so it always throws your kids off at first. Some zones are kids really not being active but that is not the case at all with Jay’s team. They will extend the zone because they aren’t very big. They are a team that actually matches up size wise, really well with Central.”
So what should we look for tonight? “ I like Central only because I think Doc has seen the zone and makes adjustments the second time around. That and the fact that it’s a bigger floor and that creates more space for Makori and MacDonald. This is a toss-up game though.”
A fellow tournament coach talked about who will decide the winner tonight. “ Doc and Jay are both terrific coaches, the kids will be well prepared. At this time of year it’s about what kids step up at the biggest moment. The best player on the floor will be Jaylen Leroy but no one player is winning this game, it comes down to how the kids perform on that stage.”
(9) Manchester Memorial vs (5) Merrimack
Tonight it will be the battle of who controls the speed of the game. Memorial wants to roll like a 16 year old who got his license four days ago while Merrimack wants to go at the pace of your grandmother in the slow lane with the blinker on for 14 miles. Who wins that battle? We asked our coaches to break it all down.
First Tim Goodridge’s Merrimack Tomahawks; “ They are so physical in how they set their screens and so disciplined in how they run their offense. (Zak) Kerr and (Ian) Cummings are their big guns but they get a lot of their looks off of their movement and screens. Cummings has been a little inconsistent for them at times, and I think only because he is a sophomore, but he is a big time player. He can turn the tide of the game with his ability.”
Another coach talked about the Merrimack offensive philosophy, “ The complete opposite of Memorial. They want to grind you down by making you play defense for longer possessions and they want to find the best shot they can get out of you. They know not only how to set a proper screen but how not to waste it by not running their guy (defender) into it.”
A tournament coach talked about what it is like to defend Merrimack, “ They are the toughest team we played all year. They physically wear your kids down. They are very well prepared and Tim is on top of everything. I think (Ian) Roberts is the key guy for them, he can kill you on the offensive boards and there are few things more demoralizing than playing defense for 60 seconds at a time, making them miss and then giving up an offensive rebound.”
What about head coach Tim Goodridge? “ As good as any coach in our division. He has guys coming off the bench that can really hurt you and he seems to know when to go to them on a given night. When we played them he had a kid drill three’s on us (Noah Beygelman) and we didn’t even know he was a weapon for them. Tim has a really good read on his team and his kids.”
What about the Merrimack defense? “ They play man to man but Tim is not afraid to change it up to a triangle & 2 if a couple of guys are beating them.” Another coach commented on the Tomahawk defense. “ They are nearly perfect in the way they stop your dribble penetration. They are so good at rotating and helping defensively. Mike Dudash and Andrew Wojack are both really good, they will give your guards fits.” A third coach echoed the praise, “ To play in that system you have to have the mentality to work and those kids have it.”
How about the 9th seeded Manchester Memorial Crusaders? All three coaches had the same exact quote..” They can score.” How did Jack Quirk’s team get here for the second time in three seasons? “They have five guys on the floor that can score. They’ll take you off the dribble and if you shut their drives down in the lane they will kick it out for three’s. They beat Nashua South because South got into a shootout with them and they beat North because, really that was how North got to the 1 seed, by outscoring people.”
Another coach talked about Memorial’s weapons. “ (Nick) Philibert is good and Brandon Scott was one of the best players we saw all year. The key with that team is not allowing them to set the pace but it’s really difficult because they will pressure you and you can get easy scores. Next thing you know you’re in a shootout. When we played them we were up sixteen with four minutes left and my assistant asked me if we should empty the bench, I said ‘Are you crazy??’. They can get back in any game. Quickly.”
What about the Memorial defense? All three coaches talked about Memorial’s press.“ They are going to press and they gamble for steals because they are so quick & athletic. They have great anticipation for what you are going to do whether it’s trying to dribble through pressure or passing. If they see an advantage on the floor they go after that, on both ends. You have to attack their press and convert your lay-ups.”
How can you attack their defense? “ They really don’t like to play defense, at all. They’ll let you score sometimes just to get the ball back.” Another coach agreed, “ They don’t have any help defense at all. They gamble and a lot of times they get steals and easy transition points but when they gamble and miss they give up easy baskets. You also can attack the glass on them because they leak out so many guys.”
How will the battle of different speeds play out. “ Merrimack is going to make them play defense for long stretches and maybe that hurts their rhythm. Memorial wants to win 82-80 while Merrimack will be happy to win 32-30.” That seemed to be the sentiment of all the coaches we spoke with, “ This whole season has been ‘on any given night’ and that’s exactly what you have. Memorial suffered some blowout losses but here they are two wins away from the championship.”
Thank you to all of the players & their families that registered for full access to our website through next (2017) season. Those registers will be given a simple login before the site is registration only and closed. Registers will have complete access to our videos, statistics & previews.
I will be ordering everyone’s NHsportspage shirts at the end of this week for all of our registers. If you haven’t already please send me your shirt size at davehaley@nhsportspage.com
Look for our enhanced coverage of the two final fours. Video highlights, play by play and post-game celebrations of each game plus our Division I championship preview video and Jen Chick’s Championship Saturday video as well.
If you can’t make it to Durham listen to Justin McIsaac & I call the game live simply by clicking on www.mcisaaconsports.com from your phone or computer.
Division I
(7) Winnacunnet vs (3) Manchester Central
Doc Wheeler’s Manchester Central team won a close 48-45 decision over Jay McKenna’s Warriors on February 26th. We asked three Division I coaches' to breakdown the first semifinal game tonight.
First the third seeded Central Little Green; “ I know the Big 3 (Jaylen Leroy, Evan MacDonald and Jonathan Makori) get all the headlines but I still think Makori flies a little bit under the radar,” said one Division I tournament coach. “He was the player that really hurt us when we played Central and he does a nice job handling the ball if (Central point guard) Seth Shea is out of the game.” A fellow coach agreed, “Makori is underrated, no question.”
How would you break down the Central offense? “They like to play that run & gun style so I think the big floor at UNH will suit them well.”
“ They run a lot of curls in the lane and Doc gives his players the freedom to read what the defense is trying to take away,” said another head coach. “ They run their sets very precisely and everyone is on the same page. Makori is the key because he hurts you out on the wing if you lay off him. He has a very quick release and a ton of confidence.”
Another coach talked about head coach Doc Wheeler. “Doc is the best; he and Timmy Goodridge really just do such a good job.” Coaches agreed, “Doc will sometimes use (Evan) MacDonald as a decoy to get your defense to chase him, meanwhile he beats you with another guy and often times the screener.”
“Jaylen Leroy is outstanding; you know he is going to get his. The kid I think you need to stop is Evan MacDonald. I think you need to make him put the ball on the floor because if you allow him to get looks on the perimeter he is going to kill you. He’s a knockdown shooter.”
What about the Central defense? “Their defense is the staple of their program. They switch as well as any team in the state and that makes it very difficult to constantly get to the paint off the dribble. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Central go with some full court pressure against Winnacunnet to push the pace.”
One coach talked about how Central handles in-game adversity. “When things go wrong they tend to bicker at each other, which is unusual for a Central team,” noted one coach we spoke to. “There were times this season where it looked to me like they weren’t handling adversity very well.”
What about the Winnacunnet Warriors? “The first thing you need to do is contain Liam Viviano. When he is getting to the paint off the dribble that opens everything up for (Zach) Waterhouse and (Freddy) Schaake. I think Schaake is a key guy for them because it took him some time to round into form after being hurt but he looked good last week.”
Another coach talked about the improvements on Jay McKenna’s team as the season has gone along. “They have become much more unselfish as the season has gone along. When we played them Waterhouse killed us and I think that is sort of the theme with them; a new guy seems to step up every game. They don’t have that one guy you have to stop. If you hold Viviano in check the other guys will step up.”
Coaches talked about Winnacunnet in transition. “Most teams that play zone like to play at a slower pace but they actually will try and run whenever they can out of that defense. Viviano and (Anthony) Primavera are very good in transition and Schaake is very tough to slow down in the open floor.”
What about that Winnacunnet defense? “They will pressure you at times,,,1-3-1, 2-2-1 and fall back into their 2-3 zone. They rotate very well. They take away the short corner and will trap you in the middle (the high post).” A fellow coach talked about the Winnacunnet zone, “ You don’t see a ton of zones so it always throws your kids off at first. Some zones are kids really not being active but that is not the case at all with Jay’s team. They will extend the zone because they aren’t very big. They are a team that actually matches up size wise, really well with Central.”
So what should we look for tonight? “ I like Central only because I think Doc has seen the zone and makes adjustments the second time around. That and the fact that it’s a bigger floor and that creates more space for Makori and MacDonald. This is a toss-up game though.”
A fellow tournament coach talked about who will decide the winner tonight. “ Doc and Jay are both terrific coaches, the kids will be well prepared. At this time of year it’s about what kids step up at the biggest moment. The best player on the floor will be Jaylen Leroy but no one player is winning this game, it comes down to how the kids perform on that stage.”
(9) Manchester Memorial vs (5) Merrimack
Tonight it will be the battle of who controls the speed of the game. Memorial wants to roll like a 16 year old who got his license four days ago while Merrimack wants to go at the pace of your grandmother in the slow lane with the blinker on for 14 miles. Who wins that battle? We asked our coaches to break it all down.
First Tim Goodridge’s Merrimack Tomahawks; “ They are so physical in how they set their screens and so disciplined in how they run their offense. (Zak) Kerr and (Ian) Cummings are their big guns but they get a lot of their looks off of their movement and screens. Cummings has been a little inconsistent for them at times, and I think only because he is a sophomore, but he is a big time player. He can turn the tide of the game with his ability.”
Another coach talked about the Merrimack offensive philosophy, “ The complete opposite of Memorial. They want to grind you down by making you play defense for longer possessions and they want to find the best shot they can get out of you. They know not only how to set a proper screen but how not to waste it by not running their guy (defender) into it.”
A tournament coach talked about what it is like to defend Merrimack, “ They are the toughest team we played all year. They physically wear your kids down. They are very well prepared and Tim is on top of everything. I think (Ian) Roberts is the key guy for them, he can kill you on the offensive boards and there are few things more demoralizing than playing defense for 60 seconds at a time, making them miss and then giving up an offensive rebound.”
What about head coach Tim Goodridge? “ As good as any coach in our division. He has guys coming off the bench that can really hurt you and he seems to know when to go to them on a given night. When we played them he had a kid drill three’s on us (Noah Beygelman) and we didn’t even know he was a weapon for them. Tim has a really good read on his team and his kids.”
What about the Merrimack defense? “ They play man to man but Tim is not afraid to change it up to a triangle & 2 if a couple of guys are beating them.” Another coach commented on the Tomahawk defense. “ They are nearly perfect in the way they stop your dribble penetration. They are so good at rotating and helping defensively. Mike Dudash and Andrew Wojack are both really good, they will give your guards fits.” A third coach echoed the praise, “ To play in that system you have to have the mentality to work and those kids have it.”
How about the 9th seeded Manchester Memorial Crusaders? All three coaches had the same exact quote..” They can score.” How did Jack Quirk’s team get here for the second time in three seasons? “They have five guys on the floor that can score. They’ll take you off the dribble and if you shut their drives down in the lane they will kick it out for three’s. They beat Nashua South because South got into a shootout with them and they beat North because, really that was how North got to the 1 seed, by outscoring people.”
Another coach talked about Memorial’s weapons. “ (Nick) Philibert is good and Brandon Scott was one of the best players we saw all year. The key with that team is not allowing them to set the pace but it’s really difficult because they will pressure you and you can get easy scores. Next thing you know you’re in a shootout. When we played them we were up sixteen with four minutes left and my assistant asked me if we should empty the bench, I said ‘Are you crazy??’. They can get back in any game. Quickly.”
What about the Memorial defense? All three coaches talked about Memorial’s press.“ They are going to press and they gamble for steals because they are so quick & athletic. They have great anticipation for what you are going to do whether it’s trying to dribble through pressure or passing. If they see an advantage on the floor they go after that, on both ends. You have to attack their press and convert your lay-ups.”
How can you attack their defense? “ They really don’t like to play defense, at all. They’ll let you score sometimes just to get the ball back.” Another coach agreed, “ They don’t have any help defense at all. They gamble and a lot of times they get steals and easy transition points but when they gamble and miss they give up easy baskets. You also can attack the glass on them because they leak out so many guys.”
How will the battle of different speeds play out. “ Merrimack is going to make them play defense for long stretches and maybe that hurts their rhythm. Memorial wants to win 82-80 while Merrimack will be happy to win 32-30.” That seemed to be the sentiment of all the coaches we spoke with, “ This whole season has been ‘on any given night’ and that’s exactly what you have. Memorial suffered some blowout losses but here they are two wins away from the championship.”