DISQUS

Fib1106 · 10 months ago

Well put Hector. Pinkerton has size but ummm... they are soft.
Haverhill keeps improving. Play them at your peril.
Pelham is improving but they can't match up physically with your Top Four.
Lowell beat Andover but Andover was wiped out by flu, by all accounts. Andover played eight straight away but now plays at home a lot. They will be tough there.
Nobody beats Central at Central. Ever. That puts them on the North semifinal automatically.

Dan Keleher · 10 months ago

Hector,
you will not see me stick up for Pinkerton that often, but in this case I have to inform you that Winnacunnet was minus three starters when they played Trinity.

DK

Hector Longo · 10 months ago

Dan,
Thanks.
But were the missing starters named Pierce, Allen and Garnett?
71-27 ?????
I know I'm a little tuf on the Stros, but I put my faith in them by putting them in my initial Fantastic Four. To have them turn around and drop a game at home?
Plus I love drilling the Hampton Beach High references into the ground.
I'm sure Winnacunnet is pretty good. Traditionally, boys hoop has been a rock-solid program there. Still, the ocean shots I can take at them give me a chuckle.
Thanks for the info.
Pinkerton, I apologize, but for now, you're still on the outside looking in.

Hoop Fan · 10 months ago

H,

The comment above about Pinkerton being soft is not the best way to describe them. They deserve to be out of your Fan. 4 for now. Their 2 biggest problems are they do not play aggressive defense and they settle for too many shots on offense. You would love to see a team with that many athletes get after it on d. but they don t. Would love to see them run and jump or at least trap or deny somewhere on the court. Offensively if they ever swung the ball once or twice they would get a lot easier shots. I have seen a few of their games and they basically let whoever they are playing dictate the tempo and play of the game. They can get away with it on alot of nights in Class L this year but will run into problems when it counts most at the end of the season.

Hoop Head · 10 months ago

Max Preps is a joke, Hector, especially this early in the season. You say you "just report the numbers" but isn't the idea to try to make some sense of them not just repeat them? Particularly when they're so obviously off. Central's a great local team, clearly one of the top couple in MA, but in a state like NJ, FL, TX, or CA, they'd be no where near the top. #12 in the nation?!??!? Please. They have one Division I player, another very good high school player (who will tear up Division III if some D2's don't wise up), and then some really hard working kids. I agree with your repeated statements that you don't favor Central, but you also say that you cal it the way you see it (and don't just repeat what you're fed). Don't feed into this area's already misguided notion of where our level of high school hoops stacks up. If Haverhill HS was beating the #12 team in the country tonight at halftime, then Mike Trovato should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame tomorrow down the road from where Central's playing.

Leo · 10 months ago

If Central is #12 in the country, then the Hillies are #23...and Andover is #16! CC vs. HHS was the closest 18 point game I ever saw.

The Hillies brought it Friday night w, I think, 13 3's--maybe 11 in the first half. Carson's offensive break-out game? 34 points --average distance 4.2 feet.

Loved Ricky's 2nd half defense--HHS got off maybe 5 or 6 3's--most of them prayers. Did I catch Ricky resting Puello, Zenovitch, Fernandez and Timmy for American Heritage...maybe just a little? 6' 2 'U Florida bound Kenny Boynton--#1 2 guard in the country is averaging 34 ppg for AH--are you ready Timmy? AH is 14-4--they held one team to 19 points. PG Taylor going to Florida Atlantic--two 6'8" bruise brothers--uh...I don't know about this one.

For us out-of-towners, maybe you could tell us a little bit about Bobby Costello, Hector and where to send a check. I'm always impressed w the annual tradition of giving scholarships in his name. His children are very young so he must have died a young man. Anyway, in a day when tradition is ignored, it's great to see the Haverhill folks keep this alive. It's a very powerful thing when kids feel like they're part of something much bigger than them. I sat next to a great guy and former teammate of Bobby who came back from Columbia, SC (!) for the game. Sorry, if you said his name, i'd remember it--he said he was the state 100 yd dash champ twice in Bobby's era in addition to playing hoops--there's a good trivia question for old Hillies!

Trovato's got them playing very, very well--they're going to be tough in February.

I agree with you H-boy--- Andover shows Brocton what Big East BB (MVC version) is all about.

Inject Ricky w truth serum and ask him who would he like to play least in March--my bet?--Fazio's Warriors.

You just can't beat high school hoops here in Siberia!!

Thanks for your enthusiasm, Hector.

Fib1106 · 10 months ago

I run hot and cold on Central but I won't knock them for playing iron. No they do not have five Division 1 players starting but don't go overboard overrating other teams either. There is only one ball to go around.
Lawrence is not a bad team but they might finish last in MVC Large.
Unreal.
Things have changed and the fact is that the MVC Large is the best hoop league in the state at the moment. Better than the Catholic or Middlesex or Greater Boston.

Dan · 10 months ago

I have to say Central showed some fight coming back to AH today -only 16 hours after beating Haverhill by 18 in a hard fought game. It would have been easy for them to give up early in this one- but they played hard to the end and made it very respectfull. Clearly the max preps ranking might be a little high (even for this red & blue blooded alum) but it is still great to be mentioned-it means people are taking notice. My hat goes off to Ricky Nault, he has done a great job in his short tenure at CCHS (to say the least). Glad to see the program is in such good hands.