Matt Cimino From Chevrus School, Portland Maine Takes A Three

I took a ride up to Portland Maine this week to see 6'7" freshman Matt Cimino.  It was a trip worth while as Cimino has just committed to play basketball for the Rivals this Spring and Summer.  Cimino is like many Rivals big guys as he has an abundance of skill and can handle, shoot, and pass the basketball as well as make a variety of other basketball plays.  Cimino can also get up and down the floor and will be a huge addition to the Rivals this Spring and Summer.  Cimino is young and tall and his body needs to fill out some, but when he does, look out.  The young talent has a huge upside and will be a real force in due time. 

Cimino will join fellow freshmen 6'5' Noah Vonleh of Haverhill and 6'1" Derek Collins of North Andover in playing for the Rivals Sophomore team this Spring.  The talented youngsters have a long Spring and Summer ahead of them as they will begin their season on the weekend of March 26 - 28 at the NJ Playaz tournament at Rutgers University in New Jersey and end their season with a trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles from July 21 - 31.   It should be an exciting ride for the young freshman. 

Noah Vonleh Gets To The Rim

Rival's Noah Vonleh is sixteen games into his Freshman season at Haverhill High School, and it is now obvious why ESPN thinks the 6'5" wingman is one of the top Freshman in the country.   Vonleh has 244 points on the season and is averaging 15.3 points per game.  Vonleh is also averaging double digits rebounds for the Hillies and has turned heads all season long.

Vonleh is only 14 years old and will not have his 15th birthday until this Summer.  Yet, Providence College has already made their way to Haverhill to take a look at the super Freshman.   Vonleh has great size, a great skill set, and and exceptional basketball I.Q.   Vonleh will begin his travel with the Rivals during the last week of March as he will travel to New Jersey to play in the NJ Playaz Spring Fling.  He will then hit the road for the next several months and end his AAU season with a trip to Las Vegas and Los Angels to play in the Adidas Super 64 and Adidas Best of Summer tournaments during the last 10 days of July. 

I visted New Hampton Prep this eventing to see Rivals senior Evan Smotrycz (New Hampton/Michigan) and juniors Jordan Laguerre (New Hampton) and Scott King (Holdnerness).  All three of these young men had good nights as Smotrycz scored 13 points and added 8 rebounds in a runaway win for New Hampton.  It was Smotrycz who hit back to back threes in the second quarter to put New Hampton up 29 - 16 and the Bears would never look back building a 47 - 28 half time lead.  Laguerre added 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists of his own as he ran the show for New Hampton at the point.  He scored his 10 points off a couple of threes and a couple of his nifty moves to the basket that left his defender standing still.  For Holdnerness, King had 10 points on two threes, a nice tip in, and a pretty transition basket.  King also took down 8 rebounds on the evening.

It was nice to see Smotrycz tonight as he was in excellent form and played a good all-around basketball game.   Watching him tonight, the 6'8" wingman showed the entire skill package he will bring to Michigan next year as he made shots from long range, put the ball to the floor with grace, and made some big time passes.   As far as Laguerre goes, he's already got division 1 scholarships and is likely to get much higher offers as he gets into the summer.  And for King, the 6'8" wingman is a special talent and has grown leaps and bounds as a basketball player over the last year.  There is no doubt in my mind that King will be wearing a division 1 uniform after his high school career ends.

Ryan Canty Getting Better By The Day

Ryan Canty and Tilton Academy traveled to Phillips Andover yesterday afternoon and went home with a 77 - 53 victory. Rivals junior Ryan Canty has a huge afternoon for Tilton with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks as he dominated the game.   Canty was a monster as he controlled the boards and hammered home 5 dunks on the afternoon, with a couple of them being big time bangs.   The win improves Tilton's record to 14-5 and keeps them undefeated in Class B.

Canty has made great strides since coming to the Rivals two years ago and has continued to make great strides at Tilton this Fall and Winter.   The 6'9" forward is big and strong and uses his body to do what nobody else wants to do.  He loves to rebound, loves to meet every opponent at the rim, and loves to dunk everything he can.   This is an art that very few division 1 basketball players have.  Canty has already received divsiion 1 scholarship offers and is sure to have a crowd of division 1 coaches following him this upcoming summer. 

Mike Crotty Loved Family, Friends, and Basketball

Middlesex Magic Director and Coach Mike Crotty died suddenly yesterday at the age of 57.  Mike Crotty founded, directed and coached the Middlesex Magic Basketball Club for the last 17 years.   The Middlesex Magic is considered one of the top AAU programs in Massachusetts and has been responsible for producing many quality college basketball players and hosting many quality tournaments.   I was fortunate enough to work with Mike for three years as we were both coaches of the Massachusetts Wildcats.  Mike and I co-coached a 13 year old AAU Massachusetts State Championship team beating the then powerful Greater Boston AAU team in the finals.   I was also fortunate enough to coach against Mike many times over the last seventeen years and can assure you that Mike loved to win.  I can also assure you that Mike loved the kids he coached and always opened his home to all of them.  If there was someone in need, Coach Crotty was there to help.  Through several discussions I had with Mike over the years, it became clear that he felt that coaching was about much more than winning a basketball game, but about teaching the young men he encountered how to win in the game of life.  Scott (Hazelton) would also play for Mike early in his career and get to know and like the energetic coach.  Scott and Mike remained friends and would speak on many occassions through the years.

I last spoke to Mike this Saturday while he was in New York with his wife visiting his daugther and grandchild.  More than basketball, it was the love for his family that I best remember Mike for.   I will remember Mike as a family man, yet as a tough and demanding coach that loved basketball and the excitement of being on the sidelines.  He loved to compete and enjoyed winning, and always asked the young men that played for him to give it their all.  Most importantly, I will remember Coach Crotty for loving the young men that put on the Middlesex Magic uniform over the last 17 years.  He truly cared about those young men and wanted the best for all of them.

I will miss Coach Crotty.  The sidelines of the upcoming Spring AAU tournaments will not be the same without him.  For those of us who knew him, for which Scott and I are two, we will not forget all the good he did on the basketball court, but more importantly, we will not forget all the good he did in the world we live in.   We thank him, and say goodbye until we meet again.

By Ken Stejbach, Seacost Online

Rivals Sophomore Brad Holler Attempts a Free Throw

EXETER - It was just one of those basketball games they'll talk about for 20 or 30 years. Maybe even more.

Down 20 points late in the third quarter, and as cold from the field as the frigid outside, the Exeter High School boys basketball team fired up a 63-59 victory over Pinkerton Academy.

"This was one of the most unbelievable comebacks I've been a part of in 22 years of coaching," said Exeter coach Jeff Holmes. "It was a great team win."

Mike Fecteau (13 points), Tucker Munro (11), James and Brad Holler (10 apiece), Louie Vigars (seven), Tim LaRoche (five), Quinn Connor and Dan Driscoll (three each), and Brad Tiernan (two) provided the scoring for the Blue Hawks, who improved to 3-5 in Class L.

Pinkerton Academy, which was led offensively by Ben Proulx (16 points), Zach Mather (13) and Alex Patrikis (10), dropped to 5-3.

It was just one of those games you wonder how.

Start with sophomore Brad Holler. While his 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer gave the Blue Hawks hope, down 29-21, it was his back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third quarter that got things going for Exeter.

Holler said he had been in a slump up until then.

Exeter entered the fourth, down 48-34.

Holmes credited the play of non-starters Dan Driscoll, Quinn Connor, Tim LaRoche, Brad Tiernan and Holler during a four-minute span in the third.

"It got us back in the game," said Holmes. "It's a sign of our depth."

Somehow, the Blue Hawks made it a 53-49 game with 3:25 left after a jumper by Fecteau and 3-pointer by James Holler. It still didn't look good for the Blue Hawks, but that all changed when James Holler and Fecteau hit 3-pointers to get within one at 59-58.

A couple of free throws by Munro put the Blue Hawks on top for the first time at 60-59 with 33 seconds left, and after James Holler converted a steal, and his brother Brad was fouled during the play, Brad sunk the front end of a one-and-one with five seconds left, sealing the victory.

It was a game the Blue Hawks only scored one point in the first quarter (a Tiernan free throw), and found themselves down, 14-1.

"There was a lid on the basket," said Brad Holler,

It was just one of those games.

It was definitely a big win and confidence booster, noted senior tri-captain James Holler. Especially with the Winnacunnet game coming up this Friday.

Rivals Ben Hill Dunks One Home

The New England Recruiting Report (NERR) selected two Rivals as players of the week in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  This is quite an honor again for the Rivals who are one of hundreds of AAU teams throughout Mass & NH.  As a matter of fact,  Mussachia and Hill are two of the most improved players in New England as their progress has been remarkable since last year this time.  Again, it is apparent that something right is happening for those who choose to play for the Rivals.  Here is what NERR had to say:

New Hampshire

Player of the Week - Ben Hill, Pittsfield High School:  The big man had a big game as the junior center scored 24 points, pulled down 16 rebounds, and blocked 8 shots as Pittsfield ran all over Concord Christian 79-41.

Massachusetts

Player of the Week - Joe Mussachia, Manchester High School:  In just his junior year Mussachia hit his 1000th point this week against Wilmington.  But that wasn't all as the forward went for 26 points, 26 rebounds, and 8 assists.  With the win Manchester clinched a tournament birth and improved to 10-4 on the year, good enough for a share of first place in their league. 

Rivals Donald Celestin Goes To The Hoop

In an up and down the court battle, Whittier held off Greater Lawrence 92-81. The Reggies trailed by 16 early but behind Rivals junior Donald Celestin's 41 points tied it early in the fourth. For all of Celestin's brilliance, the Reggies could never take the lead. Rivals freshman Ryan Grant had the best game of his young career scoring 25 points for Whittier.

Game Statistics:

Greater Lawrence (81): Rivera 4-0-10, Celestin 12-16-41, Sealy 3-0-6, Zamora 1-0-2, M. Moreno 9-1-19, Torres 0-1-1, Montanez 1-0-2, I. Moreno 0-0-0. Totals 30-18-81   

Whittier (92): Pizarro 4-4-12, Gomez 4-17-25, Carrasco 5-5-17, Ryan 4-1-11, Galva 1-0-2, Grant 8-9-25, Sheridan 0-0-0, Batista 0-0-0, Pelletier 0-0-0, Taylor 0-0-0. Totals 26-36-92  

Zach Auguste Gets To The Rim In Practice

6'8" Rivals junior Zach Auguste had another monster night Tuesday as he recorded 30 points, 14 rebounds, and eight blocks to lead the host Marlboro past Gardner in 73 - 46 in Mid-Wach B play.  This game comes a week after Auguste was offered a division 1 scholarship from Quinnipiac.   Auguste also received the Boston Globe High Five as he averaged 22 points, 13.5 rebounds, and nine blocks last week in wins over Hudson and Groton-Dunstable Regional, including his third triple-double of the season (18 points, 15 rebounds, 11 blocks).

6'5" Rivals junior Joe Mussachia scored his 1,000 point Tuesday night as Mussachia has Manchester Essex on top of the Cape Ann Small League.

6'5" Rivals junior David Madol scored 22 points as Trinity easily defeated Timberlane Regional High School 80 - 52.

5'11" Rivals sophomore Javon Williams scored 20 points as Nashua North (4-3) rolled in Keene, outscoring the Blackbirds 46-20 over the second and third quarters after trailing 15-11 after one. Rivals sophomore Ryan Gauthier added 12 points for North.

6'3" Rivals sophomore Devin Gilligan had 15 points as visiting Souhegan beat Hollis/Brookline 61 - 44.

6'5" Rivals freshman Noah Vonleh scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds but it was not enough as Haverhill lost 62-60 to Lowell.

6'1" Rivals freshman Derek Collins continued to impress with 8 points in 70 - 53 North Andover win over Georgetown.

Joe Mussachia Goes For A Loose Ball

Tonight Rivals 6'5" junior Joe Mussachia scored his 1000^th career point in fine fashion with a 26 point, 26 rebound and 8 assist performance to lead Manchester over Wilmington.  Even though scoring his 1000^th point was important don't tell that to Mussachia.  "Scoring 1000 points is great, but qualifying for the State Tournament and staying in first place in our division is what's important to me" said an excited Mussachia tonight.  Manchester moved to 10-4 on the season and is tied for first place in the Cape Ann small division.

Mussachia scored the first two points of the contest and the Hornets would go on to build an insurmountable lead and put Wilmington away.   Mussachia was all over the place with his hustle and determination to win. Also stepping up for Manchester was sophomores Chris Bishop 13 points, and junior Alex Porter 15 points.  6'2" freshman guard Taylor Ketchum scored his 1^st varsity points of his career tonight and gives the Hornets another young weapon to add to their already young roster.