The Northampton boys basketball team has almost an entirely new look. When a winning program loses four or five players to graduation, it’s extremely tough to bounce back the very next year and expect them to compete at the same threshold.
The Blue Devils are doing just that, and they didn’t just lose a few key pieces to their lineup – they lost nine seniors.
Three of Northampton’s four leading scorers in 2022-23 moved on to the next chapter in their lives. Kelvin Perez, Ben Sledzieski and Caleb Steineger all graduated, and a handful of other players who played significant minutes are gone as well. Blue Devils head coach Ray Harp, who’s in his 20th season, has yet to deal with a roster turnover like this.
The good news? A ton of young, hungry hoopers have stepped up to fill those gaps already – Northampton is 2-1 so far with wins over West Springfield and Springfield International Charter School, and a close loss to Amherst in the Pioneer Valley Tip Off.
“We graduated an incredibly important class last year,” Harp said. “They were relatively successful, we had guys that were really important for the development of our program, and they played a lot of minutes and accounted for a lot of our production. We’re very fortunate that the guys that have taken those spots are very serious about doing this the right way. They’re capable, but we have to try and find out just how high we can fly.”
Harp claimed that this year’s team, despite more inexperience in terms of varsity playing time, is actually further along as a unit at this point in the season than they were a year ago. This team has more patience, and communicates extremely well with one another, according to Harp.
It’s no secret why that’s the case. Senior captain Silas Coles was second on the team in points last season, and has taken even bigger strides as a player in 2023-24. Coles’ game isn’t limited to scoring. He’s a smart decision maker, he rebounds well given his size and athletic ability, and he can defend almost anyone on the court. He’s the perfect role model for the underclassmen who came up to varsity this year.
“It all starts with some of the experience that we have coming back,” Harp said. “[Coles] is an outstanding player, and he’s also one of the guys that we rely on for his voice and communication. He’s the mirror for guys. Si lets them know how good they can be, he lets them know what we need from them. When Si gives his stamp of approval, it means something. As a captain, that’s what we’re looking for.”
The other side of parting ways with that many seniors is that there are plenty of players who have been hungry for an opportunity, and they are now finally getting their shot. That includes playing with an obvious edge, a chip on their shoulder knowing they’re ready to show what they can do on the floor.
Harp has seen that play out first-hand, and echoes that those younger guys are thriving in their new roles.
“I think they know that their time has come, and they’re cashing in,” Harp said. “We’ve got some good young players, and we didn’t know what to expect from them coming up to high school for the first time, but they are really pushing themselves for that attention [from the coaching staff]. If you have a program that feels successful, I think they know how to step in and carve out a piece of that for themselves.”
One of those players is Naihmond Peters-Wolfe, a junior who came on strong toward the end of last year as a scoring threat. This year, Peters-Wolfe looks like a new player. His confidence is through the roof and it’s clear he took a huge leap in the off-season. Between Coles and Peters-Wolfe, a pair of two-way wing players, Northampton is in good hands. The two of them can carry the load, but they don’t necessarily have to score to be effective as previously alluded to.
Their athleticism allows them to make plays all over the court.
“Si and Naihmond are two of the best players in the area,” Harp said. “They’re talented, they both are versatile – the way we like. They both have the ability to put the ball in the basket and really put pressure on defenses in a variety of different ways. They’re both really smart basketball players. They try and push themselves to execute in unselfish ways.”
Elsewhere, the Blue Devils also have crucial production back from senior captain Marty Maslowski and senior James McNally. Both of them had roles on last year’s team, but Harp is asking more of them this go around.
Now veterans, Maslowski and McNally – both guards – are going to be relied on religiously to take care of the ball and orchestrate the offense efficiently.
“The two of them are stepping into new roles for us, and those two as returners have been big for us guiding us through our early season,” Harp said. “I expected that from those guys.”
As for the aforementioned underclassmen, that bunch is led by talented sophomore Jackson Lockett, who has emerged as an offensive threat. Alongside Lockett comes Eli Reid. The freshman has carved out a nice role for himself coming off the bench, and can score from anywhere on the hardwood.
Although Northampton has its share of younger players, none of them lack confidence – and that can be credited to the chemistry built during the summer and fall leagues playing with one another.
“A kid like Jackson Lockett is getting his first taste of varsity basketball, but just has a ton of playing experience,” Harp said. “He’s long and active. We have an incredible amount of length on our team this year. Playing alongside Si helps him become a better player himself. The fact that the freshmen (like Reid) were taken in by the guys in summer and fall league, and had a chance to prove what they can do, they were embraced by those guys and that means something to them.”
The Blue Devils play in Division 2, so they aren’t guaranteed anything in what is a gauntlet of a statewide division. The Valley League is no joke either, with teams like Central and Holyoke always providing a tough fight each time they match up.
Regardless, Harp recognizes that for Northampton to be any good, it needs to focus on playing the way it knows how, and not let other teams dictate the style of play.
Given the Blue Devils’ 2-1 start, they’re starting to believe they have what it takes to turn heads in western Massachusetts.
“We are good enough and talented enough,” Harp said. “Now that we got a couple wins under our belt, I think that we have gotten a sense for what we can do on the court. Yes, the playoffs are something we are hopeful for, but we’re still a long ways off. We want to try and compete for a Western Mass. title. We’ll see how realistic that is for us, but we do have enough talent and leadership in our locker room to do it.”
COACH: Rey Harp
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Valley League
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-8, lost in Div. 2 Round of 32
ROSTER: SENIORS — Silas Coles, Marty Maslowski, James McNally, KoaKlose, JJ Moore, Alex Rosen; JUNIORS — NaihmondPeters-Wolfre, Jackson Oravec, Luke McGrath, Jayden Rivera; SOPHOMORES — Jackson Lockett; FRESHMEN — Brayden Nichols-Staples, Eli Reid
COACH: Jamahl Jackson
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban South/2
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 10-11, lost in Div. 2 prelims
ROSTER: Spencer Waite, Darius Cage, Shamell Nichols, Liam Stewart, Sabir Douglas, Tre Bowman, Mitchell Carey, Ryder Rietkerk, Brandon Stewart, Marcielo Aquino, Gael Buford, Samuel Woodruff, Jayden Caraballo
OUTLOOK: The Hurricanes are a much better team than their 1-2 record currently shows. Head coach Jamahl Jackson admitted his team laid an egg against South Hadley in its first game, but bounced back with two strong showings against Hampshire County’s finest in Holyoke and Northampton.
Amherst flirted with a playoff berth all of last year before sneaking in at 10-10, eventually losing in the Division 2 preliminary round on the road against Tewksbury.
Marcielo Aquino leads the ‘Canes in 2023-24. The senior has been appointed as the go-to guy by Jackson, who had high praise for his captain by saying he’s one of the best players in western Massachusetts. Amherst has a bunch of veteran players who are capable of scoring, whether it be Aquino, Brandon Stewart, Liam Stewart, Spencer Waite, or any of its plethora of forwards down low.
There may be some growing pains since these seniors were playing second-fiddle to some of last year’s graduates, but come midseason and down the stretch, the Hurricanes could possibly make some noise once cohesiveness is established.
COACH: Matthew Stenuis
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Bi-County West/3
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-8, lost in Div. 3 prelims
ROSTER: Cal Orzech, Jackson Couchon, Tyler Marino, Jacob Avgoustakis, Christopher Rivers, Kyle Dunigan, Ian McDonald, Kaden Czaporowski, Shea MacLean, Jacob Pacunas, Brian Burns, Brice Letendre
OUTLOOK: Four of the top five leading scorers from a year ago are no longer with the Orioles program, which calls for new players to step up.
Senior captains Cal Orzech and Jackson Couchon are to fill the leadership void left from the eight departed seniors. Orzech put up 12 points in the Orioles’ 63-48 loss to Monument Mountain, a game Belchertown only trailed by two heading into the fourth quarter. Couchon also buried two 3’s as part of his 10-point effort.
Its other defeat came on the road at Westfield, another close game the Orioles dropped by only three.
Head coach Matt Stenuis expects sophomores Brian Burns and Shea MacLean to also help out on both ends of the floor this season.
COACH: Nick Whitney
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Bi-County East/4
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 8-12
ROSTER: Chase Cummings, Noah Murray, Brayden English, Trevor Canon-Smith, Logan Boyle, Jayden Brown, Ryan Guyette, Anthony Incampo, Logan Crasnick, Nicco Gutierrez
OUTLOOK: Similar to Northampton, the Eagles graduated nine seniors as well, and the team looks almost brand new with only three returning players on the roster this year.
This team is “young and inexperienced,” according to head coach Nick Whitney, but Easthampton will be playing with a chip on its shoulder to prove they can go out and compete at a high level night in and night out.
So far the Eagles have done exactly that, hanging around in each of the four games they’ve played to date.
Brayden English and Trevor Canon-Smith – two of Easthampton’s three players coming back – are expected to do the bulk of the scoring this season, as well as provide a strong defensive presence. The Eagles are hoping to generate momentum throughout the year to build positive habits for years to come.
COACH: Joshua Morse
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Hampshire South/4
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 10-11, lost in Div. 4 prelims
ROSTER: SENIORS — Jack Carey, Sasha Dragicevich, Nico Fasulo, Kaisac Yath; JUNIORS — Owen Babb, Christopher Hannum; SOPHOMORES — Garrett Dredge, Alex Ellis, Tatsuya Goodrow, Luke Howard, Max Millette, Rowan Modestow; FRESHMEN — Caiden Manning
OUTLOOK: The Redhawks snuck into the Division 4 tournament at an even 10-10 before falling to Whittier Tech in the preliminary round. Now in year two as head coach, Josh Morse’s goal is to get right back into the big dance – this time making more noise.
Frontier’s losses to graduation weren’t detrimental to this year’s squad, as three of the four leading scorers come back, including top scorer Nico Fasulo. The senior guard developed a nice connection with junior forward Owen Babb last year, and the two are looking to take a leap and make the Redhawks competitive in the Hampshire League South.
Sophomore Max Millette should be relied on, and freshman Caiden Manning came on strong in the preseason.
This scrappy Frontier team is going to be a tough matchup for just about every team it faces.
COACH: Nick Balboni
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Tri-County South/5
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 3-11
ROSTER: SENIORS — Matt Kadzik, Ron Keach; JUNIORS — Jesse Balboni, Evan Forgue, Adam Krassler; FRESHMEN — Roan Boeri, Zachary Hess, Jacob Maynard, Jackson Renaud, Colin Cruess
OUTLOOK: The Gators were one of the more fortunate teams in Hampshire County when it comes to last season’s senior class size. Gateway parted ways with three players, which still hurts, but isn’t the end of the world to recover from – especially when new talent blossoms the way it did for the Gators.
Stepping up for Gateway is going to be junior captain Jesse Balboni and senior captain Ron Keach. The two of them proved last year to be capable scorers and solid defensive players, and head coach Jesse Balboni plans to lean heavily on them as the season gets underway.
Adding to that is the powerful play of Adam Krassler, and what Balboni calls “a strong freshman class.”
An exciting season may be on the horizon for the Gators.
COACH: Dylan Dubuc
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Bi-County West/5
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 14-8, co-league champions, lost in Div. 5 Round of 32
ROSTER: SENIORS — Colin Murdock, Ben Berger; JUNIORS — Cody Breault, Riley Goodhind, Gavin Moreno, Cody White, Sawyer Clarke, Gavier Fernandez, Raymond D. Colon, Xavier Arroyo, Brennan Dwyer; SOPHOMORES — Raymond A. Colon
OUTLOOK: The Rams had a successful year in 2022-23, there’s no other way to put it. Granby earned a share of the Bi-County League West crown and qualified for both the Western Mass. and state tournaments after a 14-8 season.
Following a 15-point win in the Division 5 preliminary round, Granby’s state tourney run ended with a nine-point loss to Hoosac Valley in the Round of 32.
Colin Murdock returns from that Rams team as the leader both on and off the floor. The senior captain and point guard scored 225 points a year ago, and led Granby to a season-opening 54-52 win over Ware.
Head coach Dylan Dubuc’s main concerns are how the Rams are going to replace the combination of scoring and defense from bigs Carter White and Robert L’Abbee, both of whom graduated. Granby’s success will have to be repeated in a different class, as it moves up from Class D to Class C in the Western Mass. tournament this year.
COACH: Dylan Rickles
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Bi-County West/5
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 3-17
ROSTER: SENIORS — Jack Boyle, Adam Golasinski, Aidan Hocking, Benjamin Pierce, Benjamin Plumer, Liam Pond; JUNIORS — Harman Dhaliwal, Koleton Kolodziej, Brendan Stevenson, Jack Wresien; SOPHOMORES — Braylon Jarrett, Joseph Moro; FRESHMEN — Vynce Carr
OUTLOOK: After a disappointing three-win season, the Raiders are primed for revenge and looking to notch their first double-digit win season since the 2016-2017 campaign.
Head coach Dylan Rickles is excited about the opportunity Hampshire has with so many of its players returning from last year’s team. Senior Aidan Hocking is at the top of that list, as is classmate Liam Pond. Those two seniors are the oldest on the team and are tasked with keeping this group together while leading them on the floor.
Junior Koleton Kolodziej and sophomore Braylon Jarrett each played significant minutes last season, and Rickles plans to get even more out of each of them this time around. Adam Golasinski was named the game’s MVP in Hampshire’s win over Easthampton at the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off on Friday night.
Hampshire’s schedule is favorable, so a double-digit win season is certainly a possibility for Rickles’ group.
COACH: Juan Maldonado
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Valley League/2
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 8-11
ROSTER: Luis Figueroa, Davian Diaz, Jordan King, Lex Fontanez, Julian Fasoli, Aden Cabrera, Shawn Rivera, Jamil Rivera, Dom Renaldi, Chauncy Ruiz, Dylan Rohan
OUTLOOK: The Purple Knights are one of the most complete teams in the area, and it starts with their guards.
Holyoke started its season off a perfect 2-0 with wins over Tantasqua (away) and Amherst (home). Against the Hurricanes, their exquisite guard play was on display. Davian Diaz, Dylan Rohan, Aden Cabrera, Luis Figueroa, and Shawn Rivera help control the game in the backcourt.
In the frontcourt, the Purple Knights also have two very athletic, talented bigs in Jamil Rivera and Chauncy Ruiz – both can jump out of the gym and are capable of highlight-reel dunks.
Head coach Juan Maldonado believes this year’s team is the most talented team he’s ever coached at Holyoke, and the potential they have is sky-high – he said so after the win over Amherst last week. The way it’s looking early in the season, the Purple Knights could be the team to beat in the area.
COACH: Jim Hart
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Hampshire South/5
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 18-5, lost in Class D WMass Final, Div. 5 Round of 16
ROSTER: SENIORS — Dom Aiolosi, Julian Gaudette, Leo Russell, James Fitzgibbons; JUNIORS — Alex West, Eric Cruz, Logan Bye, Rory Dowd; SOPHOMORES — Chace Earle, Hanny West; FRESHMEN — Owen Earle, Owen Cain
OUTLOOK: The Golden Hawks were hit as hard as any local team when it comes to departures from players – not necessarily from a quantity standpoint, but from a quality one.
The biggest loss is certainly that of Teddy Cyr, the freshman phenom from a year ago who led the team in scoring, including four straight games of 20-plus points to close out the season. Cyr decided to try his hand at the prep level, suiting up for Deerfield Academy. He had back-to-back 28-point games in the Western Mass. final and state tournament Round of 32.
Hopkins also lost seniors Cody West, Patrick Fitzgibbons and Cam Wade, three of the top five leaders in points scored.
Filling in for the lost talent is senior James Fitzgibbons, who has emerged as one of the better low-post presences in Hampshire County, freshman Owen Earle, and a flurry of other returning players looking to finish the year with a winning record for the fifth consecutive season.
COACH: John Gingras
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Tri-County South/5
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 2-15
ROSTER: n/a
OUTLOOK: No information was submitted by press deadline.
COACH: Matt Zerneri
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Hampshire North/5
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-8, lost in Div. 5 prelims
ROSTER: SENIORS — Greg Stone, Ben Hudzik, Isaak Baranoski, Garrett Willard, Cam Graves, Ryan McCoy, Jake Wilcox, Ian Guzowski, Connor Kowalski, Harry LaFlamme, Rowan Jeffress, Matt Scagel, Cajun Benson
OUTLOOK: The Hampshire League North is as wide open as it gets, and the Falcons have a real shot at soaring to the top of it this season.
With only three seniors on the team, Smith Academy is tagged as a young team from top to bottom, but those three seniors are quite talented – especially captain Greg Stone. Stone stuffed the stat sheet last season with a little bit of everything, and the Swiss-Army knife player that he is has the opportunity to put together another terrific campaign as a senior.
Ben Hudzik and Isaak Baranoski are the other two veterans to go along with Stone, and juniors Garrett Willard, Cam Graves, and Jake Wilcox’s roles will all expand.
Head coach Matt Zerneri stated that his goal for this season is to make it back to the state tournament once again, and in the process of doing so capture the HL North crown.
COACH: Akara Holder
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Tri-County South/5
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-9, lost in Div. 5 prelims
ROSTER: SENIORS — Myles Chinappa, Aaron Renaud; JUNIORS — Nathan Gruskowski, Robert Harrison, Brayden Kukucka, Justin Porter, Alex Soto; SOPHOMORES — Joshua Cole, Luis Delerme, Jack Riley, Dom Sanchez; FRESHMEN — Trenton Clark
OUTLOOK: The Vikings have won the Tri-County League South championship two straight seasons, and head coach Akara Holder is hoping to make it three – but his team looks drastically different than it did 365 days ago.
Smith Vocational lost six seniors from that squad, and only welcomed in three new players to replace them (two freshmen and one sophomore).
But, between senior Myles Chinappa and sophomore Dom Sanchez, Holder feels the Vikings have a chance. Through two games, the duo combined for 56 points, and almost did enough to beat Ludlow in a 67-66 loss back on Dec. 12.
Despite the rocky start, expect Smith Voc to be in the mix of the TCL South once again.
COACH: Chris Gerber
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Bi-County East/4
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 14-8, lost in Div. 4 Round of 16
ROSTER: SENIORS — Owen Dawson, Brady Currier; JUNIORS — Jack Loughrey, Connor Hall; SOPHOMORES — Griffin Soderbaum, Matt Gillis, Isiah James, Justin Moskal, Colin Lumb; FRESHMEN — Noah Hambley, Noah Rivera, Tim Loughrey
OUTLOOK: The Tigers are more than pleased with their 2-1 start considering they have only four returning players from last year’s team suiting up in the orange and black.
Owen Dawson, Brady Currier, Jack Loughrey, and Isiah James are the four guys, and head coach Chris Gerber plans to lean on their experience and voice to lead the newcomers. Through three games, Loughrey tallied 67 points, including a 29-point performance against Springfield International Charter School on Dec. 13.
Last season, South Hadley won its first seven games en route to a 14-8 overall record. After losing seven seniors, that may not be a realistic, but it certainly is realistic for the Tigers to qualify for the Division 4 state tournament yet again.
The Tigers hit the road Monday night to take on Monument Mountain in their next game. The matchup between Spartans forward Khalil Carson and Loughrey should be a good one.
