Familiar faces at Framingham

FRAMINGHAM -- Framingham State College basketball coach Don Spellman did not realize he had so many players from Boston's southern suburbs until it was mentioned to him.

"It surprised me," said Spellman. But if you look at his roster, it's nearly as much south as west: There are seniors Derek Wigman and Ryan Dacey, who played at Silver Lake Regional. Both are Framingham State captains, as is junior Michael Costa of Holbrook, who played at Boston College High School in Dorchester.

All three captains are starters, along with freshman Bill Carey of Abington, one of the Rams' leading scorers who earned Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week honors for his performance early last month.

Other players on the squad include sophomore Matthew Pierce of Mansfield, sophomore Bobby Bartlett of West Bridgewater, and junior Wesley McLaurin of Braintree.

Spellman -- who was a standout player for coach Jerry Morelli at Dedham High School in the 1970s -- is one of the rising coaches in the New England ranks. He has been in charge of the Framingham State program for six years and has done well. His compatriots selected him as the MASCAC Coach of the Year in 2005.

Like all good coaches, he knows how to adapt. "We used to be a defensive team," said Spellman. "We had the best field-goal defense in the MASCAC. For a while it ranked 10th in the nation. But with the players I have now, we're shooting more 3-pointers."

It's surprising how all the players from the region wound up at a state college halfway between Boston and Worcester off the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Dacey and Wigman entered Framingham State together. Four years ago, when Spellman was scouting for recruits, he was interested in Dacey. "Catholic Memorial and Silver Lake Regional played a back-to-back home-and-home series," said Spellman. "I went to the game at Catholic Memorial, and Dacey torched them for something like 29 points."

Spellman said he had to go to the following game to see if it was a fluke. Dacey dropped in 30, and that was all Spellman needed to see. "He has one of the highest basketball IQs of any player I've coached," said Spellman. Health problems initially slowed Dacey, although his basketball savvy still made him a valuable player. He has now overcome those problems and, says Spellman, "he is blossoming."

Wigman, meanwhile, "was a 'tweener," said Spellman. "He was a 6-foot-3 kid who played the post in high school, but is too small to do that in college. But he's developed a nice little jumper from the outside and is an effective player."

His jump shot was good enough that Wigman led the Rams in scoring with an 18.4-point average last season. "This year other teams are doubling up on him and he doesn't have that many open shots," said the coach.

Costa transferred to Framingham State from Assumption College his freshman year. "He is a true point guard who has some of the quickest hands on the court. Last year, he led the MASCAC in steals," said Spellman. "He is also a basketball rat. He's the first one in the gym before practice, and the last one to leave long after we're done."

Spellman's high school coach, Morelli, finished his successful career at BC High and told him about Costa. "I wanted him to come to Framingham, but he had an offer at Assumption College. However, shortly after enrolling, he wasn't happy there. He knew I wanted him and he transferred to Framingham State."

Carey came to Framingham nearly the same way. After a brilliant career at Abington High School, earning Globe All-Scholastic honors, he enrolled at Bryant University in Rhode Island, but it was not the right match.

"Division 2 basketball means a 24/7 commitment," said Spellman. "If you are not on the basketball court, you're in the weight room, and he wasn't prepared for that sort of commitment."

Carey called Spellman, and he enrolled at Framingham State College this year.

"He is probably the most talented player I have coached here," said Spellman. "Usually, when a rookie player joins the team and you put him on the court ahead of players who have been here for a while, there is an undercurrent of complaints. But once they saw him on the court, they knew he belonged in the starting lineup."

Pierce wound up at Framingham State because his high school coach, Michael Vaughn, played for Spellman and recommended him. "He's making great strides. He's going to be a good player for us," said Spellman.

Bartlett started his college career at Mount Ida College in Newton, but a knee injury stifled his development.

"He's had physical problems, but he's overcoming them," added the coach. McLaurin "is the best athlete on the team. He's going to go into some games and provide a spark when we need it."