Tigers' Gurley elevates his game
Elevation. Everyone's familiar with it, but only a rare breed can attain it. It's the intangible that allows a player to make his teammates play beyond their natural abilities.
Newton North's Anthony Gurley has it. And, unfortunately for the rest of Division 1 South, it appears he has figured out how to harness it.
"Anthony is making his teammates better . . . he's really elevated his game," said Tigers coach Paul Connolly. "As far as last year, he had a good year, but he was still in the growing process. So far this season, he's improved in all areas of his game in a major way and his stock is rising."
Heavily recruited by a number of Division 1 colleges, Gurley is the main reason the Tigers are the favorite to grab the Bay State League title. The junior guard and Corey Lowe form one of the most potent backcourts in the state.
"Anthony and Corey are a very talented tandem," said Connolly. "We've got a chance to be really, really good, but we haven't done anything yet. We haven't even won the Bay State Conference; we want to do that first and go from there."
The key for the Tigers, however, will be how their inexperienced low-post situation shakes out. With center Preston Decker and forwards Jordie Mole and Ian Kilpatrick graduating, Connolly will turn to Matt Westman and Renan Malafaia to plug the gaps under the basket.
Lowe, a great 3-point shooter, will have some help on the outside with sharpshooter Jason Riffe.
Following an outstanding season that included a run to the EMass finals at the FleetCenter last spring, Brookline drops down a notch after the graduation of Jeff Adrien, but should still remain in contention as 3-point threat Gabe Hoguet returns. Other Bay State challengers figure to be Braintree and Weymouth.
In the Catholic Conference, Division 2 Catholic Memorial figures to give BC High a run for its money, but the Eagles come prepared. Billy Loughnane takes over as BC High's head coach after winning a pair of state titles at South Boston High. He faces the loss of top scorer Brian Wholey and frontcourt presence Tom Driscoll, but returning senior guard Dave Jaehnig should help keep things together.
The City League looks to be dominated by the Division 2 schools once again, but be on the lookout for Boston English's Darius Bushfan, who figures to be one of the top players coming out of this city.
In the Old Colony League, the picture looks the same as last year, as Bridgewater-Raynham is the favorite, bringing back top scorer Scott Place.
New Bedford appears to be the class of the Big Three, with 6-foot-7-inch forward Nick Pontes filling the lanes as one of the top low-post players in EMass. Despite that, Brockton will have a lot to say about the league crown, and figures to be around come tournament time.
Turning to the North, Central Catholic finds itself with the proverbial target on its back again. Despite the loss of super-teamer Marquis Victor, the Red Raiders take the top spot in the opening poll. And with good reason. Coming back to run the defending EMass champs' offense is ultra-speedy point guard Jeremy Shannon.
Perhaps the Raiders' biggest reason for optimism is that star forward Jonathan Cruz, who was hampered by a leg injury through most of last season, returns in full health. The 6-7 Cruz, combined with 6-8 forward Sean Hanlon and swingman J.J. Leitz, form one of the most imposing frontcourts in EMass.
While the Raiders' battles with rival Andover are famous, their biggest threat in defending their Merrimack Valley Conference crown is Lawrence. Despite the loss of All-Scholastic plastic-man Luis Perez, the Lancers bring back an athletic roster that includes the ever-elusive Hector Paniagua.
Already faced with the loss of All-Scholastic guards Chris Vetrano and Jack Barrett, Andover faces another major setback -- an elbow injury to Casey Cosgrove, who could be sidelined for most or all of the regular season.
Despite its status as one of the power conferences in EMass, the MVC seems to be getting stronger, with Lowell and Haverhill each making a push to the top.
Turning to the Middlesex League, Lexington no longer has a stranglehold on the crown because of the graduation of standouts Lew Finnegan and Mark MacDonald. Despite that, underclassmen Jimmy O'Keefe, Matt King, and Armen Adamian will step in to help fill the void. Look for Watertown to make a run at the league title, along with Woburn, which sports the BABC's Greg Colarusso on its roster.
In the Greater Boston League, Cambridge suffered a subpar season a year ago, but figures to rebound on the strength of 6-9 center Reece Freeman and football player Peter Manns.
Somerville will challenge for the GBL title with Sam Stanford, Darryl Goodrich, and Mark Garrity as the primary players.
In the Dual County League, things look like autumn as Acton-Boxoboro and the Abare brothers [Bobby and Larry] appear to be the favorites. Go-to-guy Kyle Jackson is back after picking up co-league MVP honors last season.
Boston Latin should also turns some heads and give A-B a run for its money.
