Senior starter Sam Shepherd keeps his eye on the ball as he goes up for a shot. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Junior Trevor Granville goes against senior Brian McCullough in a game of one-on-one.
The Bromfield boys varsity basketball team hit the courts last week seeking to repeat last year’s run to the top of the Midland-Wachusett D League. Though only five players are returning after six members of the team graduated in June, the Trojans remain optimistic.
“We lost a couple of our big shooters, but our passing is looking good this year. The boys can handle the ball well and they play good defense,” said veteran Coach Tom Hill.
Hill explained that senior starting point guard Brian McCullough is a strong ball handler and will lead the offensive play on the court.
Center Sam Shepherd, another senior starter for this year’s team, has been anticipating this season since last year’s ended, he said.
“I am excited, confident and hopeful,” Shepherd said, “This year we are looking to establish our defensive identity, and I am excited to prove and show off our talent.”
Shepherd acknowledged that the team lost some skillful players, but, “we can definitely make it up with the talent we have.”
McCullough said he sees the positive of having a young team: “We have a lot of first year varsity players, but that just means we have a lot of potential.”
Hill admits that his team faces a tough schedule. The Mid-Wach League has expanded to seven teams for the upcoming season, recently adding Bromfield’s local rival Littleton High School. Last season, Bromfield suffered two tough losses against Littleton.
“Out of the seven teams in our league, I think we will maybe come in third or fourth place overall, but definitely somewhere in the middle,” Hill said.
Hill said he also hopes the team will make a return trip to the Central Massachusetts district tournament.
“There was no summer league team this year, so the team needs to work really hard during pre-season to make up for that and to not be behind the other teams in our league,” Hill said.
Despite the team’s youth, there are several new players who can add to the team’s success, he said.
“We have a lot of players who can contribute, and I am sure they will step up and do so as soon as they adjust to the faster-paced varsity level of play,” he said.
According to Hill, the key to success for this year’s team is that “[the boys] have to run plays and take their time on offense. They need to show discipline, gain confidence and get all the players on the floor involved. I will not allow ball hogs.”
Effective teamwork and cooperation do not seem to pose a problem.
“We have good chemistry, we like each other. It is easy to tell that as a whole we are more determined than last year,” McCullough said. “But right now, we are a little lazy; if we want to have a winning season we need to get hungry.”
After a few more days of practice, the varsity boys basketball team will be put to the test at their season opener on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at Hopedale High School.
