RallyNorth.net: High School Sports – Merrimack Valley and Southern NH

OK, first things first, the Christmas Tournament.
Don’t bother sending me your resume for an endorsement. I have my candidate to lead the tourney into the future as CC AD Pete Paladino steps down as director.
And no, it’s not me, although I’d be a key member of the committee if asked.
The guy I’m thinking of presented his case to me yesterday, and that is Methuen’s Rick Gorman.
When Gorman, who is a legend first for building the MVBL youth travel ranks, Methuen youth hoops and most recently the Reebok Fall High School League in North Andover, approached me, I asked three simple questions. The man delivered all responses that I wanted to hear.

Will you get the money back to the kids?

Gorman: “(My son) Michael got the $200 scholarship we were thankful but as you said it paid for two books. I will bring back the Bishops flavor. Already had discussion with my guy Terry Holland for an Italian dinner buffet where every kid gets invited, every kid get a sweatshirt…. Remember the sweatshirt we then went to long t’s and then to short t’s.”

I thought about those sweatshirts. I remember Mr. (John) Kelleher and Mr. (Robert) Licare telling the kids to wear those sweatshirts with pride at the tournament, almost to show them off.
Again, over the years, kids have suffered. I like Gorman’s ideas about making it more about the kids.

Will you be open to spicing it up to re-attract students? Stuff like music at halftime and timeouts, contests on court, best dressed-fan awards, etc.?

Gorman: “I already have a DJ who works sporting events like this, The tunes will be cranking at every available moment. One night a half court shot contest, one night a relay race type contest for the young fans, massive dribble knockout contest for the young kids, I got a thousand gimmicks. I would also take the awards ceremony at end to a different level. You know from my fall league I go after the fans. I would have former stars of the tourney maybe be honorary captains for the night for their high school team. Who would not like to see and recognize guys from the 70′s 80′s. Lastly I would work with the 8 ad’s to bring back the passion for this tourney.”

Another Gorman home run. As I’ve said, old curmudgeons like myself are going to show up for this thing no matter what. It’s what we do.
My friends, Bill and Chris Lane, come back for the holidays from Atlanta and Buffalo. Taking in a Christmas tourney game is always part of the trip. But we need to make it more fun for the young kids, make them want to continue on such a great tradition.
If not, it will end.

Do you promise to stick with 2 officials a game?

Mr. Gorman committed but noted his friends in the business won’t be happy about it.
Look, my point on the officials is, I’d rather buy $800 worth of pizza for the athletes than pay a third ref. This is an event for the kids.

Other Gorman thoughts?
“Continue the lifetime achievement award, the creation of the GLCT Hall of Fame, an improved, new program. The tourney belongs in Lawrence, even though I am a big NA guy the tourney stays in lawrence and Tim Finn stays a site director.”

Again, the powers that be should be on the phone with Gorman now.

***

Switching gears, I had to be drawn to today’s Tribune, highlighted by the Methuen High hall of Fame stuff.
May other schools take note of this blockbuster class of inductees (except John Molori).
This is a true induction class with superstars everywhere (except Molori).
Look at the names (except Molori).
Joe Cerami … legendary Super Bowl hero.
John Feugill … pro football player
Brian Bettano … scholarship hoopster, brought Rangers to EMass title game
Sean Furey … Olympic potential javelin thrower
Joe Buglione … the best 50-something baseball pitcher I’ve ever seen.
Pam Moran and Beth Pickles … Three sport legends and scholarship hoop players
Frank Riley … legendary pitcher, still talked about for his ironman status and innings logged at MHS.
Mike Scammon … Caught Riley, three-sport captain.
Bill Blood … The quickest, driest wit I’ve ever come across. Best anti-Trib barb deliverer since the passing of the first-ballot Hall of Famer, Larry Klimas. Oh yeah, he was a heck of a coach, too. Amazing baseball mind. Sorry, Bill, I’m too young to remember you as an athlete.
Dave Gordon … a soccer pioneer.
Sorry, I don’t remember Scott Giles and Alan Golobski, each of whom was before my time, but the resumes (see today’s Trib) are stellar.

This class (except Molori) is the way Hall of Fame inductions are meant to be done.

All right, let me apologize and give it up for the guy, who I do consider a great friend, John Molori, who is being inducted as a contributor.
Molori has been one of the great personalities in sports for a couple decades now.
He deserved a better fate in the media business and should have gone big time. But his tough luck was Methuen’s gain.
The guy made sports entertaining.
My cheeks hurt sometimes from laughing so hard when I think about some of those guest spots I did on his old CTV-3 sports show.
Congrats to John and to all.

I don’t know, maybe you guys can help me with this quote from Andover AD Chris Bergeron:
“Right now we are dealing with a personnel issue at school and David Fazio is our head coach of the basketball team.”
He said it last night at the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament banquet and seeding draw for the girls and boys coaches and captains at North Andover High last night.
In case you missed my story in the Trib today, senior James Costello (not a Hoop Mountain camper), assistant coach Alan Hibino and Bergeron were there, representing the Andover boys.
I will get to the tournament in a second, but on the Andover thing, does anyone believe Bergeron’s words?
I’d like to, but every signal I get out of Andover is that it’s a formality that Fazio is done as the basketball coach there.
And then, you get this from the AD.
Again, I would have talked to Costello but he was whisked out of their faster than Tom Brady on a late Sunday afternoon in Foxboro. And Hibino would not talk at all, leaving Bergeron, who gave me one quote and referred me to the previous statements emanating out of Andover schools.

As for the tournaments, I agree with the first commenter on my Tribune story, who noted that this is farcical that all the kids on every team aren’t invited, just coaches and captains.
I remember the days of the luncheon at Bishop’s Restaurant for all the kids, and the special feeling it instilled in the event.
I’m guessing it’s a money thing. Seems like one of the traditions of this tournament that is passed down from generation to generation is crying about finances, despite the giant crowds it draws.
I don’t get it anymore.
Ticket prices rise, crowds stay the same, and the kids get jobbed.
Last year, each team was given a $200 scholarship for one senior. While that will feel nice as said senior buys his first chemistry book, isn’t that kind of laughable?

At last night’s dinner, Central’s Pete Palladino talked of stepping down as the director. At that time, I began looking for my resume and formulating an interview strategy.
Then I thought about it. I will never get hired as director, because my first two moves would be:
1. Independently seed the tournament
2. Ensure that only two-official crews worked every game instead of the three-man groups, ensuring at least an extra $800 or so in scholarship money for the kids, as opposed to it going to that all-important third official in the seventh-place game.

In this case, I defer to Paul Neal, who has actively spoken out about all that money and where it seems to disappear to year after year.
The kids used to be treated like heroes. Now, it’s a souped-up April AAU weekend for many of them.

As for the draw, I’ll start with the girls. Central and Andover are on opposite sides of the bracket, and that is a good thing. Not sure how Pinkerton is, or Salem either (Have no doubt … Annie Alosa will build a winner quickly there) but with Andover and Central in a potential Thursday night final, that’s a good thing for the health of that event.

On the boys side, even though Jim Weymouth wasn’t present, I swear I could hear him scream when Ranger Kyle Mansour drew Central Catholic as his opening round opponent.
As heavily favored as the Warriors and Raiders are in the girls final, a CC-NA boys title tilt is also heavy chalk.

I’ll be interested in any other sports takes out there, but we shall see what u guys have to say.

Sources have confirmed, at least seven athletes have been KO’d for the hoop season and two players have been expelled for the alleged summer hazing incident at the Hoop Mountain Camp with the Andover High hoop team.
The verdict came down today. Trying to get more, but as expected, few are talking about it.

The following is part of the superintendent’s letter sent out to the student community:

“It is with a heavy heart that I send this letter to you regarding the alleged violations of the school district’s anti-bullying and anti-hazing policies.
A thorough investigation has been completed and submitted to me, and I am saddened to report to you that the investigation concluded there were violations of our policies. The attached letters provide the details I can share with you.”

Wow, that was a shocker to me last night as the 10 o’clock news on WBZ-TV reported a potential hazing incident at Andover High on the boys basketball team. Folks at AHS aren’t talking as the investigation rolls on.
Clearly, this is a huge issue, on the eve of the opening practiice. We’ll try to have more. David Willis is at the Andover-Central football game. We’ll see what he can drag up.

Andover High all-scholastic RB/DB Andrew Coke has committed to play at Brown University.
The Ivy League has long been a goal for Coke, who follows a strong tradition of Andover athletes to Brown, including Patriots OC Bill O’Brien and practice-squadder Buddy Farnham. Certainly, David Willis will have much more on this in the pages of The Eagle-Tribune in the next couple days.