Hogan has high hopes for English girls hoop

Getting back last season’s conference MVP should help a team’s confidence. So should back-to-back 12-win seasons the previous two years. Lynn English girls basketball coach Fred Hogan is justifiably hopeful for this season.”This is definitely the best team I’ve had in four years,” Hogan said on Monday, the first day of tryouts.The players who return for English include senior forward Jeanette Anderson, who averaged 19 points and 18 rebounds last season en route to Northeastern Conference MVP honors.At six feet, Anderson is the tallest player on the team. She will enter the 2008-09 season with 750 career points and over 900 career rebounds, and she is on pace to surpass 1,000 in both categories.Hogan said that another returning player, junior point guard Jenicia Duggins, is the fastest member of the team. Duggins earned NEC all-star recognition last season. She and Anderson are two of the team’s 10 returnees. Hogan’s returning players have played over 100 games in AAU, summer, and fall league competition.”Finally, it’s going to be leadership, team speed, and defense,” Hogan said when listing his team’s strengths. “We expect a lot of good things. We’ve got two good captains in Jeanette and (junior shooting guard) Kayla Murkison. We’ve got an all-star at point guard and the returning league MVP. A lot of freshmen played last year. To round it off, a bunch of forwards are competing for jobs.”This season, the Bulldogs will play 22 games for the first time. They will compete against tough opponents in both the NEC and outside the conference.”The NEC is always tough,” Hogan said. “We’ll fight for our lives to try to get a piece of that thing.”Last season, English started 8-1 before tiring down the stretch, something that concerned its coach.”We have to improve in our shooting and in finishing down the stretch,” Hogan said.The team finished second in the NEC, behind Peabody. The Bulldogs endured several close losses to conference opponents, including Peabody (by three and seven points), Swampscott (by three) and Winthrop (by four). In the state tournament, English lost to Central Catholic after taking a first-quarter lead.Fifty-five players showed up for the first day of tryouts. The Bulldogs will participate in the Paul Duchane preseason jamboree at Classical on Saturday, when they play Bishop Fenwick at 6 p.m. They will also scrimmage the Fenway Charter School on Monday.English plays its season and conference opener at Salem on Dec. 12. Its first home game is the following Friday, against Peabody. The Bulldogs will play two games against non-conference foe Somerville, and they will face another non-conference team, Andover, in the first round of the Boverini Tournament, named after former State Senate Majority Leader Walter Boverini, who died on Saturday. English has won the tournament for the past two seasons.”This year, it’s going to be very special,” Hogan said. “It was a great thing last year when five (English) girls got the trophy and a picture of him with the girls.”Rounding out the returnees are four sophomores – guards Lashaunda Hogan, Miranda Hogan, and Brianna Vaughan, and forward Olivia Dupree – as well as senior forward Linh Nguyen and junior forward Gabby Stinson. Maura Coyle, a forward who came up from the junior varsity squad, also played for the English varsity soccer team.Freshmen Kailey Cormier and Taylor Newhall have also joined the team. Both are forwards who attended Pickering Middle School last year.Hogan’s staff consists of two people, Brian Vaughan and Steve Hill. Vaughan has served as Hogan’s assistant for the past four years. He is also the offensive coordinator for the English football team. Hill will work with the freshman, JV and varsity squads.”We really cut back on our staff,” Hogan said. “They’ll do scouting, film, everything.”The Bulldogs lost two players from last season – Trinity Neubert, who is at North Shore Community College and might transfer to play basketball, perhaps at Roxbury Community Co