Classical boys hoop ready to go

It was supposed to be a rebuilding campaign for the Lynn Classical boys? basketball team last season but all the Rams did was sweep Salem and Lynn English on its way to winning a Northeastern Conference\North title. They eventually fell to Division 2 state champion New Mission in the North semis.
Now, the task facing Classical and head coach Tom Grassa is to sustain the momentum that the Rams gained at the end of last season with a team that will be comprised in a very unlikely fashion ? with 10 guards on the roster.
?There are going to be a lot of interchangeable players,” Grassa said. “There could be one of 10 players that will be at guard on a given night. Sometimes you can’t design a team to conform to conventional methods. You have to select the best all-around players, even if it means having 10 guards and two forwards.”
Fortunately for Classical, one of those guards who is back is senior Philip Rogers.
The 6-feet-3 point guard was the Rams? leading scorer a season ago, averaging 12 points per game. He also led Classical with 225 rebounds and was immense down the stretch as the Rams clinched the league title.
Also back to join Rogers are fellow seniors guard/forward Peter Mafo, forward Strati Saranteas and Eli McConney.
?High school basketball has been controlled by guards for a few years now and that’s what this team is, all guards,” Grassa said.
There will be plenty of new blood on the floor as well for the Rams as Classical brings up four seniors who spent much of last season on the JV squad. Jakeel Brown is a junior while Carlos Ocasio, Joel Alvarez and Christian Galvez are seniors who are moving up.
Behind them is a talented group that will see plenty of playing time. Brothers Jaylen and Calvin Johnson are joined by Eric Solis.
?I think that we’re going to be competitive,” Grassa said. “We do have some deficiencies, though. We don’t have a lot of size so everyone is going to have to help on the glass. We’re going to need contributions from five or six guys every night to win games.”
The Rams will face Everett tonight as they host the 29th annual Dr.Elmo Benedetto boys? basketball jamboree at Classical.The Rams open the regular season Tuesday night in Revere. They will also be a part of the inaugural Salem State Classic at Twohig Gym on Dec. 20, when they take on Malden. Lynn Tech, Bishop Fenwick, Danvers and Salem will also be participating along with Everett and Somerville from the Greater Boston League.
Grassa expects that defending the NEC/North title won’t be easy.?The league is going to be interesting,” Grassa said. “But it would be nice to see if we can make some noise.”