SAUGUS — Sometimes, you just have to start from scratch.
Saugus boys basketball coach Paul Moran finds himself and the Sachems in that situation this season.
“This is as young and as inexperienced a team as I can remember having in all my years of coaching,” said Moran, who has been with the Sachems for 10 years. “We have one player with varsity experience,” he said.
That would be Mike Mabee, who came off the bench last year as a junior. Mabee is one of eight players (out of 11) who played football this fall, as the Sachems quarterback.
“Usually,” Moran said, “there aren’t as many. But that team fought hard this fall, and we will too.”
Moran will employ the same strategy all young, inexperienced teams use: the accent will be defense and to “take the air out of the ball.
“We’re going to have to try to keep the scores very low, probably in the 40s,” he said. “We clearly won’t be able to go up and down the court because we do not have the firepower. We’ll have to look for good shots.”
Moran, since taking over, has led the team to the state tournament all but one year, when it just missed. Last year, the Sachems were 10-11, losing to Weston in the first round.
Besides Mabee, Moran will use senior guard Vinnie Ciarme, who did not play a lot last year, senior Robert McGrane and Paul Stanopolous, who has been on the wrestling team for the past two years. Also on the team are juniors Jake Morganti, Kyle Corcoricco, Matt Grant and Ryan Beliveau. Christian Correia, who starred on the football team at wide receiver, is a sophomore and a good athlete, Moran said. The roster is rounded out by freshmen Mason Nicholas and Joe Lusso.
“We could be starting as many as three 14-year-olds this year,” Moran said.
All of which will make it difficult to compete against the bigger Northeastern Conference teams. Under the realignment, the 16-team NEC is split into two groups, with each team playing the other once.
“You look at those top teams, like Classical, English, Everett, Somerville — those are really good teams. Three of the four teams we brought into the league last were Top 10 in Division 1 North. When you bring in teams like that, it makes it tough for the smaller schools.”
Still, Moran isn’t mailing in the season.
“We will compete,” he said. “But it’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to play really smart, and we’re going to have to slow the game way down. “
Helping Moran this season are assistant coaches Mark Bertrand and Billy Cahill, the latter having coached Gloucester boys in the past.
“We are going to coach for 32 minutes, and play for 32 minutes,” he said. “If you play Saugus, we’re going to make sure you’ve played a game.”
