PEABODY — With experience up-and-down its roster and a group of underclassmen reserves eager to earn minutes, the Fenwick boys basketball team’s excited to start a new season.
Fenwick finished 12-10 last season and reached the Division 4 North quarterfinal, where KIPP Academy ended the Crusaders’ tournament run. But there were positive takeaways for Fenwick.
“We beat Snowden in the first round and that was an extremely talented team,” Fenwick coach Kevin Moran said. “We felt great about competing with them. The seniors led the way last year but we return some young guys with varsity experience who played in the tournament. I think that experience will definitely help us this year.”
Sophomore point guard Jason Romans, who started every game last year as a freshman, returns to lead Fenwick’s offense. Romans will be joined in the starting rotation by junior forward Christian Loescher, junior guard Alex Gonzalez, junior forward Max Grenert and senior forward Kobe Estes.
“There’s experience there across the board,” Moran said of his starting five. “They all play different roles. I think we hit all the areas cohesively. We have rebounders, we have great defenders and strong point guard play. We have the ability to shoot. We have all the components. I think the combination these young men bring, along with some other guys, will really help us out this year.”
Co-captains this season are Estes, Gonzalez, Loescher and Romans.
“I think they all bring a tremendous amount of leadership in a good way,” Moran said. “Jason’s a sophomore but he provides leadership at point guard. Christian and Alex have been with us for two years and they’ve both seen a lot of minutes. Kobe’s a senior and he provides that type of leadership. They’re all dedicated to the program and they’ve all done a great job so far.”
Junior forward Jake Connolly and senior forward Dan McGrath are also projected to play key minutes.
“They’re definitely coming along,” Moran said. “Because of the football team playing in the (Division 6) Super Bowl, we were kind of backed up a little bit. I think the reserves will contribute. I think there’s a growth process here with each player coming into his own. I feel very positive about the bench group.”
Moran foresees a competitive Catholic Central League. With no shortage of tournament mainstays across the CCL, league wins will have to be earned.
“St. Mary’s is always going to be strong,” Moran said. “St. Mary’s and Cardinal Spellman have always been the strength of the league. We open with Arlington Catholic, who gave St. Mary’s a great game in the state tournament last year. With those three we face an uphill battle. I think the league will be strong and very competitive this year.”
Non-league opponents on the schedule include Danvers, Manchester-Essex, Marblehead and Peabody.
“All four of those teams will be very competitive,” Moran said. “I like that they’re local schools and a lot of these kids know each other. Hopefully we can be competitive with those guys.”
Fenwick opens the season Tuesday night (6:30), when the Crusaders host Arlington Catholic.
“I think we’re ready to go,” Moran said. “In high school, the kids want to get out there and go play. It’s time to go play and see where we’re at.”
