LYNN — After a 19-win season last year, the Lynn Tech boys basketball team is looking to achieve even more this year. Under the direction of Corey Bingham, the Tigers are one of the Lynn teams people should keep an eye out for.
The Tigers participated in jamborees on Friday and Saturday to help prepare the team for the upcoming season. Bingham mentioned the benefits of playing in these early jamborees to get a real “game feel” before the season starts.
“You need these types of games, it’s like a dress rehearsal,” Bingham said. “It’s hard to work in practice without the game feeling. It was a great experience for us, especially against a good program like St. Mary’s.”
Against the Spartans, Bingham liked how his team responded to adversity and how the players were the ones speaking during timeouts.
“When adversity hit during the game, the team came together and pulled each other up,” Bingham said. “When I called a timeout, the guys were the ones talking. One of my assistant coaches was like, ‘You don’t even need to say anything’.”
Tech ended up falling short to the Spartans, but the Tigers had to quickly shift focus on Revere who they faced the next day in East Boston.
“We played in the East Boston Jamboree and faced a tough Revere team that we ended up beating,” Bingham said. “These jamborees are great for us because you lose one and you have to wake up the next day and try and get the next one.
What’s special about this team is that they return everyone from the 19-win season and Bingham is expecting big things from his senior trio.
“We’re expecting a lot from Ederick [Gonzalez], Cesar [Reyes], and Jayden [Welch],” Bingham said.
The team will rely its seniors to keep the hunger, knowing they are now the hunted.
“The older guys need to put the team on their back and we need to stay hungry,” Bingham said. “Last year we were the team that was hunting. Now we put our name on the map so we are the ones that are getting hunted. We have to be prepared to get everyone’s best.”
Now in their sophomore year, Bingham is looking forward to seeing standout guards Giovanni Jean and Andy Batista “mature” on the court and be difference makers.
“I need them to be them. Gio is a strong guard who I need to get to the hoop and make decisions. He has great vision and can find a pass or score,” Bingham said. “Andy is an all-out great point guard. He can dish the ball and make big shots. We just need them to be themselves and continue to mature. As you get older the game slows down. I want them to be more mature. They have the talent and they control the game.”
The Tigers are the reigning Vocational champions, but this year they are hungry for more.
“You always want to win your conference. But before that, one goal I want to accomplish is getting the Lynn tournament,” Bingham said. “The tradition is big and we want to get that trophy back to Tech. That’s the first goal, then we want to win the conference. After that, it’s about getting the best seed possible and making a good run in the tournament. We got the team to make a big run and have the talent. I feel this is our year, we’ve been together for two years and I want that state championship for these guys.”
The Tigers season officially starts Friday when the Tigers travel to Lowell Catholic with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
