PEABODY — In sports, teams tend to look towards their senior leaders for guidance, instructions, or even to bail them out in certain situations. Peabody’s girls’ and boys’ basketball teams are off to a strong start to the season and the common theme between both programs: their seniors.
On the girls team, the Tanners have two seniors who are also the team’s captains Abby Bettencourt and Logan Lomasney. Head coach Stan McKeen said he picked them as captains because of their experience, ability, and leadership skills.
“Both of them have played for four years on the team. They’re leaders as athletes in all sports that they play,” McKeen said. “They’re both excellent basketball players.”
It also helps when your two captains are filling up the stat sheet.
“Logan is the [reigning] Northeastern Conference MVP in the last two years. She’s done nothing to hide that this year,” McKeen said. “She’s averaging 21 points per game, 5.5 assists, and 11 rebounds a game. She’s a complete player without question.”
“Abby is a great softball player, but she’s also a great basketball player. She’s just a smart kid and a smart player,” McKeen said. “She’s averaging 8.5 points per game, 7.5 assists, and six rebounds a game.”
For the boys team, head coach Thad Broughton has five seniors, three of whom are named captains.
“We have three captains, Anthony Forte, Raphel Laurent, and John Lucas,” Broughton said. “These are guys who really dedicated themselves to the basketball program. They work extremely hard and the three of them are great communicators. They exude everything we want from a Peabody High School basketball player. We couldn’t ask for three better captains. We’re happy to have them be major parts of the team.”
Despite only three of the five being captains, Broughton said his two other seniors also contribute to the leadership group.
“We have two other seniors who do a really nice job in the leadership group,” Broughton said. ”The first is Cam Connolly who is our starting center and the other is Yanni Pappas who is our first guard off the bench. Those guys have been in the program for four years and they know what it’s all about.”
When asked how their captains lead by example, McKeen talked about both Lomasney and Bettencourt leading by their actions.
“Logan leads by example when she’s on the court and even in practice,” McKeen said. “When she gets the ball she’s going to make a play. She can shoot threes, she can get to the hoop. She’s a tough hard-nose kid whose basketball is her number one sport.”
“Abby leads by her strong defense which leads to her offense,” McKeen said. “She’s a great defensive player and usually plays the best guard on the other team. She’s a great rebounder, she can shoot, she’s a great team player.”
For Broughton, it’s Lucas who is the more vocal one while Forte and Laurent tend to let their skills do the talking.
“Johnny Lucas is probably our most vocal guy. He is not afraid to speak up, which is one of his biggest strengths,” Broughton said. “Anthony and Raphel definitely communicate with the team, but they lead more by example. They go out and they do it. They’ll talk to guys individually and as a group, but they lead more by their actions. Johnny takes on a little more of the vocal leadership role for our team and it works really well.”
Broughton praised his seniors for helping the newcomers into the program which makes things easier for the coaching staff.
“I think the key to any successful team is being able to mix in your veterans and the new guys. For us, the senior leadership on our team has been great at looking out for the newer guys and making them feel welcome. I think it’s the case because when they were young our leaders then welcomed them in and treated them well,” Broughton said.
Both coaches see their leaders as an “extension of the coach” and give them different responsibilities from starting practices to speaking up before the coach has to.
“On a day-to-day basis they lead the team in our running, stretching, and plyometrics to start our practices,” McKeen said. “How they handle themselves on the court and with their teammates, I couldn’t ask for better captains and leaders than them.”
“I view the seniors as an extension of the coaching staff. In our basketball program, we ask the seniors for a lot of leadership and they have a lot of responsibility,” Broughton said. “They’ve been through the program and know what we are expecting. At times we don’t have to say anything because the seniors know what we are going to say.”
From late-night workouts in the offseason to staying after practice to get extra shots up, both coaches credit their leaders for putting in the hard work. The hard work is paying off as both teams are off to a great start to the season.
