Graduation took a large quantity, and quality, of players from both the Richmond High School boys and girls basketball team.
The Bobcat girls were hit extremely hard and will look to a strong sophomore class to learn quickly in the tough East- West Conference.
For the Richmond boys, second-year coach Jon Spear looks for his team to get tougher inside and make a run at another quarterfinal berth in the Western D postseason.
Coach — Jon Spear.
2012 highlights — 7-11 in regular season. Beat Buckfield 62-57 in Western D prelim, lost to Forest Hills 74-41 in quarterfinals.
Personnel lost — Randy Moody, Eddie Stewart, Xavier Trask, Joey McCluskey.
Personnel returning — Seniors Sean Bernier (G), Jonathan Simmons (F); juniors Cameron Emmons (G), Bailey Johansen (F/C), Jason Patterson (C); sophomores Tyler Soucy (G), Mike Stewart (F/C).
Newcomers — Sophomores Nick Anan (F), Nate Vintinner (G); freshmen Cody Tribbett (G), Brendan Emmons (G), Zach Marseglia (F), Matt Holt (F).
Coach’s comments — “I am very excited about our athleticism and our depth. We carry 13 on our varsity, but will probably run 10-11 deep. We have some great athletes on the team, who if I do my job correctly will be focused on intense defense and being aggressive on the offensive side of the court.
“We are young and for years have been timid about being aggressive and driving to the hoop. That is a huge change that we are trying to make this year, trying to make each player more aggressive and more dangerous on the offense. We were young last year, so we were happy to have the experience of being in a prelim game, getting that win and playing at the Augusta Civic Center. We return many of those players and are adding a very talented freshmen group to that team.
“We played in a tournament at Mount Abram, which is a big, athletic team, and we also played Mountain Valley’s jayvee. The first game we were pretty jittery and it showed, but we got our open looks and just couldn’t finish them. The second game was more successful, and our pressure defense and our offense started to click.
“This year, we have a few new teams on the schedule. We play Machias for a home game in December, and we picked up two games with North Yarmouth Academy, which should be a good test for us as they have now dropped down to Class D West. You have to think Forest Hills just won the Gold Ball and they have three of their starting five back, so I would think they will be tough. Greenville has some really good players as well, and NYA and Hyde should both be up near the top.”
Season opener — Dec. 6 (at Rangeley).
Key dates — Dec. 13 (at Greenville), Dec. 14 (H, Machias), Jan. 23 (H, Greenville), Feb. 4 (at North Yarmouth Academy).
Girls basketball
Coach — Molly Bishop.
2012 highlights — 14-3 in regular season. Beat Rangeley 48-36 in Western D finale, lost to Washburn 75-55 in state title game.
Personnel lost — Jamie Plummer, Alyssa Pearson, Payton Johnson, Brianna Snedeker, Emily Leavitt, Ciarra Lancaster, Noell Acord.
Personnel returning — Seniors Haley Murphy (G), Morgan Harrington (F); sophomores Auturn Acord (G), Julie Plummer (F), Kelsea Anair (F), Kalah Patterson (G), Kyla Johansen (F).
Newcomers — Freshmen Meranda Martin (G), Camryn Hurley (G), Cassidy Harriman (F), Emily Douin (F), Jen Snedeker (G).
Coach’s comments — “They are so eager to learn about the system and are unafraid to try new things. Overall, very coachable and athletic group of players.
“We’ll be in the mix down the stretch, but it might take a few games for us to get rid of some jitters and gain some confidence. Defensively instituting zone pressure is going to be key for us. Offensively, we have some big shoes to fill in order to score consistently. Much of our practice time has been spent on trying to work on those individual skills.
“We start with one of the top teams in Western D — Rangeley away. I think it will give us a good measuring stick for the season. We have one of the tougher schedules in Class D, picking up Old Orchard Beach and Kents Hill, plus new this year is Machias. Rangeley and Forest Hills should both be tough. Rangeley is big and physical, and Forest Hills is fast and surprisingly deep for that small of a school.”
Season opener — Dec. 6 (at Rangeley).
Key dates — Dec. 14 (H, Machias), Jan, 3 (at Old Orchard Beach), Jan. 23 (H, Greenville), Feb. 6 (H, Kents Hill).
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