Boys Basketball Preview

Friday, December 20, 2013

NEWINGTON

Coach: Scot Wenzel (11th year)

Last Year: 15-8 (Lost in 2nd round of Class LL tournament)

Key Losses: Tim Blair, Bryant Morander, Michael Koss, Zach Morris

Key Returnees: Marcus Guadarrama sr. F, Edwin Gomez sr. G, Evan Mach sr. F, Shawn Meggie sr. F, Ryan DeBlasio jr. G, Zach Tinkham soph. G, Pablo Ortiz soph. F, Jared Simmons fr. G

Outlook: Newington lost four of its five starters from a year ago to graduation, including Blair, one of the best players in the area. Much of his production will be picked up by Guadarrama, a big, athletic forward who is already an all-conference player in his own right and capable of hitting clutch shots. Newington does have seniors, which could make their transitions into bigger roles easier. Tinkham and Simmons are about as young a backcourt as you can have, but Wenzel believes they’re up for the challenge. How they develop will be a key factor in how the Indians fare this season. The loss of Morander in particular but also Koss and Morris shouldn’t be overlooked, but Newington has some depth. Mach could be a factor as well, and if some of the new names but old faces can step up for Newington, the Indians will be fine despite a difficult schedule. Wenzel’s teams are never afraid to shoot the 3-pointer, and some made shots early in the year could help kick start Newington’s season. This is one of those teams which will be much harder to beat in March than it will be in December.

Courtesy of New Britain Herald

Thursday, December 19, 2013
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Friday, January 10, 2014
Boys Basketball defeats Bristol Eastern
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