Great Playing and Coaching Leads LHS Varsity Basketball to a Winning Start

This season’s athletic Minutemen appear to be bringing it all together, with speed, quickness on the defensive and an ever-evolving chemistry and confidence as the Middlesex 12 campaign picks up. It’s an entertaining style indeed for LHS fans.

Regardless of the opponent’s ability or achievement, there’s no time for easing up in the Middlesex League, especially in boys’ basketball.

Recently at Ralph Lord Gymnasium, host Lexington High was holding off a scrappy, pesky Melrose squad through the first three quarters. Only late in the third did junior guard Nazir Mendes-Stephen swish a 3-pointer and another bucket to help the Minutemen to their first double-digit lead of the night.

A little more than a minute into the fourth, LHS senior guard and tri-captain Amari Mow did what he had been doing most of the night, stripping the Red Raider ballhandler of the rock for a breakaway bucket, only this time ramming a resounding dunk to arouse the crowd.

Not long after, however, coach Reggie Hobbs called his second timeout of the quarter to remind his troops that there can be no letup, since Melrose raced right back to close within 10.

Coach didn’t need to call a third T-O as the Minutemen rattled off the next 12 points and could empty his bench for the final 2:21 of an 83-61 LHS victory.

Lexington’s veteran collective improved to 5-1 on that Jan. 6 night, another step toward what is hoped to be a drive to a third Middlesex League title under Hobbs, who succeeded New England Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bob Farias before the 2010-11 season.

Hobbs is 20-year LHS faculty member who currently chairs the school’s science department. A former assistant coach at Tufts, Endicott and Lasell, the former Wakefield High Warrior has never been a stranger to the Middlesex League

“They’ll tell you the goal is to win the league championship, they’ve been honest about that,” Hobbs said of his squad, which features seven seniors in at least their third varsity season and 11 returning lettermen in all. Still the one-day-at-a-time cliche continues to rule here — the next practice, the next game, …

“We talk a lot about ‘did you do better today?'”  he added. “They’re focused on today and the next day, embracing the building as you have success.”

Minutemen are true work in progress

As sophomores, these seniors were part of a 13-9 team with a Division 1 state tourney win before falling to powerful Catholic Memorial. Last year, the count was 15-6, with the season ending in a first-round loss at eventual quarterfinalist Braintree.

This season’s athletic Minutemen appear to be bringing it all together, with speed, quickness on the defensive and an ever-evolving chemistry and confidence as the Middlesex 12 campaign picks up. It’s an entertaining style indeed for LHS fans.

“We’re always trying to play an uptempo, extended game,” said Hobbs, who employs man-to-man pressing coverage but will switch to zone when needed. “When you play like that, (opposing teams) will make shots. Yet we have depth, the depth is apparent. We’re aggressive defensively to force turnovers.”

Which brings us to that Mow dunk early in that fourth quarter, upon which Hobbs saw Mow’s eyes light up upon picking the Red Raider clean. The team finished with 17 steals and 15 deflections over the 32 minutes.

“I’m all over it, that’s how it is every night,” said Mow, who finished that game with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 8 steals, most converted to breakaway baskets. “I can be everyone’s worst nightmare.

“I gave it a little smirk,” he added. “It’s Amari time.”

“He’s experienced a great combination of growth and maturity, he’s a true vocal leader,” Hobbs said. “We put him in situations where he can utilize his athleticism.”

“I can go on and on about this guy,” senior guard Sam Myerberg said of Mow. “He prides himself so much defensively, it seems just about all of his buckets come off steals.”

“I take pride in my defense,” said Mow, a 100-meter/long jump/triple jump athlete who soon will commit to a Division 1 school for track and field. “I’m not the best offensive scorer, but I feel that most of my points come off of defense. I feel like we have to defend. Defense wins championships.”

Productive lineup

Myerberg continues to provide consistent solid scoring for LHS, which helps fill the void left by fellow senior tri-captain Charlie O’Brien, who’s missing the rest of this season following wrist surgery. Myerberg’s career high is 34 points last season, and he netted 14 of his 24 points in the first half against Melrose.

“I’ve always loved to shoot, and each year my role has picked up,” Myerberg said, “and this year with Charlie going down, I have to pick up my ability to score.”

“We’re lucky to be working with such a natural scorer,” Hobbs said. “There’s such a competitiveness about him. He focuses on realizing how we play and how we move the ball, and he recognizes those components.”

Two more backcourt players in the four-guard starting lineup are Mendes-Stephen and sophomore guard Klei Alimadhi.

“I’m impressed with his vision on the floor,” Hobbs said of Mendes-Stephen, who netted 12 points vs. Melrose. “He wants to dominate his physical matchup. He’s a fine defender of their primary ballhandler.

“And Klei has taken a big step as a starter for us, and he’s working to develop his game, especially on defense,” the coach added.

The lone forward among the starters is 6-foot-3 senior Brendan Schwartz. “He’s high energy, high motor,” Hobbs notes. “He’s often the mouthpiece for us, bringing a voice to the group. He does a great job finishing around the hoop and gives us flexibility on defense.”

First off the bench is 6-2 senior forward Isaac Nsubuga, who collected nine points and seven rebounds against Melrose. “He’s put in a lot of work, and his motor is relentless,” the coach said. “We can rely on his rebounding in certain situations.”

O’Brien, who scored a career-high 27 points in a game last winter, injured his wrist playing basketball last summer and forged ahead with action during football season before undergoing surgery in November. He hopes the wrist heals in time to play the outfield with the baseball team in the spring.

“At least I get to be here with the team, and I got to play three games,” said O’Brien, who was accepted early and will attend Wake Forest University in the fall, to study economics. “I knew I was on borrowed time.”

Also seeing playing time are junior guards Derek Sohn, Tevan Cautela and Malakai St. Fleur, sophomores Ethan Hatch and Henry Moehring, and senior forward Maddox Gruskin. Hobbs is hoping 6-4 senior forward James Moehring, who is nursing a foot injury from football, can soon return to the rotation.

Hobbs is pleased with the way his experienced team is progressing.

“We’re working toward comfortability with our style of play, while trying to play fast, forcing teams to make that extra decision,” he said.

“After you go through three years, the senior mindset shifts, and the usual result is focusing on that team goal.”

Looking ahead … but not too far

Key to the Minutemen’s Middlesex League title chances is their home rematch with Liberty Division rival Winchester on Feb. 3. Three days before Christmas, LHS dropped a 77-74 overtime heartbreaker at Winchester.

“The kids played well down the stretch,” Hobbs said of that night. “It was a December game that had a January/February feel.”

“I’ve circled that on the calendar, it’s personal,” Mow said. “We’ve got to follow our principles, work hard in practice. And there aren’t too many times we lose at home.”

The Minutemen are eagerly taking on the challenge for a league title and beyond.

“Our skill and athleticism, if not the best, is one of the best in Massachusetts,” O’Brien said. “When we get in it, we’re a tough team. With those things combined, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Myerberg sees that boys’ basketball banner in the gym, where 1971, ’72 and ’78 state championships are listed, along with scores of Middlesex League titles.

“All the way. Our ceiling is all the way to the state championship, that’s how good we are,” said Myerberg, who has applied to Boston College, UConn and several southern schools. “Since we’ve been together as freshmen, we’ve been developing chemistry. We’re starting to put it all together, this is the season.”

Along with ML crown aspirations, the Minutemen would like to boost its MIAA Division 1 power rating to 16 or better by season’s end, thus securing at least one home game in the state tournament. LHS was No. 22 last year, necessitating the trip down congested Route 128 to Braintree.

“That’s the aim,” Myerberg said. “Home playoff game, we’re not going to lose that.”

Highlighting the end of the regular season is the Lexington February Invitational, in which LHS will host Lowell in the first round on Feb. 16. The Merrimack Valley Conference power was the fifth seed in last year’s D1 tournament.

The Minutemen can further benefit in the MIAA ratings with that game against the Raiders, as well as against Burlington or Westford Academy, the other two teams in the tournament. The consolation and final are on Feb. 18.

LHS edged Burlington by two points in the season opener. Burlington, Lowell and Winchester have all been ranked in the Boston Globe’s top 20 this season.

Yes, hopes are high indeed for these seasoned Minutemen.

“They’re trying to leave the program better than it was when they came in, and they have the potential to do that.”