The League Breakdown by Steve Pacheco

On December 23, 2009, Steve Pacheco wrote a column published in the Daily Times Chronicle in which he talks a lot about Randy Parker from Woburn (that’s what the article is about after all), but at the bottom he talks some about other players coming onto the scene. John Dillon and Luka Ladan are singled out from Belmont.

Here’s the full article:

Woburn’s Parker an innocent bystander for boys hoop team

By STEVE PACHECO
Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 1:11 PM EST in Daily Times Chronicle

For Woburn High boys basketball standout Randy Parker, his current pain is a little different than last March. Nine months ago Parker and the rest of his Tanners’ teammates walked off the floor of the TD Garden stunned having just lost a thriller to Milton in the Division 2 Eastern Mass finals. That, Parker assumed, was going to be the hardest thing he would have to overcome as an athlete.

But fast forward to today, and Parker has been dealing with a different kind of pain, and that is one of a helpless feeling. His team is struggling out of the gates, off to a 1-2 start, and their star has yet to step onto the floor. The senior All-Leaguer, who is playing his fourth year of varsity basketball, suffered a high-ankle sprain almost five weeks ago, and has yet to get into any action.

Parker is one of the premier scorers on the North Shore and with the Tanners struggling to find consistency in their offense, the senior can only sit on the bench and watch, hoping his ankle will be ready to go soon. The one positive for both Parker as well as Woburn is that the Tanners will have almost two weeks off before their next league game, as Parker will be ready to go for sure by Jan. 5 against Wakefield.

A silver lining, yes, but Parker is bursting at the seams now to get back on the floor and help his team get back into the league title race.

“It’s definitely been hard,” Parker said to being in street clothes the first three games,” Coming out of the locker room the other night for the Lexington game especially being friends with some of those guys you want to be out there playing, but I have to get through it and try to be the best leader that I can.”

When he does comeback he will surely kick-start an offense that clearly needs it. The Tanners are lacking a perimeter presence and the point guard is just that. Having averaged close to 16 points per game a season ago, and made a seamless transition to the point guard position, Parker shot close to .500 from three-point land. Another tremendous attribute is Parker’s ability to knock down foul shots late in the game as he is arguably the best overall shooter in the league.

“Randy has gone from a young kid who was a good shooter to a terrific all-around basketball player,” said Woburn coach Tom Sullivan. “Everyone knows how good of a shooter he is but where he has made his improvements is his ability to get to the rim.”

While Parker was a unanimous selection for All-League last season for what many assumed was his offensive ability, the actual reason he was named a top-10 player was because of his defense. Former great Hanel Velez and shot-blocking sensation Nick Lund got most of the ink, but Parker and current junior Mickel Simpson are two of the most shut-down, man-to-man defenders in the Middlesex League.

“Randy and Mickel will fight over who gets to guard the other team’s best player and that’s kind of neat,” Sullivan admitted. “Randy is a tenacious defender who is real tough. He is a throw-back type of player and is a pleasure to coach.”

While you might expect Parker to talk about offense, it was defense that he brought up the most.

“Defense is huge,” he admitted. “I love playing the best guard on the other team and getting up in their face pressuring the ball. And when I come back I’m going to be a lock-up defender.”

Coming off his third straight first team All-League season in golf during the fall, Parker was in the best shape of his life coming into basketball season as the Tanner captain stays hoop-ready year round by playing pick-up and working out with coaches. So Sullivan knew he was going to get his star last month in great condition.

“He was looking real good before the injury but I have full confidence he will be back to himself right away,” said Sullivan. “He is in great shape and really got ready for the season so we’ll give him a few practices, but he will be fine.

“He’s a terrific athlete who will bounce back quickly, but with that being said, he is so dedicated that he’s cut some things out of his diet to be in even better shape,” the veteran coach added.

Sullivan also knows the insertion of Parker back into the lineup will take a little pressure off the other players on the floor to carry the scoring load.

“He’s going to open everything up and that’s a no-brainer,” Sullivan admitted. “He saw a lot of junk defenses last year so he’ll be ready for the box-and-ones and the triangle-and-twos.”

While the Wakefield game is one they are certainly targeting, Parker even wants to play the Saturday before in a non-league home game with Catholic Memorial.

“That’s the game I want to be ready to play in,” Parker said in facing the Catholic Conference powerhouse. “I’ve gone to physical therapy and I can walk around fine, it’s just the cutting that there is still a little pain.”

As for the 1-2 start, the Tanners still appear to be on a safe path to the tournament but Parker is happy with how hard his team has played so far this season.

“Everyone’s giving their best effort and that is all I can ask for,” he said. “We lost to two very good teams in Lexington and Belmont and even though we are turning the ball over a little more than we would like, we’re getting good looks, but just can’t get the shots to drop.”

Parker certainly will get some shots to drop when he returns as this is just another obstacle he has had to overcome in his career.

Coming in as a freshman Parker was known as a pure shooter who struggled at the varsity level to create his own shot. He came back his sophomore season a whiz on using screens and gets open looks all year. Then heading into his junior season coaches told him to make the jump to an All-Star, Parker would have to improve his ball-handling and work on being able to defend Middlesex League point guards. Check….check.

Throw in the fact that Sullivan said he will surprise everyone this season at how effectively he can get to the rim, and you have all the makings of one complete basketball player; someone who the Tanners have desperately missed so far this season.

Parker is undecided about his college plans next year but wants to play basketball and schools such as Western New England, Bridgewater, Suffolk and Endicott are on his radar.

[…]

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?

The Middlesex League boys division lost so many stars from a season ago but just when you think the league is going to be missing some primo players, along come guys nobody knew about last year.

Start off in Wakefield as junior Keyon Armstrong transferred from Brockton and was off to an incredible start to the season before suffering a concussion last week. The 5-10 shooting guard had 20-plus points in a tough loss at Reading and had 15 in the first quarter alone against Stoneham before going down. Armstrong will return to action soon and could lead the Warriors back to the tournament.

Belmont has a rugged sixth-man that transferred over from BB&N in sophomore John Dillon. The kid might have an ordinary name, but his game is far from. At 6-4, he is a beast in the block that can step out and bang three’s. Former Burlington High coach and current BB&N head coach Nick Papas said before the season that Dillon was going to be his team’s best player this winter had he stayed, and we can clearly see why.

“I don’t know how long I can keep bringing John off the bench,” said Belmont coach Adam Pritchard.

Lexington also has a transfer this year as sophomore Patrick Burns, from Lexington Christian, adds to the unbelievable frontcourt depth the Minutemen have. Burns clearly has the offensive ability to be a star right away for veteran coach Bob Farias but his minutes are held in check a bit because of the talent on the team. Burns should be a big-time player for Lexington before the season is done.

BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE

While the players listed above are new to their programs, a few guys who were quiet last year are off to fantastic starts for their respective teams.

Start back off in Lexington as Demetri Monvoukas is well on his way to All-League status for the Minutemen and is their best frontcourt player.

Belmont starts a 6-4 junior that most teams wont remember from a season ago, but they better get to know his name now. Luka Ladan looks like a basketball player with his athletic frame and Pritchard talked after the last game that colleges are already high on this kid. He can run, jump and make shots around the basket, and is one of the big reasons many people think Belmont is now the top team in the league.

Watertown’s Marco Coppola has always been good, but he has had the label of being Anthony’s younger brother for a long time. But after his play the past two years, people quickly need to shed him of that label. Veteran coach Steve Harrington says his junior is one of the top players in this league right now and that’s good enough for us.

And how about Stoneham sophomore guard Brad Fagan? He has clearly been the Spartans’ best player in the early going and his monster game two nights ago helped his team upset Winchester.

(Steve Pacheco’s “Around the Rim” column appears during the high school basketball season.)