The Pitt Meadows Marauders seniors boys’ basketball team is reloading with lots of new faces and one that is completely familiar.
Coach Rich Goulet has been a fixture with the team, and has coached high school hoops for 47 years. He is back behind the bench despite having retired from the staff of Pitt Meadows secondary, and having health problems that now require kidney dialysis.
Goulet is still as involved in hoops as anyone, being head coach of both the senior and junior boys teams, and still serving as the athletics director of the school.
He offers a blunt assessment of this year’s team.
“We’re really young and raw,” he said.
The Marauders lack any Grade 12s who were starters last year. But a talented group of Grade 11s brings hope for the future – as seniors they should be tough to beat.
“We’re a year away,” he said.
The developing team was at the Quinn Keast No Regrets Tournament over the weekend, where they faced some tough competition, and came away with two wins and two losses.
They beat a Northwest Territories team 75-64 to open the event, as Tado Ferreyro led the offence with 16 points, and Ryan Severinski scored 14.
In the next game they lost to Sentinel 77-50. Big centre Giovanni Manu put up 16 points, Francesco Nardini 12 and Ferreyro 10.
They beat the Carson Graham Eagles 77-62 in their third game. Carson tried to play a zone defence, and the Marauders killed them with outside shooting, nailing 10 treys. Caleb Kinney scored 16, and point guard Ross Power 12.
In their final game they lost to the tough Kitsilano Blue Demons 74-44. The Vancouver team has been ranked as high as third on the Quad-A circuit this year, and were tough to handle at both ends of the court. Manu scored 12, and Nardini 11.
The Marauders junior team won the Kamloops Tournament last week, and those players should combine with the young senior team to create a potent squad in 2017/2018 said Goulet.
“Hopefully the combination of the two teams will bring success.”
The senior squad is once again on their way to Hawaii, where they will play in the St. Anthony’s Tournament from Dec. 15-17, followed by the Lehaina Tournament from Dec. 19-22.
