The high school basketball season has already begun.
At least for those with serious postseason aspirations.
That is especially true for Salem’s Elian Rodriguez, who is three months removed from helping lead the Witches to their first state championship in 31 years. Rodriguez will be a senior in the fall, and he wants to accomplish a feat that has never been accomplished in the history of his famed star-crossed city: winning back-to-back state titles in hoops.
Rodriguez is organizing student-led workouts for his teammates, the type that are dripping with intensity and perspiration. That unrelenting work ethic echoed all the way from Salem to Charlotte, N.C., which is the home of ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. He found comfort in hearing that Rodriguez and teammates Matt Kenney and Cleto Deng are starting their bid for a repeat title by putting in extra time on the court.
“We’re in the age now where we have places like Oak Hill Academy (in Virginia) and all these different prep schools,” Bilas said. “We’ll hear about how one school produced multiple NBA draft picks and how it’s an amazing high school program. You don’t want to be disrespectful, but that’s not a high school. A high school is like Salem. They’re all from the same community. There is a history and a tradition with the parents, players, your neighbors, and coaches.”
Salem defeated top-ranked Hanover, 57-51, to win the Division 3 state title in March. Witches’ coach Tommy Doyle has been part of the program for the past 30 years, and he now has the rare distinction of winning a state title for Salem as both a player (1990) and coach.
“When I hear about a team like Salem winning the championship, that’s a title for the entire community,” Bilas said. “Players grew up together, parents know each other, you went to each other’s birthday parties growing up. It’s not players brought in from other areas and then calling it a high school. Maybe I’m overly sensitive to that. I grew up in an area of Los Angeles where I played on the same team with the same guys from fourth grade through high school. To me, those are the championships that are beyond special.”
Rodriguez is far from the only one putting in the work this off-season. After a memorable year, Andover ran into the Brody Bumila-led Bishop Feehan buzzsaw in the Division 1 semifinals, ending its season two wins shy of a state title. Yet that defeat has only further driven the likes of Josh Roux, Charlie Tutwiler and Logan Sullivan, who will be the core of the Andover team next season.
Players all over the state are taking advantage of the offseason. Beverly reached the Div. 1 Round of Eight before falling to Central Catholic by a bucket, and the program will graduate the immensely talented Jacob Klass, but the Panthers are already eager for next season. Rising seniors Eli Landman and Andrew Braganca and rising juniors Connie Panda and Ben Doughty are all playing AAU ball and working out with personal trainers.
And after missing out on the tourney, Peabody’s Thad Broughton Jr. looks to restore glory for the Tanners. He’ll be helped tremendously by a pair of soon-to-be seniors in Mark Mendonca, who has devoted himself to the game, and Justin Pais, who is making the most of every moment on the court after a torn ACL cost him his junior year.
As ESPN’s leading voice for NBA Draft coverage, Bilas is in the middle of a busy spring. He is also preparing for the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament that takes place this July in Lake Tahoe. Despite all his commitments, he still relishes the chance to discuss high school basketball. Even though he played in college at Duke and then professionally overseas in Europe, it is the memory of putting on his Rolling Hills Titans jersey that still stirs his heart.
“High school basketball, there’s nothing like it,” Bilas said. “There’s something about a real local high school experience that brings everyone together. You’re endeared to everyone in the community.
“For me, there was never any other option. My brothers went to the same school, so it was a no-brainer. I went to football and basketball games there when I was young. That’s what I dreamed about as a kid, playing high school basketball.”
