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Same time, next year?

Monday, March, 17 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

WORCESTER | Judging by the huge crowd yesterday, with nearly 6,000 of the 13,423 paid here yesterday packing the DCU Center for Central Catholic-St.John's, the MIAA wouldn't mind Raiders-Pioneers II for the 2009 state title matchup.

St. John's has to be better, considering it featured only two seniors in its rotation with two juniors, three sophomores and promising frosh Richard Rodgers in the mix.
How about Central?

"We're losing our athletes," said Raider coach Rick Nault. "Wilfredo (Pagan), Adrian (Gonzalez), KB (Oshodi) and Walson (Constant), those are our four best athletes. Next year, we'll be a little less athletic, but a little bit better as basketball players."

Obviously, you've got a pair of potential All-Scholastics back in Billy Marsden and Carson Desrosiers.

And junior Tim Wheeler played the defender-rebounder role, sacrificing some of his offense. His scoring totals could go way up.

Sophomore Michael Alvarez and freshman Jim Zenevitch have flashed some star power in brief flashes. You have to pencil in the Raiders as the odds-on choice in the conference and maybe even the North and the state.

The one question is the point guard spot, which Pagan vacates.

Right now, junior Benny Fernandez is the heir, but as always there is a deep talent pool to choose from at lower levels.

Coach on the spot

OK, Tom Sipsey, how does this Central Catholic team, for which you so ably assist Rick Nault, compare to the 2003 Raiders?

Sipsey started on that 2003 club, which went 24-0 before falling here in Worcester to Amherst High in an absolute classic for the state title.

"There's a lot of similarities between this team and mine with the great senior leadership they have," said Sipsey, who teaches at Methuen High and came aboard Nault's staff shortly after graduating from Merrimack College. "You have Adrian contrasting with Dan O'Shea. Marsden and Marquis Victor as juniors. Carson as a sophomore and Jonathan Cruz as a freshman. And both teams had great benches."
Yeah, Tom, but who wins?

"Actually, it's a conversation that Billy, Wilfredo and I had," said Sipsey. "I said we could discuss that after tonight. After a win like this, I think that's a tough group in that locker room right now."

As a proud alum, he took this victory to heart.

"I said to these guys, this is for any Central Catholic basketball player that's ever put on the uniform," said the former Merrimack captain. "I talked to Dan O'Shea this morning, and I said to him, there's no way, win or lose, I won't be thinking about our teammates, especially the seniors.

"We had such a great group of seniors. I know a few of them were in the building today | Ralphie Morales, Willis Martinez and Dan. There's no way I'd be able to get through today without thinking first about them."

Overcoming another obstacle
In essence, Central went out and won a state title yesterday with two hands tied behind their backs. Or at least, two of their five starters taken out of the game with foul trouble.

"We saw it happening, so we just picked it up," said Adrian Gonzalez.
Billy Marsden and Carson Desrosiers were limited by foul troubles.
St. John's had the momentum and the Cinderella theme working to perfection. Central simply wouldn't yield.

"I feel like right now, we're the No. 1 team in the state," said Raider coach Rick Nault. "We deserve to be No. 1, the best team in the state. These guys have proven that they are the best in the state."

In all, St. John's went to the line 37 times, hitting 23. The Pioneers made just 11 field goals on the night, the same number as Gonzalez.

Odds and ends

Rick Nault reported he got a good luck call from ex-Raider coach, Dick Licare: "He told me that his father had to wait a long time for one, and he had to wait a long time for his, but he hoped I got mine today," said Nault. ...

Two lasting observations from hanging around Central practices this week:
1. Tim Wheeler is obviously a man of many talents. The Raider junior forward not only is a talented defender, an integral cog in the state title express and a promising left-handed pitcher in baseball, but there he was in practice this week, taping up Adrian Gonzalez' ankle when the Raider trainer was unavailable.

2. Nault will try anything once. There the Raiders were after a heated practice Wednesday, going through a half-hour Pilates class. "Superman position, boys. Superman, two, three, four." ...

Additional stories:

• Central romps to state title
• Pagan, seniors go out in style
• Perfect ending for a (nearly) perfect team