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With gym construction ongoing, Amesbury has no place to call home

Thursday, December, 06 By John Shimer
Staff writer

Stuck in limbo while the Amesbury High School continues its project to build an updated gymnasium, both the Amesbury boys and girls basketball teams will be left without one specific home site for the 2007-08 season.

For the time being the middle school next to Landry Stadium and The Nock Middle School in Newburyport will serve as the Indians' home venues. For all practices and most of the home games the Indians will stay at the Amesbury Middle School. However, for the River Rival series the Indians will head over to Newburyport to play at the Nock starting next Tuesday.

With each gym fairly small in comparison to the old Amesbury gymnasium, the Indians will certainly have the smallest home court in the CAL this season at either site.

"I'm not sure what kind of home court advantage we can turn this situation into," said Amesbury boys coach Thom Connors. "The Amesbury Middle School is darkly lit and the stands are set up opposite the benches on the court as opposed to our old gym where the fans would sit right directly behind the players."

Girls coach Chris Perry, who works at the Amesbury Middle School during the day, said the court has been historically very loud.

"I'm not sure if people are aware, but the way the roof is designed the place gets extremely loud," Perry said. "I don't think the situation will much of an issue though, these kids are only a couple years removed from playing in the gym nearly every day at school."

According to one of Amesbury's biggest rivals though, the Indians' games at the Nock will be the most similar atmosphere to the old high school gym.

"Whether it has been the beginning of the season or the end, whether either team has been good or bad, playing in the Amesbury gymnasium always seems to bring out the best in both our teams over the years I think because of the design of the gym," said Triton boys coach Tim Connell. "But, I think the Nock is the best alternative because of its size and the acoustics. The place gets loud in a tight vicinity, and really brings a heightened sense of intensity to games the court plays host to."

The boy-girl double headers also give Connors a chance to watch his daughter Kendall, a senior captain on the girls team, play for one of the few times during her career.

"Every time she plays a game we play at the opposite site and thus I have only really had a few opportunities to watch her play in her varsity career," Connors said. "Many years ago we had the conversation about my potentially stepping aside so that I could watch her play, but she was very supportive of my continuing to coach.

"For the longest time she was the one that would come up to me after a football game or whatnot to give me a kiss and a hug, and now I can do that for her after her game," Connors continued. "But, she'll probably get sick of me pretty soon after I have a comment at home to critique her game."