NORTH ANDOVER — When the North Andover High boys hoop team embarked on that wild ride last March, folks around school and around town noticed and embraced it.
Coach Paul Tanglis felt the impact on Monday when a total of 75 student-athletes – 27 vying for varsity spots – hit the hardwood for tryouts.
“Winning certainly doesn’t hurt. The kids are excited, and it’s obviously a good thing,” said Tanglis.
After moving from the ninth seed all the way to the Division 1 State Semifinals – the equivalent of a sectional championship under the previous format – the sky is the limit. and these Knights know it.
“We’ve got a good core, starting with (senior All-Scholastic and Eagle-Tribune Super Teamer Zach) Wolinski and our other captains, Niko Catalano and Jake Saalfrank. We’ve got a lot of guys who played as sophomores and have improved themselves this year and are looking for much bigger roles,” said Tanglis. “They’ve gotten a taste of it, and they’re going to want more. That helped with the offseason stuff. They did a lot on their own, they pushed each other, so we’re hitting the ground running.”
About the only impact piece that moved on from the 16-8 Knights to graduation was Eagle-Tribune All-Star forward Jake Denney.
“Denney, we have to fill his shoes obviously, but we have the most returning kids we’ve had in a long time,” said Tanglis. “The experience for a lot of these kids last year, most of them being sophomores, that’s hard to replicate, playing in front of big crowds in hostile environments. We’re hoping that helps us in being a pretty mature team this year.”
In addition to the deep nucleus, there are some intriguing young prospects on the rise, none more than Trey Martin.
He’s the younger brother of recently graduated Knights’ sensation Hannah Martin. Big sister was nothing short of a legend, a three-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star who scored 1,226 career points and led North Andover to the D-1 state quarters last year.
Will Trey be burdened with expectations laid out by the career of his big sister?
“Trey is the kind of kid who probably relishes it. He was excited for his sister, and he’s looking to build his own chapter here in North Andover,” said Tanglis. “He’s a physical kid for a freshman. They’re cut from the same cloth, a hard-nosed kid who is coachable, all good traits to have.
“Obviously as a freshman in the MVC it’s a whole different ball game. We’ll ease him in, but there’s a lot of upside there.”
A second freshman, Max Thorpe, and sophomore Angel Sanchez will add to the mix.