HOLDEN — The early part of the 2023-2024 varsity basketball season has not been kind to the Wachusett Regional High School boys’ varsity basketball team (1-6 as of Jan. 5), and while players and coaches across the roster acknowledge that improvement is critical, no one is ready to capitulate at this stage of the game.
“We have a balance of young and old and in-between,” explained WRHS head coach Tom Gibbons, whose team fell to visiting Fitchburg High, 65-55, on Jan.5. “We’re going to get better as a team and improve and take it one win at a time. At the end of the year, we’re going to be a tough team to beat. We need to keep everyone positive and forget about the record for now and focus on getting our defense better, rebounding a bit better, and trying to get that one win that can jumpstart us.
“We had a couple of 3-pointers go in and out tonight. We missed a couple of free throws, too, and we couldn’t get a big start when we needed it. We didn’t rebound as well, so we’ve got a lot to work on.”
“We’ve struggled with slow starts as a team, and I think that’s a big part of what’s going on,” added senior forward Dillon Harper. “Another big thing we need to work on is being physical. They were pushing us around. I feel like me and a couple of others have a lot of heart for the team, but we need to get everyone on board.
“I think we need to start beating the teams that we should be beating. Tonight was a winnable game, and I feel like we played under our expectations. We just need to get that one win to get us over the hump and we’ll be OK.”
Versus the Red Raiders, it was Wachusett jumping out to a 12-8 first quarter advantage with juniors Erik Maziarz (16 points on the night) and Seann Katubi (17 points) pacing the green and white.
The Mountaineers would hit a soft spot before intermission, allowing Fitchburg to grab the lead that they would not relinquish going on top, 29-22. Wachusett would hit some key baskets down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to hold the Red Raiders at bay.
One player to keep an eye on as the season progresses is Katubi, who plays with intensity and knows how to dial it up when the opportunity arises.
“The one thing about this team is that we all love each other even though we’re having our struggles right now,” said Katubi. “Everyone on the team wants to play for each other. It’s all about making that extra pass, which we’ve been doing. Late in the third quarter and into the fourth, that’s what we started to do, which is why the game started to get into short margins.
“The coaches are trying to encourage us to shoot more. Once I reached my junior year, I decided that I wanted to elevate my game. Coach Gibbons has given me the confidence that I need to shoot the 3-ball.”
Members of the 2023-2024 Wachusett Regional High boys varsity basketball team are Erik Maziarz, Dillon Harper, Hunter Berry, Mitchell Donkor, Thomas Rovezzi, Sam Mulroy, Thomas Anderson, Seann Katubi, Miles Paredes, Logan Dennett, CJ Goode, Vincent Cappabianca, Chris Pickett, Pierce Rettig and Joe Raeke.
The team is head-coached by Tom Gibbons, assisted by Zack Berman, Bryan Riley, Corey Haynes, Brian Alisch and Nick Baldino. Student assistant is Jace Duval.
