DANFORTH, Maine — For the second straight year, the East Grand boys basketball team will have a new coach calling the shots from the sidelines. Anthony Cropley, an alum of East Grand and assistant coach for the past two years, has taken over the Viking program from Anthony Coldwell.
A 1996 graduate of East Grand School Cropley said he was looking forward to the start of a new era of Viking basketball.
“We have three returning seniors, but we also have four freshmen,” the coach said. “So I would say we are kind of rebuilding. I am trying to start the program over, and bring a new outlook to the team.”
With a solid mixture of seniors and underclassmen, the Vikings could be one of the surprise teams flying under the radar of Class D North this year.
The Vikings roster features seniors Thomas Gilman, Matthew Potter and Lendin Stoddard; sophomore Noah Sixberry; and freshmen Anthony Stark, Benji Gilman, Isaac Crone and Matthew Shay. Although the team could add eighth-graders to the roster, coach Cropley said there were none in the school this year who were interested in playing basketball.
“We are hoping to double the amount of wins from last year,” coach Cropley said. “The experience the younger kids are going to get this year is fantastic for the next three years down the road.”
East Grand finished 2-16 last season and did not make the playoffs. The Vikings’ record is somewhat deceiving, however, as the team played competitively in a number of games. The Vikings lost three players — Wyatt Oliver, Philip Farley and Josh Jones — to graduation from that squad. Their leaving has opened up some big holes in the starting rotation, but coach Cropley said he was confident in the abilities of this year’s players.
With a small roster of eight players, injuries and illnesses will be a key concern this season, the coach said. Practice also has proven difficult as there are not enough players to do “five-on-five” scrimmages.
Gilman, a 6-foot, 2-inch forward, will be the team’s floor general this season, with much of the offense flowing through him, the coach said. “We will be looking to Thomas to use his basketball knowledge and keep the flow of the game moving,” Cropley said. “He is a very good athlete who also excels at soccer and baseball.”
Stoddard, a 6-1 center, should be the team’s top rebounder as he anchors the low post position. The coach said Stoddard has an opportunity to score a bunch of points on offensive putbacks. “He seems to be the type of kid who is always in the right place at the right time,” Cropley said.
Potter, a 5-11 guard, will take over the team’s point guard role and serve as the primary ball handler this year. “He will be the guy setting up our offense and making sure the ball gets into the right hands at the right times,” Cropley said.
The remaining two starting positions remain up for grabs for the underclassmen.
“I would love to be able to run and gun, but realistically we are not built for that,” the coach said. “I think it (game plan) will depend on who we are playing. We have thrown a lot at the kids the first two and a half weeks of practice. They are seeing a lot more offensive and defensive situations than they have had the past few years.”
The coach said he expects Greater Houlton Christian Academy to be one of the surprise teams in Class D North. The Vikings also have tough matchups with Katahdin and Woodland on the schedule.
