HOULTON, Maine — There is no better scenario for a new head coach than to inherit a talent-laden team.
That is precisely the scenario for Matt Day, who has taken over the reigns of the Greater Houlton Christian Academy boys basketball team this season. Day, who served as an assistant with the club a year ago and is in his first stint as a varsity coach, inherits a team that sees the bulk of its scoring back for another run.
Last season, GHCA finished 12-5 and was the fourth seed in Class D north. The Eagles lost to No. 5 Schenck 54-30 in the quarterfinals.
“I’m hoping we can stay focused in game situations and maintain our composure,” the coach said. “We have a very talented group of kids. But essentially I want GHCA to be a defensive-minded team. I want to get the boys confidence at a high and I want to get the boys back to a point where we can get to Bangor and redeem themselves from last year. They’ve got a chip on their shoulders without a doubt.”
The bulk of the Eagles roster is back for another run. The team features seniors Cole Winslow and Isaac Potter; juniors Ethan Grant, Parker Brewer and Will Austin; sophomores Jeremy Stone, Joel Carmichael and Austin Winslow; freshman Silas Graham and eighth grader Drew Duttweiler.
While he has yet to determine his starting five, Day said he has plenty of options this year. The Eagles have good size with Brewer standing 6-feet, 3-inches and Potter at 6-4. “This duo is something other teams (in Class D) don’t have, so we are working on focusing on these two as the centerpiece of our offense and our defensive stands.”
GHCA also has depth off the bench, and will use that to its advantage in many games.
Day said early in the season he plans to focus on fundamentals of the game, with a special emphasis placed on defense. “I want defense to be our main focus,” he said. “Our offense will come naturally off of our defense. I’d like to get back to the basics of basketball that seem to have been lost over the years.”
More importantly, Day said he wants to help his players grow as young men. “I want to teach the boys basketball, but my main goal is to teach them lessons in life that they can relate to both in basketball and in life. I’m really hoping to make an impact on the boys and lead them in a direction where they can be successful further in life and can be productive contributors to society off the court.”
Assisting with the Eagles will be Sam Henderson. The manager is Brock Thompson.
