HODGDON, Maine — It could be a year of ups and downs for the Hodgdon boys basketball team as the Hawks appear to be in the midst of a youth movement.
The Hawks return just six players from last year’s team, which finished 12-7. Hodgdon was the No. 2 seed in the Class C North region and earned a trip to the Bangor playoffs, but was upset by No. 6 Schenck, 65-46, in the quarterfinals.
“We will be a young team with limited experience,” said coach Rob Smith, who is entering his eighth season with the team. “Only four of our six returning players saw significant time on the floor. So with a new team will come some changes. We will adapt our offense and defense to our size and our quickness.”
Members of the Hodgdon roster are seniors Dylan Oliver and Wyatt Foster; juniors Andrew Tuttle and Josh Palmer; and sophomores Michael Sanders, Josh Foster, Seth Tapley, Dameon Sanders, Jacob Ritchie and Ethan Carter.
“With all five starters and a majority of our bench graduating, it will a chance for new players to step up and become leading scorers, rebounders and other statistical leaders,” coach Smith said. “Each game will be a learning experience and we will grow in experience on the floor as the season progresses.”
The Hawks’ goal is to post a strong enough record to host a preliminary playoff game, and hopefully earn a trip to Bangor.
“In addition, through each game, our goal is to see our individual players improve and to see our team gain experience and grow together as they compete,” he said.
The Hawks have plenty of quickness on the roster, and hope to use that speed to play a pressing style of defense to create turnovers.
“We have players that will be able to attack the hoop as well as guys that can shoot outside,” coach Smith said. “This mixture will hopefully bring a good balance to our offense. We are young and will have all new starters so practice will be competitive as players position themselves and challenge each other for starting spots.”
While it was too early in the pre-season to predict who his starting five would be, coach Smith said the six returning players should all be in the mix, though they could be challenged by some of the younger Hawks.
Wyatt Foster, who came off the bench last year, is able to drive to the hoop and will be a top rebounder on the team, the coach said. Palmer saw some time off the bench last year as well and continues to grow as a player. Smith said Palmer should be a strong rebounder who can hopefully contribute on offense as well.
Oliver is someone coach Smith will use to defend the opposing team’s best player, while Tuttle should be the team’s point guard and primary ball handler.
“The final roster spot may depend on who we are playing, as Ethan Carter will give us some height underneath as well as another post player,” the coach said. “Jacob Ritchie has been working on his outside shot and Josh Foster has quickness on both sides of the ball.”
Eight players, including five starters, graduated last season. The team lost its leading scorer, Daden Palmer; leading rebounder, Kevin McAfee; and primary ball handler, Jordyn Merritt; along with Noah Nash, Dillon Buzzell, Devin Ramsey, Matt Tuttle and Ben Tuttle.
The competition in Class C will be tougher this year, according to Smith. Fort Fairfield and Fort Kent traditionally play Hodgdon tough, and the addition of Houlton to the schedule adds another strong opponent to the mix. Houlton played in Class B last season.
Assisting Smith will be David Tuttle and Anita Levesque.
