FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — A lot has changed since last season for the Fort Fairfield boys basketball team. Following consecutive Northern Maine Class C runner-up performances, a lot of familiar names will no longer be on the court this winter for the Tigers.
Previous coach Logan McLaughlin stepped down and Vaughn McLaughlin has taken his place. McLaughlin has been involved with basketball in a variety of capacities, most recently as the assistant girls varsity coach in Fort Fairfield, so he brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and experience to the table. This will be put the test, as a big graduating class consisting of Isaac Cyr, Malcolm Langner, Liam McNamee, Alex Sprague and Jared Harvey leave a lot of new players in important roles.
This year’s roster is void of a single senior, so this learning curve will be able to carry over another year with no drop off. Leading the way for the Tigers will be junior guard Dawson Watson, who is the only player with significant varsity experience and will be looked at to provide leadership on both ends of the floor. He is a solid defender and a capable scorer.
Other juniors include Colby Langner, Wyatt Keegan, Chase Griffeth and Grayden Griffeth. Langner, Keegan and Chase Griffeth are athletic players who work hard at both ends. Griffeth is a solid outside scorer while Langner and Keegan are more slasher-type players. Grayden Griffeth is coming off a fall injury and is awaiting clearance to return to the court.
There are a number of new players to the squad who will define their roles as the season progresses. Junior Austin Cote is new to the game and will see action when a defender is needed. Sophomore Avery Cormier loves to score and will go hard to the basket. Sophomore Justin Maynard is a leaper who should be a solid rebounder, while classmate Jared McGillan brings good size to the floor. Kobe West, another sophomore, is a good defender and shooter and should see significant minutes off the bench.
Freshmen include Chase Coiley, Alex Oakes, Josh Gill, Zack McShea and Jonah Bernard. Coiley is a quality shooter and defender and should see quality minutes. Oakes is a quick shooting guard, while McShea is a power forward who works hard in the post. Gill and Bernard play the wing and should improve as the season progresses.
The strength of this team will be outside shooting and a willingness to work hard on the defensive end of the floor. McLaughlin plans to mix things up defensively, but everything will hinge on man-to-man principles. Offensively, the Tigers will play a more uptempo style as their lack of size may not be suited to a post-up game.
Coach McLaughlin listed a few goals for the team entering the campaign.
“Our goal is to be competitive in every game we play and see constant skill development and improve as the season goes on,” he said. “We will strive for a balanced offensive attack, coupled with a team approach to defense with good helpside on the ball and solid pressure.
“Our theme this year is to “outwork, out-hustle, out-class, and outlast,” said McLaughlin. “As their coach, I am trying to teach them to make each other better every time down the floor.”
