HODGDON, Maine — Coming off a whirlwind season that saw the Hodgdon boys basketball team collect its first state championship in Eastern Class D, it would be easy for the team to rest on its laurels.
But if veteran coach Robert Smith has anything to say about it, there will be no letdown for the Hawks this season.
“We honestly feel we are a Bangor-bound team,” coach Smith said. “Everyone comes in with that expectation and that is our goal for them.”
It was a rough off-season for the Hawks who lost two players to graduation, one to transferring to a private school and a fourth to injury. Tyler Sherman and Deyrell Vargas graduated last spring, while Keegan Gardner is out for the year with a knee injury.
The biggest loss, however, came when Chris Hudson (a junior on last year’s squad who averaged 24 points and was considered to be one of the best players in Eastern Class D), opted to transfer to Williston Northampton, a private school in Massachusetts.
Hudson, Sherman and Vargas were the top three scorers for the team a year ago.
Last season, the Hawks finished 20-3 overall, winning the state Class D championship 51-46 over Valley of Bingham.
But that was then, and this is now for fifth-year coach Smith, who remains optimistic that the Hawks will be in the playoff mix come February.
“We think they have the capability to win a good amount of games that will get them into the playoffs with a shot to go to Bangor,” he said. “Whether we make it or not we do expect the players to come in and work hard and improve as individuals and as a team.”
The Hawks’ roster features seniors Tyler Barton, Caleb Dube and Devin Quint; juniors Dana Brown, Blake Woods and Jimmy Buzzell; sophomores Ben Tuttle, Jordyn Merritt, Daden Palmer, Devin Ramsey, Dillan Buzzell and Kevin McAfee; and freshman Matt Tuttle.
“Our depth will be a strength for us this year,” coach Smith said. “In years past, I have played only seven guys primarily, but this year I can go to nine and may even go deeper than that on the bench as the season progresses.”
Smith said nine different players could potentially fill the role of point guard if needed, which should make for some spirited practices as players jockey for a position.
The starting rotation, at least to begin the season, will likely be Quint, Dube, Woods, Jimmy Buzzell and Palmer.
Quint is a 6-foot, 1-inch guard who can also play forward. “He can shoot well from the outside and works hard on rebounding on both sides of the ball,” Smith said. “Devin is our only returning starter from last year’s team.”
Dube, a 5-10 guard, is a transfer student from Houlton who will be one of the primary ball handlers. “Caleb has the capability of shooting the ball well from behind the arc and has the ability to get to the hoop,” the coach said. “He may receive tough defensive assignments by being asked to contain high scoring point guards.”
Woods, a 6-1 forward, was the Hawks’ sixth-man last season. “He has the ability to find the ball on defense with his rebounding,” Smith said. “On offense, he works hard in the paint and could be a strong inside presence for our team.”
Jimmy Buzzell, a 6-0 guard, will have duties of handling the ball as a point guard. He can shoot from outside and has the ability to drive to the hoop and either shoot or create for others, the coach said.
Palmer, a 6-1 guard, is coming off a year where he was the first guard off the bench and hit some big shots in games. “This year he will be called upon to do the same,” Smith said. “He will be used as a ball handler when needed and is able to shoot from behind the arc.”
Developing team chemistry will be one of the biggest challenges with so many new players vying for time at the varsity level, the coach said.
“We will have players that have not been on the floor together in the past,” he said. “As games go on, they will learn each other’s tendencies and it will start to glue the team together. With new players comes the time to learn our offensive sets, our plays and what we expect on defense.
“We have the capability to shoot from outside and most of our guards have the confidence to drive to the basket when the opportunity arises,” he said. “Our defense will be the key and this team has already caught on to what it takes to give our team a chance to win. They have been hard at work learning our man-to-man and our zone defense.”
Teams to beat in the Hawks’ division will be Southern Aroostook, Easton, Washburn and Schneck. Helping Smith will be assistant coach Seth Dorr and volunteer Sean Molloy.
