By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Central boys basketball squad is looking forward to the 2023-24 campaign which commences today with a lovely trip to RHAM.
The Rams are going into battle with some experience at the guard position and that means the trio of Carmelo Thompson, Mike McMahon and Joey Pikiell will be shooting the ball early and often.
Harry Ross is back and should see some extended minutes on the floor but there’s not much experienced depth behind the 6-foot-5 big man.
If this squad keeps to head coach Tim Barrette’s game plan, the program is going to be a tough out over the second half of the season.
Let’s take a look at the Rams:
BRISTOL CENTRAL BOYS BASKETBALL
Head Coach: Tim Barrette (17th season)
Overall Record: In 16 seasons at Central, Barrette carries an all-time record of 189-155.
Last Season’s Record: 6-15 overall (No. 15 Bristol Central dropped a 79-40 decision to No. 2 Northwest Catholic in the second round of CIAC Division I play).
Subtractions: Tre Blair, Mike Allan, Mason Stokes, Jayeson VanBeveren, Julius Powell and Aiden Lopez.
2023-24 Roster: Carmelo Thompson (jr, guard), Mike McMahon (sr, guard), Jaysun Dominguez (sr, guard), Joey Pikiell (jr, guard), Harry Ross (sr, forward/center), Gavin Chamberlin (so, guard), Quincy Lawson (so, forward), Nathaniel Ortiz (jr, guard), Jayden Sokolowski (jr, forward), Cody Roy (so).
Strengths: Shooting, guard play.
Weaknesses: Lack of experienced size.
Why Central will be successful: The squad has a solid 10-man rotation Barrette can turn to and it could be someone different leading the charge offensively on any given night.
Relevant Fact: The Rams are still paying the price with the ‘Donovan Clingan’ schedule. The likes of East and Northwest Catholic are still on the docket and the slate isn’t an easy one to conquer.
Another Relevant Fact: The Rams, despite that large turnover of players over the past couple seasons, continues to qualify for state tournament play. Central has been playing in the postseason since the 2011-12 campaign.
Overview: Barrette has a squad that is capable and eager, looking to put in the work and are inching to get its first regular season game underway in Hebron.
“I love my team,” said Barrette. “Great kids. They show up early, they are ready to work, ready to learn. They’ve been sponges so far absorbing everything. I’ll tell you, they’ve been great to be around, a great team to work with.”
The long time mentor has a current grouping of ten players he’ll turn to with some good experience from the guard position.
“I’ve been rotating nine or ten [players] consistently,” said Barrette. “I’m pretty happy with my rotation right now.”
Barrette understands that having that kind of depth is a luxury because in past seasons, he hasn’t been able to go that deep down his bench.
But he has two units he can employ that can play at the varsity level.
Central won’t have a ton of experience at every position but the squad returns a talented trio of guards.
Senior Mikey McMahon (7.3 points-per-game in 2022-23, 28 three-pointers) returns and was the third leading scorer last season.
He led the program in three-pointers made while junior running mate Joey Pikiell (6.2 ppg, 26 threes) can also fill it from deep.
Pikiell had a 23-point game last season and hit a late, clutch 3 in the first Central/Eastern showdown – proving he can score in tight situations.
“Mikey and Joey have been great leaders in the offseason, really taking the initiative to push our guys to get better,” said Barrette. “They’re going to take a lot of outside shots. We need them to knock down shots.”
And then there’s junior Melo Thompson who can fill the stat sheet when he’s in the groove.
The second leading scorer from last year posted 10.1 points-per-game and hit nine three-pointers.
He played in 19 of the 21 games, dropped in 23 points for his season high while hitting 29 free throws to lead the team.
Thompson can rebound a bit, dish the ball with accuracy while his game is improving in the defensive end.
That trio of players will need to be the leaders of the program and must produce from the field.
“Melo has to continue his development,” said Barrette. “Those three guys (Thompson, McMahon, and Pikiell) have been playing a lot of basketball the last year and a half. They have to continue their development. We’re definitely going to rely on those three consistently to score.”
Barrette expects his guard play, which will include starter Jaysun Dominguez, to improve as the year progresses.
Dominguez played in 17 games off the pine last season and will certainly have a bigger role on the court.
Nathaniel Ortiz and Gavin Chamberlin will also have a spot in the backcourt rotation.
However, the coach is going to have to also develop a glut of big men, some with varying amounts of experience.
“In the program, we have a decent amount of bigs,” said Barrette. “We’re going to run some new stuff this year that’s definitely more guard oriented this year coming in.”
Ross, the keeper from the boys soccer team, has size and was making some traction at the end of last season.
He’ll block an occasional shot, play solid positional defense, grab some rebounds and make high percentage buckets.
That experience will help the program over his senior campaign.
“It’s Harry’s time,” said Barrette. “Harry needs to step up as a senior and we have all the confidence in the world that he will do so. I saw some great things out of Harry at the end of last year. I think he could be an under the radar game-changer for us if he continues to develop.”
During football season, Quincy Lawson was a beast on the gridiron and expect that same kind of hustle, guile and zest when he’s out on the court in what should be a tremendous bench role.
“Quincy’s tough,” said Barrette. “He just goes after the ball like you want your players to do. You can’t teach energy and that’s something I don’t have to [preach] to him. He’s going to be raw, he doesn’t have a lot of varsity experience. The game is fast. I’ve seen that through the first couple scrimmages with him.”
“With that being said, you don’t teach someone how to go after the ball and he does that well, better than anyone else on my team.”
Junior Jayden Sokolowski and sophomore Cody Roy should also earn some time, developing along the way.
The sophomores on the squad will help push the program with the kind of zest and energy Barrette loves to see.
However, the schedule isn’t fun with the likes of games at Newington, East and Northwest Catholic and Manchester.
“We still have to go to Northwest Catholic,” said Barrette. “We still have to go to East Catholic. It’s the last year of the Donovan [Clingan] schedule.”
There is some good news as the Rams moved back to Division II after a year in Division I. This season, Division II has 35 teams vying for tournament slots.
“You get moved after you have better players,” said Barrette of his program.
Last year, Barrette mentioned how an extra two weeks of practice kind of got the team ready for the rigors of the tough Division I slate.
And by the time Central made it to the postseason, in a first round rematch against Northwest Catholic, his entire roster was prepared, able to get into the game and contribute.
Now, with another year of experience under their belts, the squad is expecting to take another leap forward and contend.
This squad is willing to take its lumps, come back to work, make improvements, and win every practice.
Central wants to get back to the state tournament, one of the team’s goals, and has been playing in the postseason since 2012.
“We have to win eight games,” said Barrette. “We expect to be a tournament team.”
And it comes back to the guards.
If McMahon, Pikiell and Thompson can show poise and drain their quota of three-point bombs, Central is going to have more than half a chance this season.
“We’ve got to shoot the ball well,” said Barrette. “We’ve got to definitely make shots from the outside. I think if we can continue to develop defensively, that’s one of the biggest things. You can put your guys in position offensively, but defensively, the game is fast especially for guys who haven’t played at that level.”
“[But] I think we’re heads and shoulders above where we were three months ago. I see improvement every day…I think the team you see in game one is not going to be the same team you see in game twenty.”
CCC South
According to Barrette, one of the featured teams in the CCC South resides over on King Street in Bristol.
“I’ve got to say Eastern,” said Barrette. “It’s got to be their year. They’ve got the same guys back. We’re talking about two opposite teams if you think about us. But Bunty had to go through that developmental stage I’m going through now. And throughout the years, his teams have gotten better and better.”
Platt lost a bunch of players but the JV team from last season could provide a spark according to Barrette.
Maloney and Middletown should also be in the mix.
Barrette, however, notes that there’s not a ton of size in the CCC South and that may help Central in the long run.
“[The league] is very guard oriented up and down,” said Barrette. “I predict Eastern will be near the top. I think Maloney has two of the best returning players (including Marquis Ward). So I think they’ve got to be up there and Middletown is obviously always strong.”
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