By Christopher Shaban
Eagle Times Sports
CLAREMONT — Freshly coated gymnasium floors and the sounds of squeaky sneakers means only one thing as the New Hampshire basketball season gets underway on Friday with three of our local teams in action. The Newport Tigers, Sunapee Lakers and Fall Mountain Wildcats will all hit the road for their season openers at Hopkinton, Hinsdale and Raymond.
Senior night will be quick for these teams next year as none can claim to have anyone graduating in 2020. Newport’s Ross Dole, Sunapee’s Stephanie Larpenter and FM’s Matt Baird-Torney begin the year with not a single senior on their rosters but sky high hopes as all three teams look to make a deep tournament run with lots of current players logging quality minutes last season. Fall Mountain came up short in the championship game last year, losing to Monadnock, but with Curt Dutille gone from the Huskies’ top post, the Division III title is up for grabs.
Practice began two weeks ago for all New Hampshire Division III and IV programs and last week for all Division II schools. Vermont practices didn’t officially start until Tuesday and they will begin their season next week.
Sunapee opens their home season on Tuesday against Derryfield while Newport will welcome Windsor and FM will host Winnisquam on Friday the 13th for their home openers.
These head coaches all have teams without a single senior on the squad but with lots of experienced players.
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