By CHRIS LACLAIR
Eagle Times Staff
MANCHESTER, N.H. — High school students from Newport Middle School, Sunapee Middle High School and the Claremont area took their skills to Manchester to take on an adult team at the Manchester Baller’s Association (MBA). The main objective wasn’t to win the game for these boys, the goal was to get better. They happened to accomplish both feats with an 85-72 victory.
The MBA gym was previously located on the campus of Hesser College, which closed its doors in 2016. Carl Doucet saw an opportunity to purchase the gym to create the vision of community basketball at the end of 2017. He created the MBA in 2011 with 37 players and one employee.
“The mission of the MBA is to offer all basketball players a chance to play in a Manchester league that is competitive, fun and affordable,” said Doucet.
Newport’s Christian Forsythe tips in an offensive rebound to score two of his 18 points.
The gym offers league play and open gym runs. The leagues they offer are based on the skillsets of the players. Their highest level of play is called the Master’s Division followed by the Recreational A and Recreational B Divisions. They also offer an early morning Sunday league and a late-night Sunday league. Players can form teams for slotted game opportunities on Mondays at 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. They’ll soon offer a league for 45-year-old and older players.
“It’s important that people know I am a former player, referee and coach so basically, we need to be very open minded to older players playing with younger kids to get better and keep the older guys younger,” said Doucet. “Often, you will see the older guys mentor the younger players on the court if they are willing to listen. Basketball brings generations together by building bridges. We should all come together including coaches, players and referees. We want basketball to bond people together and that’s why we have made it this far, honestly. “
“The Manchester League is great because we play really good competition and we’re also getting better every time we play,” said Claremont’s Patrick Prive who will be entering his junior year of high school. “It’s also cool to see new play styles from different people.
“I think everyone really enjoys playing with each other on the team and I think we work so good together that no one realizes that we’re from different schools that’s how good we are together as a group.”
The boys took advantage of the Sunday night slot on Aug. 4 and carpooled together to face a well-matched adult team that Doucet put together with a similar skillset. After an intense first half of play, the boys found themselves with a close 38-36 lead. After making adjustments that included switching from a 2-3 zone in the first half to a 3-2 zone in the second half to negate the 3-point shooting from their opponents, they were able to increase their lead for a comfortable lead and a victory.
At the end of the day for these young men, the final score and stats weren’t the main focus. Playing against older, more mature players with more experience was an important tool to add to their bags as they prepare for their high school winter seasons.
Newport senior Aaron Fellows made sure that he utilized the second half to show the leadership that he will bring to the table this winter as his Tigers will be looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. He scored 26 second half points for a game high 30 points. Scoring is nothing new to Fellows as he will hit the 1,000 points mark this winter as he believes he is around the 850 career points scored toward the milestone.
“Well, the first half wasn’t really going good in scoring for me, but it was going good in assisting and rebounding and the start of the second half,” said Fellows. “I hit a few buckets early and knew what I had to do to score. Most of my points came from rebounding but I did have a couple 3s and some midranges. I just knew the game was really close and I needed to change that for our team to win. I feel at the start of the summer we were a little rusty in summer league but as soon as we went to the Castleton tournament, we stepped up. Our game has gotten better as a team I feel this year. We’re going to be a pretty good team. I feel like this has been one of our best summers for basketball and I hope we can have a really good season this year.”
Sunapee’s Brock Kangas made the trip with the Newport boys as they have a great friendship in the offseason even though they are rivals during the basketball season.
“Overall, we didn’t play that great on the defensive end and we allowed too many points on fast breaks,” said Kangas. “It was a fun game and a completely new experience.”
“As I eagerly walked into the gym, I felt a new sense of aura surrounding the area,” said Newport’s Christian Forsythe. “Arriving early was a great approach to get reps in before this intense new experience. I knew coach was right when he said, “We aren’t just here to win, we are here to improve.” This set the tone for a great win!”
Newport Tigers 2023 alumni Kayden LaClair also laced up his sneakers for another chance to play with his old teammates. He still mentors the players when he gets an opportunity to play with them to give them advice and help motivate them in any way that he can.
“I think these boys will have a great season at their respective schools,” said LaClair. “I am excited to watch my Tigers play this winter as I truly feel that these offseason opportunities will give them a chance to get past the first round of the NHIAA playoffs.”
If you are interested in sending a team to MBA, their contact information can be found on their website manchesterballersassociation.com.
