MANSFIELD — The Magicians lost to Mansfield in the Elite 8 of Division II. Despite the loss, head coach Mike Giardi said something interesting postgame.
Giardi told his seniors they “need to be proud of what they established.” Marblehead is losing seniors Tyrone Countrymon, Aven Denbow, Isaiah Makor, and Magnus McCarthy, all of whom played a role in the Magicians’ season.
Truth be told, one of the big holes that will need to be filled next season is the leadership of Countrymon.
“He runs everything, whether it’s on the floor or off the floor,” Giardi said. “He’s the leader.”
Giardi spoke about how his seniors led by example – all to the betterment of the underclassmen.
“Not just on the court, but off the court, guys just want to be part of it,” Giardi said.
The next time you see Marblehead take the court, you’ll see several returners. Players like Nicholas Lemmond, Miles O’Neill, Ryan Commoss, and Scott Campbell will look to take the program one step further.
Also, in most matchups this season, Marblehead held size advantages. And something the Magicians faithful will love to hear – the program is returning nearly all of its frontcourt players next winter.
“We have some really talented kids in terms of the way they play and how they play together,” Giardi said. “[Ryan] Commoss, Scott [Campbell], Miles [O’Neill] are three bigs that can rotate in.”
Giardi admitted his team was filled with so much talent that, unfortunately, some players didn’t get the minutes they probably should have. That said, it’s good for the future.
“We’ve got a ton of guys on our bench that probably should have gotten more runs on the team,” Giardi said. “Honestly, on other teams, they probably would have.”
“It’s hard to find minutes for everyone. We have some wars in practice, some absolute battles,” Giardi said. “It’s something I think the younger kids are hungry for now.”
Behind the leadership and blueprint laid down by the seniors, and the ample amount of talent in the returning Magicians, Marblehead will look to build on this season and go a step further next winter.