Sports
Waltham High boys' basketball soars in state playoffs – Wicked Local
WALTHAM — Moments after Brendan Wilder’s seventh three-pointer of the night swished through the net, the Waltham High senior was blown away by his good fortune.
“It was awesome,” he said after the Hawks’ 63-36 trouncing of Concord-Carlisle on Monday in the first round of the Division I state tournament. “I started feeling good after seeing the first few shots go down, and to be able to do that, at home in what is going to be my last game on that court, was amazing.”
A packed audience inside Waltham High School’s gymnasium erupted as the final shot from Wilder sailed through the hoop, the culmination for the team’s huge victory.
The win is the latest sign for a school and city that has historically found its greatest success in ice hockey and football that it may be starting to become a bit of a basketball power as well.
Under the leadership of Brendan’s father, Mike Wilder, the program has gone 75-34 over the last five seasons, qualifying for the state tournament in four of them. This year’s team sports a 17-4 record and has advanced to play Natick in the Round of 32.
Mike Wilder is a 1993 Waltham High alum, later playing basketball at Clark University in Worcester and coaching after he graduated. He noticed that when Brendan was in first grade, there was no real option in Waltham to focus on teaching skill development to young basketball players. Wilder then began working with the Waltham Youth Basketball Association, helping to expand the league and its coaching options to younger players, and creating a travel team for middle school players.
Wilder took over the Hawks varsity job at the start of the 2015-16 season, replacing 30-year coach Joe Cacciatore. With his son’s class now seniors, Wilder said the current team is a study on the efforts made at the youth level.
“They are the first group that have gone from first grade, all the way to their senior year,” Mike Wilder said. “They are the inaugural group, so this is kind of a case study for me.”
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The coaching and skill was on full display during Monday’s game against Concord-Carlisle, which saw Waltham easily navigate C-C’s 1-3-1 zone defense, regularly stretching it with ball movement and finding either open three-point looks for Brendan Wilder or layups for senior Ian LaForest (22 points, 14 rebounds).
“They aren’t the most physically intimidating team, but they play incredibly connected basketball and their skill development is high because of what we’ve done,” Mike Wilder said.
The team features a well-rounded group of disciplined players, including Brendan Wilder and the rugged LaForest. Junior guard Stephen Barnes adds quickness and creativity off the dribble, and senior forwards Chris Samios and David Cinquegrano bring versatility and hustle to the lineup.
“When you play with the same teammates for so long, you have that connection on and off the court,” Brendan Wilder said. “I couldn’t have played so well if it wasn’t for my teammates. Stephen is usually our big scorer, and he was really working hard to pass the ball, and some of my shots came off offensive rebounds, which I couldn’t have had if it wasn’t for my teammates hustling to get them.”
LaForest added that the experience with his teammates allows the team to be supportive at critical moments.
“Having played with them for so long, you know their tendencies, and you also know that when they’re down, what you need to do to get them going,” LaForest, one of a set of triplets, along with brother Nick and sister Ainslie, who play basketball for Waltham High. “My teammates are great, I’m really not that big of a shooter, but I was able to score because they did such a great job moving the ball around the zone.”
Mike Wilder said that given the success the program has had over the last five years, coupled with some promising underclassmen, he believes that the program can continue to be competitive, even after this talented group of seniors departs.
“We may not be 17-4 next year, but we are considered competitive — we aren’t just having pockets of success because we have a few good players,” Mike Wilder said. “They’ve been at it a long time, the terminology, everyone understands things so well by the time they get to high school. I’ve enjoyed the ride so far and when things like this happen, it’s fun.”
The Hawks visit Natick on Thursday for their Round of 32 game. Should they win, a potential date with top-ranked Catholic Memorial could be next.