The Mount Desert Island boys were the darlings of the Class B regional tournament in 2015. As the No. 13 seed with a 5-13 record, the Trojans pulled off shocking upsets over No. 5 Ellsworth in the preliminary round and No. 4 Gardiner in the quarterfinals before finally succumbing to top-ranked Medomak Valley in the semis.
Last year, the Trojans went 14-4 and won their prelim contest, but they fell by 11 points to Orono in the quarters.
MDI enters the 2016-17 season with a team that again figures to be at or near the top of the class. The Trojans return all five starters and lost just one player to graduation who was part of last year’s rotation. Tenth-year coach Justin Norwood hopes that lessons were learned from February’s tourney run that was cut short.
“Two years ago, we played as if we had nothing to lose, and last year’s higher expectations affected the way we played in the tournament,” Norwood said. “To take the next step, I think it is important that we play together on both ends of the floor.”
The chemistry should be there for this veteran group, which includes nine players who were members of that surprising team in 2014-15.
“One thing I love about this team is that they are very close,” Norwood said. “The kids support each other and truly enjoy playing together.”
Senior Riley Swanson, who averaged 13.3 points and five rebounds per game last season, is one of the top shooters in the Big East Conference and has built a strong all-around offensive game.
Senior Russell Kropf is another returning double-figure scorer (10.5 ppg) who is a threat both around the basket and from the perimeter.
Seniors Graham Good (9.5 ppg) and Aaron Snurkowski (7.5 ppg) and junior Andrew Phelps (6.3 ppg) are other weapons on both ends of the floor. Good, who led the Trojans with 7.2 rebounds per contest, is regarded as the team’s top defender, and Snurkowski and Phelps paced MDI in assists and steals, respectively.
Others in the rotation are seniors Gus Reeves, Drew Rich, Devin Parlatore and junior Colby Lee.
Norwood benefits from having a successful junior varsity program, which went undefeated last year and gives the Trojans even more depth.
“In my 10 years, I’m not sure we have had this much talent throughout our program,” Norwood said. “We have many new players who have the talent to push some of the players from last year.”
Norwood said the Trojans plan to “continue to try to speed the game up, pressing as much as possible to use our depth to our advantage.”
Orono, the team that eliminated MDI in the quarterfinal round last winter and has advanced to the regional finals each of the past two seasons, should be dangerous again.
The Red Riots lost some size with the graduation of 6-7 Imao Woldring and 6-2 Kamron Hines, but they bring back a wealth of talent and experience.
They have two athletes who have signed on to play other sports at the Division I level this fall. Jake Koffman, a 6-2 forward, is going to Stanford University on a track and field scholarship, and 6-3 Jackson Coutts is bound for the University of Rhode Island to play baseball.
“Jake is a do-it-all defender who can guard any position and control the paint on both ends of the floor,” said Red Riots’ coach Jason Coleman. “Jackson is our glue guy. He has a very high sports IQ and does a very good job getting us organized.”
They return to the starting lineup along with point guard Nate Desisto, a Big East Conference first teamer, and 6-3 Keenan Collett.
“Nate is a very gifted offensive player, and Keenan is capable of scoring 20 points on any given night and have 15 rebounds the next,” Coleman said.
Connor Robertson, a sophomore who was the sixth man last year, is another player to watch.
“He has really begun to grow into his body and has improved his skill set, making him a large part of what we will be doing this year,” the coach added.
“They have a lot of size and experience and will be a very good team,” Norwood said.
The defending regional champions, the Ellsworth Eagles, lost nine players to graduation, including many strong frontcourt players, but their strength this season lies in guard play.
Bryce Harmon, a second team all-conference player last season who averaged 10 points and four assists per game, will run the show as a four-year starter. Zach Harris, a junior, shot 50 percent from 3-point land and starts alongside Harmon.
“They will create matchup problems against anyone they play,” Coleman said.
Eagle coach Peter Austin said Trent Mahon is joined by newcomers Bradley Smith and Sam Giffin as players who provide depth in the backcourt. Jackson Curtis is a highly-touted freshman who could get minutes.
The Old Town Coyotes are another team with many holes to fill after 10 players graduated, but Ryan Hoogterp is one of the keys for coach Brian McDormand’s squad, which won a state title in 2014.
The Hermon Hawks are always one of the top defensive teams in the league and should be competitive once again behind veteran coach Mark Reed. Keenan Marseille, an all-conference third team selection last year, has the ability to take over a game, and freshman Isaac Varney shows great promise.
“They are going to be very tough as they always are,” Norwood said. “They have some of their top players back and are always prepared.”
Houlton is coming off a 2-16 season but has a new coach in Tim Brewer, who compiled 216 victories and four Class D state championships during his 15-year tenure at Central Aroostook. They lost a number of close games last year but return a solid nucleus.
Presque Isle also had a tough year in 2015-16, recording just three victories, but return a dynamic starting backcourt consisting of junior Griffin Guerrette and sophomore Jonah Hudson.