As the Grateful Dead song goes: “What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been.”
When last we left 11 months ago, the CIAC boys basketball tournaments had lasted all of one day before the CIAC was forced to cancel the remainder of it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, we still are in the midst of the pandemic, but we do have a season beginning on Monday, Feb. 8. And the team that left last season on top has returned there.
East Catholic, the reigning CCC tournament champion, received 17 of the 19 first-place votes to stand at No. 1 in our preseason poll. It’s a CCC sweep of the top three spots as Windsor – last year’s preseason No. 1 – followed by Northwest Catholic, which beat Windsor in the CCC semis last year before falling to East Catholic in the final, claim the No. 2 and 3 spots in the poll.
The NVL, SCC, ECC and FCIAC are also represented in the top 10 with Bristol Central, a fourth team from the CCC, claims the 10th and final spot.
We will be seeing an abbreviated regular season of 12 games, followed by league tournaments. There is no Run to the Sun at the Mohegan Sun Arena for the second straight season.
So with a limited league schedule and no non-conference games, we have a chance to see several undefeated teams this season. Who will they be?
The curtain drops on the season come Feb. 8. Let’s sit back and enjoy the action.
| TEAM (1st place votes) |
REC |
PTS |
LAST |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1. EAST CATHOLIC (17) |
23-1 |
566 |
1 |
||
| Last year’s final result:Defeated Northwest Catholic to win the CCC championship. The Bottom Line: Eagles return to the spot they left off in after winning another CCC crown. Retun four starters but lost Matt Knowling, the 2019-20 Register/GameTimeCT State Player of the Year. |
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 |
2. WINDSOR (1) |
19-4 |
472 |
3 |
||
| Last year’s final result: Lost to Northwest Catholic in the CCC tournament semifinals. The Bottom Line: Guards Corey McKeithan and Primo Spears have graduated, but the Warriors are always primed and ready to defend you all over the floor regardless of who is in the starting lineup. |
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 |
3. NORTHWEST CATHOLIC |
20-4 |
405 |
8 |
||
| Last year’s final result: Lost to East Catholic in the CCC tournament final. The Bottom Line: Three CCC teams at the top to start the 2021 season. Matt Curtis, an explosive junior guard, leads the way for NWC. |
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 |
4. SACRED HEART |
21-1 |
367 |
4 |
||
| Last year’s final result: Lost to Holy Cross in the NVL tournament semifinals. The Bottom Line:Crusaders snapped Sacred Heart’s 125-game NVL winning streak last year. The Hearts haven’t played a game since. How will they respond? |
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 |
5. NAUGATUCK |
22-1 |
361 |
6 |
||
| Last year’s final result: Defeated Holy Cross to win the NVL championship. The Bottom Line: Greyhounds are coming off their first league championship since 1969. Behind Avery Hinnant and Ese Onakpoma, there is no reason tho think they can’t have another one-loss, or an undefeated season. |
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 |
6. WILBUR CROSS |
17-7 |
354 |
10 |
||
| Last year’s final result: Defeated Notre Dame-West Haven to win second consecutive SCC title; defeated Bassick in the Division I tournament opening round. The Bottom Line: Dereyk Grant and Jayvon Taylor return to try and help the Governors earn the SCC three-peat. |
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 |
7. NOTRE DAME-WH |
21-2 |
353 |
7 |
||
| Last year’s final result:Lost to Wilbur Cross in the SCC tournament final. The Bottom Line: Ben Carroll leads the Green Knights in hopes of taking that final step to its first SCC championship. |
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 |
8. NFA (1) |
23-0 |
315 |
2 |
||
| Last year’s final result: Def. Ledyard to win the ECC Division I championship. The Bottom Line: Mason Jackson has transferred to prep school, but the Wildcats still have a leg up on the rest of the ECC. |
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 |
9. RIDGEFIELD |
21-2 |
276 |
9 |
||
| Last year’s final result:Defeated Trinity Catholic to win the FCIAC championship. The Bottom Line: Bet against the Tigers winning their fourth FCIAC title in five years at your own risk. |
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 |
10. BRISTOL CENTRAL |
17-5 |
261 |
NR |
||
| Last year’s final result: Lost to East Catholic in the CCC tournament quarterfinals. The Bottom Line: Come into the lane against 7-foot-1 Donovan Clingan at your own risk. |
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| Dropped out: Prince Tech (5). First-place votes in parentheses and points tabulated on a 30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-11-10-9-8-7 basis. |
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| Others receiving votes: Prince Tech (23-0), 197; Notre Dame-Fairfield (4-17), 145; Kolbe Cathedral (17-6), 140; West Haven (15-7), 91; Immaculate (21-2), 85; Hillhouse (19-3), 81; Fairfield Warde (18-5), 64; New Britain (13-9), 49; Waterford (10-12), 47; Morgan (16-8), 43; Old Lyme (22-1), 38; Ledyard (15-9), 36; SMSA (18-4), 22; Wamogo (19-4), 19; Hamden (17-7) and Holy Cross (17-6), 10; Fairfield Prep (13-10), 9; Granby (14-9), 8; New Canaan (13-9), New London (8-14) and St. Bernard (16-8), 7. | ||||||
| The following voted: Paul Augeri, Middletown Press; Bill Bloxsom, Milford/Trumbull Pubs; Mike DiMauro, The Day of New London; Scott Ericson, Stamford Advocate; Tim Jensen, Patch Media Corp.; Sean Krofssik, Record-Journal of Meriden; Mike Madera, GameTimeCT; Kyle Maher, Journal-Inquirer of Manchester; Joe Morelli, New Haven Register; Keith O’Brien, Game Day CT Sports; Dave Phillips, Shore Line Newspapers; John Pierson, WTNH; Kevin Roberts, Waterbury Republican-American; Dave Ruden, The Ruden Report; Chris Saunders, WATR-AM; Ben Talbott, Bird’s Eye Sports; Richard Zalusky, The Chronicle of Willimantic; Jimmy Zanor, Norwich Bulletin; Joe Zone, WFSB-3. Poll Compiled by Joe Morelli |
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