A Voc-Tech boys’ hoops player lays up the ball during practice Wednesday. The Tigers hope to take it to the opposition this season. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – “There is always optimism at the start of every season,” said Westfield Vocational-Technical High School boys’ basketball head coach Kyle Dulude.
That renewed spirit surrounds a handful of returning players.
Westfield Voc-Tech returns one senior, Connor Hebda, for the 2014-15 season, and a bevy of youthful enthusiasm. Junior starters Matt Wood and Tyler French return, as well as Luis Santos, starting his third year on varsity, and junior Alex Stepanchuk. Tim Shevchenko and Luis Ruiz, who split quality time as freshmen on the varsity squad last season, also return.
Early indications though are that Hebda might miss up to a month with a broken nose.
A total of 10 freshmen and two returning sophomores will comprise the Junior Varsity squad, which also gets a new coach, former Westfield High School hoops’ star Adam Rivera.
Dulude’s boys’ soccer team recently received a sportsmanship award. That is something he hopes carries over into the winter sports season.
“That is something we will try to be replicating with the basketball program,” he said. “We take pride in working hard at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School, and that is the base we start working from, from there. We hope to build chemistry and then let fate take its course. The boys are very excited to be playing basketball and I think all players will gain a valuable positive experience this year.”
