Newtown’s hot start not a surprise
The Cinderella run had ended for the Newtown boys basketball team, which had pulled off three seeded upsets en route to the CIAC Division II state semifinals.
But in head coach Tim Tallcouch’s mind, it was just the beginning.
“It was an emotional post-game talk about how ‘This is going to fuel you guys going through this type of run. It will only make us better,’” Tallcouch said. “Everybody coming back wanted to taste this some more.”
Publicly, Tallcouch had those same feelings after losing in last year’s semifinals.
“I’m really happy and pumped about Newtown basketball. It stinks that it ends right now, but this is the type of run that could only energize this program and the town of Newtown.” he told Hearst Connecticut Media following the Amity loss last March.
The Nighthawks believed and thus far, have performed quite well. They have won their first eight games, including their last two South-West Conference games after entering the Top 10 for what is believed to be the first time ever.
Now Newtown is the lone unbeaten among SWC teams. And as far as Tallcouch is concerned, the team deserves any accolades it earns.
“We’re not going to shy away from getting these types of kudos. These kids have worked hard,” Tallcouch said. “We are not the hunters anymore. I told the kids (from the beginning) that they would be hunted this year.”
Robert DiSibio, who scored 14 points in the loss to Amity last season, is one of the basketball-only players in the program. The 6-foot-3 senior forward was an All-SWC pick a season ago.
Two other seniors, center Todd Peterson and guard Tucker Garrity, have committed to Division I schools in other sports. Peterson will play baseball at UConn while Garrity will play lacrosse at Jacksonville.
Tallcouch called Riley Ward a “tough-as-nails point guard.” He inserted Jack Peterson, Todd’s younger brother, into the starting lineup against Capital Prep and Peterson has remained there ever since.
The SWC crowned three state champions last season: Notre Dame-Fairfield (Division I), Immaculate (II) and Kolbe Cathedral (IV). Newtown hosts Barlow Tuesday and Notre Dame on Friday night. Tallcouch said the game against Notre Dame “could be the biggest home game in my seven years at Newtown.”
But with plenty of great teams left on the schedule, including the other two reigning state champs and a non-conference showdown against Crosby, Newtown is going to have a tough road.
“The meat of our schedule is coming up,” Tallcouch said. “We are not running away from it, we’re not hiding from it. We believe in these kids. They have played some pretty good basketball and hopefully continue with that. There will be bumps in the road. It’s up to our leaders to help us navigate through them.”
CASHING IN EARLY
In Jamie Anderson’s first season coaching at Law last year, the squad qualified for postseason play for the first time since 2010. The Lawmen clinched that berth on Feb. 12, 2018.
Law was able to clinch this season on Saturday, exactly one month earlier. The 68-59 victory at Guilford helped Law stay undefeated at 8-0.
“I’m not sure anyone could’ve or would’ve predicted an 8-0 start for Law,” said Anderson, who played for the Lawmen. “There is a lot of parity in the various leagues around the state. We are lucky to have such a selfless group from the top down.”
Law is currently one of three undefeated teams in Division IV (Cromwell and Classical Magnet are the others). But with Xavier and West Haven on the schedule twice apiece among other SCC clubs, there is a long way to go before seeding in the SCC and Division IV tournaments come into play.
“These kids have zero personal agendas and play for one another at both ends of the floor,” Anderson said. “They are all hard workers who push each other and hold each other accountable. It’s been a great ride so far, but we have a lot of work to do.”
HOOPHALL CLASSIC
Two schools in the Top 10 poll will be competing this weekend at the 2019 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.
Third-ranked Windsor opens Saturday’s schedule at noon when the Warriors face Ramapo (N.J.), followed by No. 2 East Catholic versus Archbishop Wood (Pa.) at 1:30 p.m. Next Monday, East Hartford, which dropped out of the Top 10 this week, closes out the long weekend by playing Springfield Central (Mass.) at 7 p.m.
Tickets either day are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, subject to availability. Tickets can be purchased at tickets.hoophall.com or by calling 413-2315513 during business hours through Friday.