PHOTO BY JIL SOUZA
Lynn native Marcos Echevarria has established himself as a centerpiece player at Nichols.
By JOSHUA KUMMINS
Marcos Echevarria hasn’t even been at Nichols College for head coach Tom Glynn’s full three-year tenure, but those following New England college basketball know that the Lynn native has already established himself as a centerpiece player for the Bisons.
“Whenever I recruit on the North Shore and in Boston, Nichols basketball is quickly associated with his name,” Glynn said.
For example, Joey Flannery ― the reigning Division III National Player of the Year ― is that signature player for Babson, a team that last year advanced three rounds into the NCAA Tournament and is currently ranked first nationally. During Glynn’s tenure as an assistant coach at MIT, it was Jimmy Bartolotta, who finished his career as the nation’s top player in 2008.
However, Flannery and Bartolotta’s respective head coaches, Stephen Brennan and Larry Anderson are New England fixtures, having worked at their institutions for more than two decades.
“He’s that one kid who is the face of the program,” Glynn said of his sophomore point guard. “It’s happened, obviously, a lot earlier in my career, but it’s pretty cool. He’s a great kid to be associated with … and demonstrates everything that’s right about college basketball.”
Echevarria was named a captain in March, at the conclusion of his freshman year. While he’s a critical leader off the court, few players in the nation have done more to prove themselves on it.
He leads the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) in scoring by more than four points per game, averaging 26.4 through the season’s first nine contests. That mark ranks sixth in the NCAA Division III and first in New England.
Echevarria has been an all-around contributor, not only leading the Bison in scoring, but also in minutes played (37.6 per game), three-point field goals (39), free throws (67), assists (36), and steals (20). He has been Nichols’ top scorer in five games.
“I’m still learning and growing, but it’s just been a journey,” said Echevarria, whose team has ten freshmen and just one four-year senior. “Coach Glynn has given me the reigns and allowed me to make my mistakes and grow from them. He’s been my big supporter on the court, pushing me to do what’s best for the team and myself at the same time.”
The Bison began the season with an 80-75 loss at Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, but are 7-1 since. They defeated Roger Williams, Wentworth and Western New England for a 3-0 start to CCC play.
Nichols averages 94.2 points per game, having scored at least 90 in seven of its games. Echevarria is an obvious key to that success, and sees Glynn’s approaches as a contributing factor to the team’s lethal offense.
“I think what’s helped us is getting fast break points and making as many layups as we can. That comes from hard defense,” Echevarria said. “Another thing we pride ourselves on is fast break three-pointers. Usually coaches want us to take the layup, but Coach Glynn wants us to take the three. I think that’s definitely one of my strong suits, and a lot of my teammates’ as well.”
Earning captaincy is rare for a player as young as Echevarria, but his first year with the Bison was hardly a typical one. Last season, the St. John’s Prep and St. Mark’s School product earned All-CCC Second Team honors after scoring a team-high 18.9 points per game and setting Nichols’ single-season record with 99 three-pointers.
“Being so young and being a captain has its ups and downs,” Echevarria said. “I think I’m relating a lot more to the freshmen because I’ve just been through it, and they listen to me.”
He continued to earn trust from Glynn and assumed more responsibility this season, primarily playing point guard after switching between shooting guard as a freshman.
“You can just see all the work he put in over the summer every day in practice, and in the games it’s obvious,” Glynn said. “He’s added a lot to his game. He’s always been able to shoot and score, but he’s attacking the rim and playing a lot more of the game.”
Echevarria not only tries to lead his teammates, but also serve as a role model to the Lynn community.
With Nichols off this past week before Christmas, Echevarria was in Orlando, Florida to support his younger brother, Jalen, who plays for St. Mary’s boys basketball team, at the Pre-Holiday KSA Classic Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
“It gives me a lot of heart on the court because I’m playing for something more than myself,” Echevarria said. “I’m trying to create a pathway for other kids to show that they can go to college and become big names.”
Names and notes
- Marblehead’s Sam York and his University of Miami football team are in bowl game action this week, facing No. 14/12 West Virginia in Wednesday night’s Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando. York ― a transfer from Ohio State, where he was a part of the Buckeyes’ national championship team in 2014 ― did not appear in any games this season, but was named a Scout Team Player of the Week on two occasions.
- Next Monday, Peabody native and St. John’s Prep grad Johnathan Thomas and the No. 5 Penn State football team faces No. 9 USC in the Rose Bowl. Thomas appeared in four games for the 11-2 Nittany Lions.
- At the midway point of the college hockey season, Saugus native and Union College senior captain Mike Vecchione is the nation’s leader with 18 goals and 37 points in 19 games. He has scored hat tricks against Niagara (four goals) and Yale, three shorthanded goals and also won 300 faceoffs.
- Lynn’s Katie Burt is one of just two Women’s Hockey East goaltenders with three shutouts this season and leads the league with a .719 winning percentage, thanks to her 10-3-3 record. The Boston College junior returns to the ice next Wednesday against Syracuse.