PEABODY — Perhaps the toughest challenge for a high school coach is finding ways to replace a talented senior class. Seniors will graduate each spring and coaches are left to figure out how they’ll fill those vacancies. Peabody boys basketball coach Thad Broughton’s used to that challenge.
Broughton’s Tanners went 12-8 last winter and qualified for the Division 1 North state tournament. Peabody suffered a quick exit from the postseason after the Tanners lost to English in the first round. The Tanners graduated seven seniors from last season’s team.
“We had a really good season,” Broughton, entering his eighth season, said. “We graduated eight seniors the year before. We were really happy with how things went. Going into this season, we have a lot of new faces because we graduated seven seniors. We’ve had a lot of turnover but we’ve had a lot of younger guys step into new roles and do a good job.”
The bright side is the Tanners return one of the more talented scorers in the Northeastern Conference in senior guard Chris Canela. A senior, Canela scored 16 points per game last winter. He was Peabody’s leading scorer in 2017-2018.
Senior forward Michael Tansey returns after missing 13 games last winter due to injury.
“He’s going to be a big part of what we do this year,” Broughton said. “He missed 13 games last year due to injury. He can’t wait to get back in the mix this year.”
Also slated to play key roles are senior point guard Joe O’Neill, junior forward Chioke Onwuogu, junior forward Joel Kashila and junior guard Joangel Lugo.
“We’ve dealt with this the past couple years where we’ve had a lot of new faces,” Broughton said. “It won’t be any different this year. We’re confident that the guys on our team can step up and play new roles. We’re looking forward to a great season.”
Canela, Tansey and O’Neill will captain the Tanners this season.
“Chris has the most varsity experience,” Broughton said. “He’s played for four years so he’s the guy that can lead by example. Joe and Mike are hard workers. We’re expecting them to lead our team this year.”
Peabody will rely on Canela to drive the offense again. Though Broughton’s confident Canela can lead the charge, he’s hoping other scorers will step up to the plate and create a balanced attack.
“We’re going to try to spread the offense around this year,” Broughton said. “Hopefully we’ll score by committee. We’ll rely on Chris but we’ll need other guys to step up as well.”
Although it’s still early, Broughton has liked what he has seen from his Tanners during the preseason. The early signs indicate that camaraderie and togetherness are two of Peabody’s strengths.
“Our identity has to be that we come together and have good chemistry,” Broughton said. “These guys, particularly this year, they all get along very well. So far in practice there’s been great continuity. I think our biggest strengths will be our togetherness and our team chemistry.”
Life in the Northeastern Conference isn’t easy and Broughton projects another competitive season in the conference. But the Tanners welcome the challenges with open arms and look forward to NEC battles.
“The NEC is a fantastic conference,” Broughton said. “Each game is tough. We’re looking forward to that challenge.”
Peabody opens the season Friday night (7) at Revere.