Everett boys basketball coach Gerard Boyce outlines the path for success this year on the team’s overall experience

Tide will open the new season at home against Malden on Tuesday, April 16, at 7 p.m.

By Joe McConnell

The Everett High School boys basketball team started slowly last year, getting off to a 2-6 start. But over the next 13 games, coach Gerard Boyce’s team won eight times, before losing to BC High, the 27^th seed, in the Division 1 preliminary round of the state tournament, 67-56. The Tide was 38^th in the final power rankings.

Boyce, who is entering his third season along the Everett sidelines, has only two players – senior captain Cristian Vasquez and junior Jayden Alsaindor – coming back from last year’s postseason team. “Both of these players will contribute significantly to our lineup,” Boyce said.

A total of 32 players tried out for the team the Monday after Thanksgiving to determine who lands where in the program. After a week of “positive energy” that emanated from each practice, Boyce kept 15 on this year’s varsity roster.

Boyce considers the team’s strength this season lies within its chemistry. “Many of our players have been playing together since the eighth grade,” he said. “But on the other hand, one of our weaknesses is that we’re smaller in terms of height than in previous years.”

To compensate, the team’s short-term goal is to be competitive in every game, while the long-term outlook focuses on teaching the players valuable life lessons like showing up all the time with a good attitude, while also being accountable, according to Boyce.

The veteran Everett coach scheduled three scrimmages against Shrewsbury, Nashoba Valley and Chelmsford to get ready for the season, which begins at home against Malden on Tuesday, April 16, starting at 7 p.m. They will then head to Chelsea to play the Red Devils to close out the first week of the season two nights later, beginning at 6 p.m.

Boyce says that it has been “a rewarding experience” to be the Tide coach the last two years, and as a result has a better understanding of the Greater Boston League (GBL) landscape right now, especially when it comes to both Lynn schools (Classical and English). He knows they will always be tough to face, especially in their own venues. “Their home environments always add another layer to the challenge of facing them each year,” the coach added.

Their first game in Lynn is on Jan. 6 against the English Bulldogs. Later on in that month, the Tide will face the Classical Rams away from home on Jan. 27. But aside from those challenges, the Everett head coach says that he’s “looking forward to a great season.”