South boys working their way back up

The Nashua High School South boys basketball team has been progressing through the preseason.

Does that mean that Panthers’ coach Nate Mazerolle thinks his team will be playing in the postseason this year?

That’s a question that will take a young South team some time to answer.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how quickly they’ve assimilated themselves to what we need to do,” Mazerolle said. “Nowhere near where we hope to be in March, but some of the younger kids, they’ve been very productive and have picked up what we want to do defensively.”

That’s key because of the transition new players often face going from zone to the man-to-man defense that Mazerolle is trying to incorporate.

“The defense for the veteran players, we don’t change it much so they know what to do,” Mazerolle said. “We probably spend a little less time on defense, but it was the focal point early in practice because the offense, which was a major problem last year, that is something we focus on more (during the year). If we don’t play defense well, it doesn’t matter how good our offense is.”

There were many struggles for the Panthers a year ago, as they finished the regular season with a 3-15 record and missed the Class L tournament for the first time in history.

With that year as far back in the rearview as possible, South is ready to move. It’s just what the Panthers are moving on to that remains a bit of a mystery.

“I’m going in somewhat blind,” Mazerolle said. “We’ve had three scrimmages and that’s all well and good, but until the lights go on Friday night, you don’t know, will those younger players play the same way Friday that they did Monday night in the scrimmage. I have no idea. I have not been more anxious/nervous about an opening night than I have in my 12 years because I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Mazerolle does know who his captains will be, as the players voted seniors Nilsson Basora, Matt Auger and Bobby Cordaro as captains.

“I’m very interested to see how they act,” Mazerolle said. “They’re seniors, they’ve all been around for two or three years, they know what is expected and they know what we need. It’s now a matter of how will they lead and I don’t know. As much as we struggled last year, we had pretty good senior leaders. This year we need the same.­”

Chris Thistle, a senior, and Anthony Muccioli, a junior, return as starters from a year ago, and Mazerolle expects Jared Maloney to be a key contributor as well.

“After that it’s the youth movement,” Mazerolle said.

The Panthers lost four seniors from a year ago, including Jake Nelson, and South took another blow before the season started when sophomore Kaleb Joseph decided to transfer to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass.

South opens the season Friday against Concord, another team that struggled a year ago. With 19 teams in Division I this season, everyone plays once. The Panthers play all four Manchester schools on the road, something that only Keene and Salem will also do.

“That’s a nightmare,” Mazerolle said. “It’s tough to say (anything about the schedule) because we’re coming off such a difficult season that there are no cupcakes. Concord is a team who struggled last year, so I’m sure we’re both looking at it as a really big game for each of us.”

The Panthers and the Crimson Tide will tip off at 7 p.m.