By Lorenzo Recupero
At about the halfway point of the 22-game regular season, the Crimson Tide, led by several key contributors, including junior guard Steven Cordero, stand at a healthy 9-2 overall.
With close losses to only Brookline (69- 62)) and Cambridge Rindge & Latin (53-48), the Tide remain undefeated (8-0) in the strong Greater Boston League.
Powering the surge for the division-leading Tide is Cordero, who is averaging 19.5 points to go along with 4 assists and 3 steals per game.
“Steven has really taken a step forward this year. Last year, during the pandemic season, we handed him the keys so to speak because we knew he’d be our guy directing the offense for the next few years. It was a season of growth for him. I’d like to say that he learned a lot from that shortened season, especially in the conference championship against Lynn English, because he came back with a mentality of wanting to prove something,” said EHS Head Coach Stanley Chamblain of his junior guard, who spent the offseason improving his game.
“He didn’t play all too well in that last game of last season and of course we lost, so I know it’s something that ate at him in the offseason. His exit meeting was straightforward. I basically told him that he needs to hit the weight room and be dedicated to the gym. He was getting by on natural talent, but the physical part of the game was holding him back. He came into this offseason having added a few pounds of muscle, increased his vertical, improved his shooting, but above all he came in with an increased level of confidence,” said Chamblain.
In the Tide’s December 16 matchup against Medford, Cordero scored a career-high 30 points in the 65-51 victory.
“This season, his ability to put pressure on defenders in the open court has been key to our success,” Said Chamblain. “That and his ability to play the passing lanes very well just creates easy points for him in transition. His eyes light up in the open court, he’s able to use his speed to just blow by defenders and he has this uncanny ability to just stop on a dime and pull up for the midrange jumper. Because he draws so much attention in the open court, it creates open opportunities for others to get easy baskets. When he’s playing at a high level offensively, everyone else feeds off it.” Everett is currently on a 5-game win streak.
Chamblain, Cordero and the rest of the Crimson Tide take on league rival Chelsea (January 27, 7PM @ Chelsea) and Lynn Classical (February 1, 7PM @ EHS) next.