Former Tide Standout Has Served as an Assistant Since 2010
In finding a replacement for legendary head coach John DiBiaso, Everett High School (EHS) administrators didn’t look beyond the Crimson Tide’s sideline to carry the torch for the most storied program in the Commonwealth.
Continue reading “The Successor: Pierre Named Head Coach of the Crimson Tide”
EHS Survives and Advances
Clutch free-throw shooting, defensive stops, and physical rebounding propelled the Everett Crimson Tide to an elusive sectional semifinal victory over Lowell Tuesday night at Salem High School.
The 71-68 triumph earns Everett a trip to Saturday’s Div. 1 North Final vs. Lawrence, which beat two-time defending state champion Cambridge in Tuesday’s other semifinal game. The game will be played at Tsongas Arena in Lowell (tip-off TBA). Continue reading “Tuesday’s Sectional SemiFinal”
Milestones Reached as Crimson Tide Roll Past Chelmsford and Waltham in State Tournament Action
Every time John DiBiaso roams a sideline, celebrations seem to follow. The latest landmark occasion in a year filled with memorable moments came on Saturday afternoon inside the Everett High School Gymnasium, as senior guard Ghared Boyce became the first player in the history of the boys program to eclipse the 2,000-point barrier.
Follow Dib and good things happen.
The record will show that Boyce scored the 2,000th and 2,001st points of his career on a driving layup in traffic, early in the fourth quarter of the Crimson Tide’s 84-51 demolition of Waltham in the Div. 1 North Quarterfinals. He is the 71st Massachusetts high school player to reach the 2,000-point plateau.
Boyce became the program’s all-time leading scorer a few weeks ago, and his place in school history has long been safe and secure. He is on the very short list of the best hoop players to tie up Crimson laces, period.
Not that Two Grand isn’t a big number. On the contrary, it’s a prestigious benchmark for a high school basketball player, one that’s only attained by those who perform at a very high level throughout their career. Boyce is a natural scorer. He can shoot. He can drive to the basket. He’s a finisher on fast breaks. He makes his free throws. He’s been fantastic since he walked into EHS four years ago.
“It’s special. I’ve worked so hard for four years to come to this point is such a great accomplishment,” Boyce told reporters after the game. “Now we move past it and I want a state championship. That’s our main goal.”
Indeed. Bigger things lie ahead for the Crimson Tide, who were set to play Lowell in a Division 1 North semifinal tilt Tuesday night at Salem High School. The winner of that game will meet either Lawrence or Cambridge in the sectional final on Saturday at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, with a trip to the TD Garden and the Eastern Mass. final on the line.
Boyce’s achievement continues what has been an historic season for the Crimson Tide football and basketball teams, both of which are coached by DiBiaso. In October, DiBiaso became just the fourth football coach in the history of the Commonwealth to win 300 games.
In December, EHS capped an undefeated season by winning its second consecutive Division 1 state title, its 12th under DiBiaso.
When the footballs were swapped out for basketballs, DiBiaso’s Crimson Tide didn’t blink, going 19-1, winning the league crown in their inaugural season in the Northeastern Conference and earning the No. 1 seed in the Div. 1 North Sectional. Last week, DiBiaso recorded his 500th victory as a head basketball coach when EHS crushed Chelmsford in the opening round of the MIAA State Tournament. He is the first coach in the state to post 300 wins in football and 500 in basketball.
And while it wasn’t marked with a ceremony, it must be noted that DiBiaso, who is retiring from the Everett Public Schools in June, coached his final home game on Saturday. It would be more than reasonable to suggest that, on the night of March 1, he walked off a court that one day should bear his name.
As for Boyce, Saturday’s game allowed him to approach and surpass the 2,000-point barrier in stress-free circumstances. In fact, he didn’t score a point in the first quarter, which didn’t prevent the Tide from building a 24-5 lead on the strength of a 13-0 run culminating in a fast-break layup by Isaiah Likely. The lead swelled to 31-5 early in the second quarter. A pull-up jumper by Caleb Jacobs gave EHS a laughable, 40-14, cushion at halftime.
The third quarter saw much of the same. A jump shot by Boyce at the 4:06 mark gave EHS a tidy, 50-20 advantage, prompting a timeout from Waltham. The breather seemed to remind everyone that Boyce was on the cusp of a big-time achievement, and you can’t accuse the senior of failing to sense that the moment was at hand.
He quickly drained a 3-pointer, letting everyone know that they wouldn’t have to wait long. He added two points at the end of the third and four quick points early in the final frame to take care of business.
After a quick ceremony was held, and with the game well in hand, Boyce took a much-deserved seat on the bench and no doubt turned his attention to bigger and better things.
Milestones Reached as Crimson Tide Roll Past Chelmsford and Waltham in State Tournament Action
By Lorenzo Recupero
Everett’s boys’ basketball team is winning playoff matchups by double-digits and doing so in history altering fashion. Continue reading “High Court: DiBiaso Wins His 500th Game, Boyce Reaches the 2,000-Point Plateau”
Casino License in Question; Mayor Must Be Heard From
Published reports in this edition of the Leader Herald pointing to the Gaming Commission’s apparent discovery that Wynn Resorts president Matthew Maddox knew all about his boss Steve Wynn’s paternity suit and payout but failed to say anything about it when Wynn’s application was filed with the Gaming Commission spells big trouble.
It is anyone’s guess what exactly the commission is going to do except to say that Maddox is likely out of the picture as a replacement for Wynn – and this fact alone puts the license in jeopardy.
What does this mean and how should we react?
It means that Wynn Resorts and its top echelon of leaders cannot be considered as “suitable” replacements for Wynn. We should react to this with shock and alarm. The future ownership of the license appears to be in question.
Add to this Governor Charlie Baker’s comments last week that the Wynn name should not and cannot appear on the hotel and casino now being built.
Baker’s comments were tame compared with those of Attorney General Maura Healey.
She questioned whether or not Wynn Resorts should be allowed to keep its Boston-area casino license in the wake of new rape and sexual harassment allegations lodged against Wynn.
Both Baker and Healey agreed the Gaming Commission should keep the Wynn name off the Everett project.
For Everett, this is a bitter twist for a project more important than any other in the city’s history. There is no gloating or laughter about this turn of events.
Everything is now in question about the project even though construction is continuing. The Wynn myth of superiority has been shattered. The company is riddled with degenerates or so it would appear.
The mayor’s silence in the face of this potential catastrophe remains a mystery. At the very least he should have denounced Wynn for his appalling behavior. He should have demanded new ownership.
He should have demanded Wynn’s name be disallowed on the structure. Instead, not a word about that from the city’s top elected public official. Not a word from him about injecting the city’s best interests into this mix of questions about how the project ends up being owned and or completed or both.
The mayor has a spent almost $1 million on a law firm to squeeze larger tax payments out of Exelon. That $1 million probably should have been spent getting the city some edge in this casino mess.
If the Gaming Commission does not allow Wynn Resorts to own the license Everett becomes mired in an incredible short- term disaster.
If Wynn can’t own the casino then someone else will but the project won’t be the same.
All Everett residents should be caring about is that we get the $30 million in lieu of tax payment that is due in 2019 that Wynn is supposed to pay. Without that payment – this city is cooked. There is another $12.5 million payment coming in May.
All of us need to hear from the mayor about what exactly is going on.
Why the silence in the face of such despicable behavior by a man who just two months ago was considered Everett’s savior and savant?
Our Condolences to the Goss Family
Those of us who know the Goss Family of Everett have been thrown into a state of despair for our friends who suffered the loss of all losses in February.
What should have been a joyous day turned into the darkest of days for the Goss Family who lost not only their beloved daughter Angelina, but their unborn grandson who their daughter was pregnant with.
Angie, as she was known, suffered a severe asthma attack on Feb. 15 while visiting her grandfather in Salem, New Hampshire.
She was rushed to Lawrence Hospital where she died but then gave birth to a son who also died.
There are no words adequate to assuage the grief of this Everett family of hardworking, decent people.
Angie was a 2005 graduate of Everett High School.
To Bobby Goss, her father, and to her fiancé Francis Feeley, and to everyone in this family touched by this horrific double tragedy we offer our condolences.
If only man was God and we could bring them back.