LHS Boys' Basketball: New Season, New Coach

Reginald Hobbs knows he is stepping into big shoes this season by becoming the head coach of the boys' basketball team.

Hobbs, a biology teacher at LHS, is taking the reigns of a highly successful Minutemen tradition, following the tenure of coach Bob Farias, who brought the team 568 wins and led the Minutemen to the second round of the state tournament last year.

Not only was Farias successful, but he also retired under contentious circumstances.

Last year, his contract was not recommended for renewal, and many in the community who were brought up in Farias' tradition were outraged by the decision.  To shake the boiling pot, Farias's long time assistant coach, Tom Brincklow, favored to take the role after Farias's departure, was passed over in favor of Hobbs.

Hobbs knows the undertaking puts a target on his back, and subjects his work to scrutiny.

"This is a rich tradition," said Hobbs. "And I have so much respect for coach (Farias). With that tradition comes expectation and pressure, you know."

"I respect coach a lot, and these kids, they are resilient," Hobbs continued. "They have the passion and drive to be great, so they can be. He (Farias) accomplished so much. I'd like to continue that toughness and tradition and focus on effort in every play and every detail to maintain that competitiveness, and help these guys grow. We want to do the right things on and off the court."

Hobbs had no control over the Farias situation, but being the storied coach's successor has placed him under a microscope. Hobbs was an assistant coach at Endicott College in 2009-2010, and the associate head coach at Tufts University from 2003-2009.

His credentials are evident, and he has a real love of basketball.

During a recent interview, Hobbs was happy to talk about this year's LHS team, and his excitement ignited when he got to speak of his players' dedication. 

"All 13 guys on the team are great kids," said Hobbs. "Our captains are great players. Demi [Monovoukas] has a real motor, and is an amazing athlete, and Lyle Morrison has a great vision. They all want it, you know. As a team we're going to play extremely uptempo, because we have such an athletic team. That's what all of this is about, you know, those kids."

Monovoukas and Morrison agreed, noting their confidence in the team.

"We're very athletic," said Morrison. "We're gonna get out there and run the court all the time."

"We'll be able to compete with everybody in the league," added Monovoukas. "We'll play good defense and keep the game fast. Guys like Chris O'Keefe and Pat Burns are helping us to keep our team tough. We look forward to a good season."

The Minutemen will play their league rival, Woburn, in the opening game of the season on Dec. 14, at home game.

"We played them in the fall, and they were tough," said Morrison. "They are a perennially tough team. It'll be a good, tough game to start off the season with."