PORTLAND — Connor O’Neil and Griffin Brady are unsung players for the Cheverus High boys’ basketball team, says Coach Bob Brown.
They don’t get as much publicity as say, Louie DiStasio or Peter Gwilym. But without them the Stags wouldn’t be where they are.
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And where the Stags are is where they were last year, playing for a Class A state championship. The Stags (21-0) and Bangor (20-1) meet tonight at 7 p.m. at the Augusta Civic Center.
The Stags have molded another unselfish team with O’Neil and Brady as integral parts.
“(O’Neil) plays the back of our defense, which is the most critical part,” Brown said. “He makes the tough blocks. He’s our backup point guard, which means he runs the team at the other end. In the meantime he’s required to score some points.
“Connor didn’t play much last year, but he’s worked his butt off to develop his body.”
Brown said O’Neil would rise at 4:30 a.m. three or four mornings before school last spring and fall to travel from his home in Freeport and work out with assistant coach Dan Costigan at Southern Maine Community College.
“It was a challenge but very rewarding,” said O’Neil. “When you’re stronger, you play with more energy and confidence.”
On Brady, a returning starter, Brown said: “Griff has also worked on his body to get stronger. He’s made big shots for us for two seasons. He was a center for us last year, but we put him out on the wing because we had Matt Cimino and Shawn Grover. It’s not an easy transition. On the press he’s going against quick guards. He’s had to change his game.”
O’Neil is a 6-foot-2 guard who started the season at point guard before being switched to off guard. Brady is a 6-6 forward who can shoot from outside or score inside.
O’Neil plans to attend Colby College. Brady, a semifinalist for Mr. Basketball, said he will attend Maine Maritime Academy or Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.
Brady made a 3-pointer from the corner with 51 seconds left to put the Stags ahead for good in the 30-27 victory against Bonny Eagle in the Western Class A final Monday night.
“If he doesn’t make that shot, we’re going home. We would have had to foul if it didn’t go in and Bonny Eagle was the best foul-shooting team in the SMAA. We wouldn’t have won,” Brown said.
“Coach Brown always tells us to shoot if we’re open,” said Brady. “I knew we were down. I was a little lucky.”
Lucky? Hadn’t he hit big shots for the last two years?
“I hadn’t hit a shot the whole game and it was the longest one I took,” said Brady.
Entering the season, Cheverus knew it had a good team even though it graduated two starters and lost another who transferred.
“We knew we had the talent but we realized it would be more challenging because we graduated (point guard) Indiana Faithfull,” said O’Neil.
Cheverus blew out most teams during the regular season but as often is the case, the games tightened up in the playoffs. The Stags’ closest games have been the last two, a four-point victory against Portland in the regional semifinals and the three-point win over Bonny Eagle.
“To play in one state final is a honor,” said Brady. “To play in two is very exciting.”
This will be the third time that Cheverus has met Bangor in the state final with Brown as the coach.
The Stags lost 48-43 to Bangor in 2003, then defeated the Rams 49-41 in 2008 when Bangor entered with an undefeated record and had blown out most opponents.
This one likely will be much like the other two games — tight defense and low scoring.
“Bangor looks tough,” said O’Neil. “We’re going to have to rebound better than we did against Bonny Eagle. We didn’t have a very good offensive game against Bonny Eagle but we played tough defense. That’s what we’ve done all season and it’s helped to make us as successful as we’ve been.”
It’s the dedication of players like O’Neil and Brady that has enabled the Stags to go 42-1 over the last two seasons. They hope to make it 43-1 by tonight.
“They’re both co-captains who lead by example and their words,” said Brown.
“They’re just great kids. I have a bunch of great kids. Connor and Griffin have added a lot to the character of the program. We’re going to miss them when they graduate.”
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at: tchard@pressherald.com
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