In high school basketball, change is inevitable.
The year-to-year roster churn, replacing graduated seniors with incoming lower-classmen, is nothing new. Still, it has hit Belmont High School Boys’ Basketball in a significant way entering the 2024-25 season.
After finishing the ‘23-’24 season 13-10 and exiting in the preliminary round of the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament at the hands of Peabody, 50-43, the Marauders lost two of its top players. Donovan Holway and Gabriel Meyer-Herron were Belmont’s top two scorers in its playoff loss, and both were Middlesex League All-Stars.
In addition to losing valuable skill from its starting lineup, Belmont lost considerable size with the 6-foot-5 Holway moving onto his freshman season at Wentworth Institute of Technology and the 6-foot-7 Meyer-Herron enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
With 6-foot-4 sophomore Braiden Dargon sliding into the starting center position, Belmont and head coach Darren Martinez will have to adjust their scheme accordingly.
“That’s something a little scary, a little different,” said Martinez, who is beginning his third season leading the program. “But with this team, [it’s] different in the sense of more guard play. I think we’re going to shoot the ball way better than we did last year. I think the ball is going to fly around a little bit more, so it’s definitely not going to be one or two guys filling that void. It’s going to be a whole committee.”
In addition to sticking to small ball offensively, Martinez wants to see his group play scrappier on defense: staying in front of the ball, locking in on rotations and forcing more steals to create fast-break scoring opportunities.
Even more challenging for the new-look Marauders, they will be without senior captain Damian Lilla for the first part of the season. The starting point guard is recovering from mononucleosis after dealing with a lower-body injury during football season.
Martinez pointed to Dargon and juniors Jasper Rettig and Weston Zalewski as key players he expects to step into significant roles this season. Despite a large contingent of the roster coming in with varsity experience, a lot of players are lacking actual game experience. Martinez is expecting growing pains in the early weeks of the season as a result.
“I feel more prepared [this season],” Dargon said. “I know I have to step up because a lot of people told me I have a lot of expectations. I was terrified [as a freshman on varsity] last year, obviously, but this year it just feels different.
“Without [Holway] and [Meyer-Herron], they were sort of our shot-takers, so it’s going to be a different role, but I’m prepared and I’m excited for the season.”
Belmont won’t have to wait long for a heated matchup, with the rivalry game against Watertown slated for Dec. 17. The team is also circling its games against Arlington on Jan. 3 and Feb. 4 as ones to watch.
Uncertainty surrounds Belmont Boys’ Basketball, at least to begin this season, but the players are jumping in headfirst with full faith in their coach.
“[Martinez] really is just looking for the best out of our team,” Lilla said. “And out of me individually, which I really appreciate, although he doesn’t say it. … Just the fact he’s trying to build a culture here at Belmont High, I’d say we’re doing our best to try and grow this program under his name.”
