Molding a team out of former rivals

BY BILL DOYLE
CFP CORRESPONDENT

Barry Finneron has coached high school basketball for nearly half a century and he’s won almost 700 games, but nothing he experienced prepared him for this season.
How could it?
Mr. Finneron is molding a team out of former rivals with little practice time at a new school, St. Paul Diocesan Junior-Senior High School, during a pandemic.
“Every time I get a text or a phone call from Mr. (Jim) Manzello (St. Paul athletic director) I hold my breath that somebody hasn’t tested positive and so we’re shut down,” Mr. Finneron admitted.
No one associated with the team has tested positive yet, but the Knights did have to stop practicing twice while the school temporarily switched to full remote teaching to stay safe.
Because of declining enrollment, the Diocese of Worcester merged Holy Name High School and St. Peter-Marian High School last fall to form St. Paul at the former Holy Name campus.
Mr. Finneron, 74, was hired to coach the St. Paul girls after having coached the Holy Name girls for more than 40 years. His resume includes coaching boys’ basketball at Marlborough High for five years and girls’ basketball at Gardner High for two.
Due to the pandemic, half the St. Paul students usually attend class in person the first two days of the week and the other half the last two days. They learn remotely the rest of the time. So Mr. Finneron held tryouts for half of the students on a Tuesday and the other half on a Friday in mid-December.  Then the team couldn’t practice because the school switched to full remote learning.
After an extended Christmas break, the Knights practiced three times before they had to stop again while the school returned to remote learning for another two weeks.  Then they practiced four more times before playing their first game on Jan. 29 and losing 67-36 at Wachusett Regional, which had already played four games and won them all.
The Knights bounced back to win their next four games, defeating Algonquin Regional, 37-36, Shepherd Hill Regional, 50-36, and 57-33, and Shrewsbury, 48-43.
So it didn’t take long for the former rivals to learn to play together.
“Surprisingly, it was seamless,” Mr. Finneron said. “A lot of them had played together on AAU teams. Some of them had played softball together. It really wasn’t any big deal.”
“I was nervous at first,” admitted 5-foot-8 senior co-captain Lilly Krysinski, a former Holy Name student, “because I thought we might clash and not get along and the team was going to suffer because of it, but honestly we all get along really well. They’re great girls and I really enjoy playing with them.”
“I was definitely nervous going into it,” said 5-foot-10 senior co-captain Shelby Wessell, a former St. Peter-Marian student, “and I think at first it was kind of awkward, but after our first game we got to know each other better and we started to become friends instead of seeing each other like the other team still.”
Lilly starts along with two other former Holy Name players, senior co-captain Maura McCarthy and junior Natalie Horton, and two ex-St. Peter-Marian students, juniors Shirle Major and Zaylee Ramos. Shelby is a key reserve.
As an opposing coach last year, Mr. Finneron tried to exploit the weaknesses in the SPM players. Now he’s doing his best to eliminate those weaknesses. Shelby said Mr. Finneron improved her jump shot technique and she enjoys playing for him.
“It doesn’t matter if you came from Holy Name or SPM,” Shelby said, “he treats us all the same.”
The pandemic has reduced St. Paul’s schedule to only eight games, 12 fewer than usual, and eliminated any postseason play. So Mr. Finneron won’t reach 700 career victories this season. But at least the Knights get to play some games.
“I’m just glad that we got to get out on the court,” Shelby said, “because I know that not everyone was as lucky as we were.”
“We’re here and we’re playing, that’s all that counts,” Mr. Finneron said. “They’re great kids, they work like crazy, they cheer for each other, it’s been great.”
The former Holy Name gym was upgraded with new lights, stands, floor and paint, and the Knights logo.
“It’s gorgeous,” Mr. Finneron said.
To promote safety, all players and coaches wear masks.
“I do not like it,” Shelby and “it’s very hard to get used to. It was just harder to breathe at first. It’s another layer and you’re already gasping for air.”
Mr. Finneron said sometimes his players have trouble hearing him shouting his instructions through his mask during games.
“You really have to enunciate and speak louder than normal,” he said.
Fans are not allowed at the games, but St. Paul livestreams its games on YouTube.
“I enjoy having fans,” Lilly said, “so I do miss that. I feel like the energy in the gym is better when people are rooting for you and cheering you on.”
At home games, the Knights sit in chairs spread out along one sideline and the opposing players sit in chairs spread out along the opposite sideline.
For road games, the 11 junior varsity players take one bus and the 12 varsity players take another. The varsity team remains on the bus until the junior varsity game ends.
Locker rooms are not used during the pandemic so St. Paul players arrive at the games dressed in their uniforms and head home wearing them. They say a Hail Mary together before the games, but to stay safe they don’t shake hands with their opponents after them. A coin toss replaces the jump ball to begin the games. Halftime lasts only two minutes instead of the usual 10.
Practices last 90 minutes, about 30 or 45 minutes less than in the past, and breaks are taken every 15 minutes so the players’ hands and the basketballs can be sanitized.
The precautions have worked. Finneron said his team has had no positive tests for COVID-19.
“Obviously, getting COVID is a fear,” Lilly said, “but I feel like the school is really safe with everything and other schools are very safe. So it’s not a crazy concern of mine because I feel like all the schools are handling it really well.”
Mr. Finneron said he’s not overly concerned about contracting the virus, but he’s looking forward to the day he’ll be able to get the vaccine. He won’t turn 75 until July so he wasn’t eligible for the first wave of vaccines.
“It’s the only time I’ve ever been told that I’m too young,” he said.