Manchester names its man

The Manchester Millrats announced their new head coach this afternoon - and it's a very familiar face.

Here's the word straight from the Rats' mouth (the release from the team), for those of you who don't subscribe to Manchester's regular news releases.

"The Manchester Millrats are pleased to announce that Heath "Noopy" Teixeira has been named Head Coach for the  upcoming Premier Basketball League season, which starts in January.

Teixiera had been an Assistant Coach during the previous two seasons, serving under Rob Spon (2008-09) and Larry Lessett (2007-8).  Before joining the Millrats, he was an Assistant Coach with the Cape Cod Frenzy, and even played in several games with the ABA's Boston Frenzy.

It was Teixeira who took over for Lessett after he was ejected during the Millrats first road game at Vermont in 2007.  Beginning the 2nd quarter with the Millrats trailing 41-14 and with several players also ejected, Teixiera engineered an improbable come-from-behind road victory against the Vermont Frost Heaves and now D-League Coach Will Voigt.

Back in 1990 and 1991, as a point guard, Texeira led the Harwich (Cape Cod) Roughriders to back-to-back Massachusetts State championship game appearances in the old Boston Garden, under legendary Cape Coach Glen Rose.

"Coach Teixeira has been with us since the inception and knows what we are trying to do here, and how to do it," said Millrats GM Ian McCarthy. "He has grown as a professional and as a person while working as an assistant and we feel he is now ready for the position."

The Millrats won the Atlantic Division title last season under Rob Spon, with a 16-4 record. They challenged Rochester for a title but ultimately fell shy of the ultimate goal.  Teixeira knows he has big shoes to fill, but looks forward to the challenge and the opportunity.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to help train and develop young players, to help foster their career overseas, and to help the Millrats be prepared to execute and win PBL games," stated Teixeira.

The process of filling the new roster begins on September 27th in Rockville, MD.  Heath Teixiera and other Millrats staff plan to be attending the PBL's national tryout combine there to scout for talent.  Then on Oct 24th and 25th, the Millrats will be conducting their own - the "2nd Annual NH Exposure Combine" will be held at the SportsZone in Derry, NH and is open to the public.  The PBL is also holding a draft in Chicago in October."

So here are my thoughts. Teixiera is obviously familiar with the organization and has obvious credentials. The basketball part of the decision is sound. Did the Millrats not even open the process up to a nation-wide search? Teixiera is now the third coach in three seasons in Manchester - were they just tired of not liking what they get from a national search? Could they not pay someone they would have found from a national search? The money issue is interesting because, before, money never seemed to be an issue in Manchester. Is it now? Who else is on Teixiera's staff? And just who the heck is the Frost Heaves new coach, huh?

At this point in the off-season there are way more questions than there are answers, and that is true of any team. That's the nature of minor league sports. I want to know when the schedule's coming out, but I am remembering how annoyed I got trying to contact the league last off-season about it, so I may just sit and wait like everyone else. Hint hint, league. HINT HINT.

-Anna Grearson

Solons look good despite veteran injuries

I was out at two games today - Stowe/U-32 field hockey this morning and Montpelier/Vergennes girls soccer this afternoon - and saw two good games. U-32 field hockey looks pretty good with quality wins over quality teams already in this young fall season.

The Solons also look really good and also have a tough early season schedule with two straight away games at Burlington and South Burlington coming up next Wednesday and Friday.

Montpelier will be without key veterans Caitlin Cloutier and Brooke Bova for the first few games. Cloutier fractured a small bone in the top of her foot during a preseason scrimmage and Bova is out with a knee injury. I didn't include this in my game story from Saturday's 3-0 win over Vergennes, but I did ask Solon coach Eric Bagley about it.

"Caitlin is going to be out for maybe another week, Brooke maybe a little longer," Bagley said. "Caitlin, one of those small bones by her big toe is fractured, so basically as soon as she can handle the pain is when the doctor told her she can play. Brooke’s got a knee injury right now, not sure how long that will take, but she’s been working hard, trying to get back on the field. We definitely can use her out here, so it’ll be a big boost when those two come back."

I wish these Burlington-South Burlington games were at home - they should be great matches.

-Anna Grearson

Winter, dare I mention you?

So you know how stores have this habit of not letting you get through one season before they're on to the next? Like how at most major grocery stores right now there are Halloween candy displays and pumpkin-carving kits, and clothing stores are starting to not only get shipments of winter boots and hats and sweaters, but are putting them out on display? And worse, people are asking for this stuff?? 

Well, the same apparently goes for sports. I drive past the granite sign for the Aud and the BOR at least twice a day, if not more than that, and I can't help but cringe at the announcement for BYSA hockey signups. Is it really time to talk hockey?

Yes, I am all for youth sports. Yes, I am all for pre-planning. Yes, I understand these things take an incredible amount of work by parents, coaches and the organization's leaders, and it takes time to sift through the number of kids who participate in hockey. I'm not anti-hockey or BYSA anything, and I'm certainly not whining to take the sign down (it just really surprised me and made me do a double-take). 

I'm anti-winter when it's just barely fall, in the same way I'm anti-Christmas in July and anti-Valentines Day when it's the day after Christmas. I just don't want to think about winter. Again, can it really be that time of year again?

I got a text message from a college friend who lives and coaches in Connecticut and Massachusetts in the last week or so asking me, "Hey, who invited winter to August?"

Exactly.

The winter season is one of my favorites, even though I'm a huge wimp when it comes to being cold, and I am really excited for basketball, hockey and wrestling. But I just don't want to be there yet.

-Anna Grearson

More coaching changes

I had heard in passing that Norwich women's basketball coach Mark Miller was not longer coaching at NU and had been named the new head coach at Holy Family in Philadelphia. Holy Family lists the event as happening in May of this year, which I feel bad about missing.

Holy Family is an NCAA Division II school.

A quick Google search revealed this is true, and he also hired assistant Nikki Flores, who spent a year as one of his assistants at NU. 

I enjoyed covering coach Miller's first team at Norwich, as I, for a number of reasons, none of them very good, did not get over to Northfield to any Norwich basketball games last winter. I wish him well!

Norwich announced this week the hiring of Miller's replacement, Mark Zacher. Zacher comes to NU after one year at Division I Bethune-Cookeman University in Florida where he was an associate head coach. He spent 10 years at Mount Saint Mary's prior to BCU. (BCU is also the collegiate home of former U-32 golf standout Kim Wong). So as a goodbye goes out to coach Miller, a welcome goes out to coach Zacher.

-Anna Grearson