T i v e r t o n T i g e r s B o y s B a s k e t b a l l

B y : J o s h Y o u s i f

Most Tiverton
kids sleep until noon and
relax on weekends, but
that’s not the case with the
Tigers’ basketball team.
The Tigers, who have had
one day off through the
first month of the season,
are preparing day in and
day out for every team
they are about to face in
their 2007-2008 season. A
team which lost three
starting players and seven
players in all at the end of
the 2007 season, is now
coming back to one of the
hardest schedules it has
ever faced. However, the
Tigers plan on being ready.
The Tigers, with
only two players over 6’1”,
may seem to be at a disadvantage,
but then again,
one should never judge a
book by its cover. “We

 

 may not be as big as other
teams, but we’re faster, can
shoot, and have excellent
ball handlers,” says Arcouette,
the team's coach, “It’s
not the size of the dog in
the fight, it’s the size of the
fight in the dog that matters.”
The Tigers may not
have a starting player over
6’1”, but with sharp shoots
on the perimeter and an
array of pressure and defenses,
the Tigers will give
other teams all that they
can handle. “If we box out
and limit teams to one shot
we’ll win. Sometimes
coaches will have players
that are 6’8”; they’ll tell
them to not box out and
find the basketball. That’s
not the case here, so we
must work hard to box out
and limits teams to one
shot,” says Arcouette, who
has all the trust in his		 players.
In the absence of
second year starter and
junior captain, Tyler
Ferreira, Mark Ryan Mello
will be running the point.
Teammates Arthur
Welchman, a second year
starter and senior captain,
and Zachary Guillette, a
junior captain, will be
starting guards next to
Mello. Junior Zachary
William will be starting at
forward next to senior captain,
Joshua Yousif, who
will start at center. Explosiveness
off the bench will
come from defensive specialist
Michael Quito, two
6’5” giants Alexander Jarman
and Michael Angel,
sharp shooter Gunner
Bjornson, and exceptional
free throw shooter Russell
Helger. “It is the players		 not the plays that will win
us games. I can make plays
and help my players as
much as I can, but it in the
end I’m not the one playing.
It is them on the court
making it happen, not
me,” says Arcouette.
With wins over
Toll Gate, Warwick, and
East Greenwich and losses
to East Providence, Taunton,
Sanchez, Rogers, and
Catholic Memorial, the
Tigers have an overall record
of 3-5. Though the
Tigers have more loses then
wins, the games are indications
that the Tigers are off
to a promising start.
“We’ve improved since the
beginning of the season,
“says Arcouette, “It’s just
a matter of my players
realizing how good they
really are.”