WESTON, Mass. — Ryan Altman heard it throughout the summer.
Alex Wilkins, his teammate with the Middlesex Magic, was particularly in his ear. A rival during the school season, the star point guard at Brooks had some familiar friendly banter: When the winter comes, they’re ready to knock off Altman and his dominant team at Rivers.
“All summer long,” Altman said. “(He said), ‘It’s not happening again this year. It’s not happening, Brooks is coming.’
“I heard that for three straight years, and you know what? Same result.”
The results don’t lie. Inside Benson Gymnasium – the home court at Rivers – the trophies and banners are proof, a standard teams around New England are chasing. The Red Wings have won three consecutive NEPSAC Class B championships, and two straight Independent School League titles, and they don’t plan to stop.
Winning trophies has become a habit, an expectation at Rivers. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. They know that. Repeating again this season may actually be the hardest one yet. They lost two critical pieces – Amir Lindsey and Jay Jones – and they understand everyone must raise their level. And they recognize that their competitors are tracking them down. They almost learned that the hard way last season.
In the Class B semifinals, Rivers trailed Brooks by 13 at halftime before storming back to claim a thrilling last-second victory. It was devastating for Brooks, which is now hungry for redemption. The trash talk from Wilkins is playful, but has merit.
Altman has taken note. And as a senior captain, he has taken it upon himself to impress upon his teammates that they can’t be complacent. They embrace being the hunted, but know it demands more. They’re ready for it.
“We have a target on our back,” Altman said. “No matter where we go, no matter who we play, people are coming for us.”
Filling a void
The open gyms at Rivers have been a little quieter going into this season.
“We lost our two biggest mouths on the team,” head coach Keith Zalaski joked.
He’s referring to Lindsey, last season’s Class B Player of the Year who’s now at the University of Albany, and Jones, the Penn commit who’s now at Cushing for a postgraduate season. Both guards were fixtures of the Rivers dynasty with their leadership and on-court greatness, and they’ll certainly be missed.
The permeating question: Does Rivers have enough to repeat?
Inside their walls, they think so. Altman (Brookline, Mass.), the 6-foot-6 do-it-all star and Penn commit, believes he and Andrew Alekseyenko (Brookline, Mass.), the 6-foot-8 forward and Colgate commit, form the best 1-2 punch in Class B and ISL. Guard Robby Fiore (Acton, Mass.) will have to step up in Lindsey’s absence, but they have unwavering confidence in him. Jordy Schwartz (Brookline, Mass.) is a four-year guard who knows what it takes.
Beyond those four seniors, Rivers is excited about a few additions. Junior transfer guard Chais Harriette is promising, and they believe freshmen Patrick Costello and Drew Carlson will make an immediate impact. Zalaski was excited and optimistic about what he saw this summer at the NEPSAC showcases, but he knows it could take time for the new guys to adjust to their program and the NEPSAC. Zalaski said defense is what keeps him up at night. Patience will be required as they jell and learn their important principles.
“The reality is, it’s going to be really freaking hard,” Zalaski said. “I love our group. It’s a matter of, like, how quickly are your younger or new guys getting old.”
Zalaski will rely on his senior leaders, especially Altman and Alekseyenko. His goal every year is to coach less as the season progresses because he wants his players to have more ownership. He wants his leaders to be truth-tellers, and be the voices to take the team where it needs to be. He trusts them to do that.
“They’re not bashful, their expectations don’t change,” Zalaski said. “They have extremely high expectations, and fortunately they’re able to keep those expectations without turning people off or making them scared.”
For Rivers to claim glory again this season, it will mostly go through Altman and Alekseyenko, both in their leadership and play. It’s Altman’s fifth year in the program and Alekseyenko’s third. They’ve learned from the best and experienced it all. Altman is vocal and Alekseyenko is a quieter leader; Zalaski thinks they complement each other perfectly.
On the court, they both have another level they can reach. Alekseyenko has shown he can do it all, a matchup nightmare who can be a bruiser in the paint and a point forward with guard skills. Altman, who’s worked out with him all summer, has an idea of what’s in store.
“I think he’s going to show a lot of people that he’s (expletive) good and that he’s a problem,” he said.
Altman ready to unleash
Altman is always searching for sources of motivation or inspiration. This summer, he took some from one of New England’s all-time sports greats, Tom Brady.
Altman watched “The Dynasty,” the popular docuseries that chronicled Brady’s era with the Patriots, and he took note of the details that made Brady great. Everything from his diet, the way he took care of his body and his sleeping habits, to his game preparation and mentality.
“Even at the end of his career, he wasn’t satisfied with anything,” Altman said. “I think for me, I’ve been learning to never get comfortable, never be satisfied. Once you do that, you start to lose your edge and killer mentality. So I’ve just been listening to him, and just doing things to get my mind right. Whether it’s journaling, meditation, making sure I’m sleeping, and then at the end of the day, just always playing with an edge on me.”
Altman, as he wraps up his own decorated prep career, is carrying those lessons forward as he attempts to lead Rivers to history. He has taken more ownership as a leader. Even before school started this summer, he made a point to make new players feel comfortable during open gym runs. He’s making sure the team sits together at lunch. He knows those details matter because he’s already experienced it.
“I think that’s where a lot of winning gets done for the winter,” Altman said.
Q&A: Ryan Altman on choosing Penn, favorite moments at Rivers and facing AJ Dybantsa
On the court, Altman is ready to take his game to the next level. Specifically, Zalaski wants Altman to develop how to learn what it truly means to be unselfish, and even be more selfish at times. Altman is a naturally unselfish player, but Zalaski thinks it’s OK for him, for example, to take some more contested shots.
“On almost every team he plays on, he is extremely productive and efficient,” Zalaski said. “Efficiency can also be instead of going 6 for 9 from the field, 10 or 11 for 20 might be just as important.”
Altman has heard the message loud and clear.
“I’m looking to unleash my aggressive nature,” Altman said. “I’m going to come at people this year. There’s no fear. I’m going at everyone in front of me, I’m going right at (them). I think my shot-making is going to be seen a lot this year, and just my ability to get to the rim, finish with contact, defend one through five, doing everything.”
Altman has lofty goals, and isn’t afraid to announce them. As a team, he obviously wants to help deliver a NEPSAC four-peat and ISL three-peat. Individually, he wants to win every award, too, and leave a lasting mark.
“I think some people still don’t fully know what I’m capable of, and I’m trying to show them all this year that that’s what I can do,” Altman said. “Just trying to prove to everyone that I got more to me, and they’re all going to see this winter.”
History in their grasp
While his players talk openly about their goals, Zalaski, by nature, is focused on the process. He knows the talk about championships is out there – but he doesn’t pay any mind.
“I honestly don’t really think about it,” he said. “Maybe at like 11 p.m. on a random night, I’ll be like, ‘That would be cool.’ From a planning standpoint, we’re not planning on the end of the season which is when all those things go. …
“I think them having tangible goals is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t skew or get them unfocused from what the most important thing is, which is the next game and the next practice.”
Rivers opens up its season with the hardest New England opponent possible – a matchup with Brewster’s national team at home on Dec. 4. Then it’s Vermont Academy, a tough Class AAA opponent, at the Zero Gravity Prep Classic.
It’s nothing new; Zalaski always makes tough schedules. Last season, Rivers actually beat Vermont – which went on to win the Class AAA title – and nearly upset Brewster in a last-second loss. It’s an important emphasis every year.
“Our guys work really hard, they’re really competitive, they want to be in those spaces and I want them to put them in those spots,” Zalaski said. “Because I always say early in the year, I want to know where the holes are. I don’t want to be like, ‘Wow, we’re really good, we’re awesome,’ and then all of a sudden we play a big game against a really good team and we’re like, ‘holy moly, we weren’t ready for any of that.’ I don’t want there to be any surprises.”
Rivers’ recent history says it works. There is certainly work to be done, and plenty of questions left to be answered for this group, but the mission remains the same. The opportunity to make even more history is in their grasp, and they’re ready to claim it – not just for themselves, but for those who have come before them.
“It's kind of for the guys they have played with,” Zalaski said. “They want to keep that level at a high level. We’re a day school, so our guys are in college, guys are around, they come back to the gym, they work out with each other in the summer. They don’t want to be the ones to drop the torch.”
