After winning six MIAA Division 4 championships in the last nine years, how does Cathedral stay motivated?
For coach Clinton Lassiter, it's easy. He's believed to be tied with Malden Catholic boys coach John Walsh and former Charlestown and Salem coach Jack O'Brien for the state's all-time lead with six state titles. Lassiter and Walsh continue to match each other in the trophy count.
"I'm competitive. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't (a motivator)," Lassiter said. "I don't say that to mean I want him to lose. I just want to make sure I win, so I long I can stay tied for first, I'm OK with that."
Once again, the Panthers are the heavy favorite in Division 4 and seeking a three-peat. Here's how they're approaching the upcoming season.
Pushing the pace
Cathedral's ability to toe the line of all-out pressure and chaos without losing control is what has kept the titles coming. The Panthers play some of the most aggressive defense among the state's top teams, applying frequent presses and hunting turnovers, and then flipping it into a blistering offensive pace.
How does Lassiter prepare the Panthers for that style? They run, and run, and run.
"And when they think they can't run anymore, they run some more," he said. "We do a bunch of sprints, and then our drills and conditioning (and) full-court stuff is at a fast pace — letting their minds just program to just keep on going at that tempo."
The leader of that mentality was Jasmine Day-Cox, who powered Cathedral with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 8 steals and 7 assists in last year's 69-49 championship win against South Hadley. Day-Cox is the lone graduated senior, now at Post University, and her relentless motor will be tough to replicate.
"Her body mannerisms and speed and agility were just insane. We don't have anyone coming in to sort of fill that role in that aspect," Lassiter said. "... You can't replace her, but you can try to just mask it a little bit — put a little Band-Aid on that little wound."
MIAA PREVIEWS: Medfield | St. Mary's | Woburn | Central Catholic | Norwell
A championship-caliber backcourt
Though Day-Cox is gone, Cathedral does return the starting backcourt that has spearheaded the last two championships. Hijjah Allen-Paisley and Keyona Raines form one of the MIAA's best duos with skill-sets that complement each other well.
Allen-Paisley, a 5-foot-5 senior, averaged 11 points and 3.5 assists last season. She's a capable shooter and scorer who rarely forces a bad shot, and her ability to distribute the basketball has been key to Cathedral's balanced scoring offenses. Lassiter expects Allen-Paisley to be one of the leading candidates to take on more responsibility with Day-Cox's departure.
"Now we're hoping that she's sort of stepped into that role and will be okay with taking more shots," he said. "When we played in the (Beantown Slam) fall league, she has been doing that. So I think that's good."
Next to Allen-Paisley is the junior Raines, one of the most ferocious perimeter defenders in MIAA and the player who most closely resembles Day-Cox's impact. Raines has the natural length and athleticism to wreak havoc on defense and turn steals into transition layups. She's always been a quiet leader on the team, but Lassiter is starting to see her become more vocal, and he wants that and her overall engagement level to keep growing.
"She'll play cat-and-mouse — she'll make you work hard and make you think she's not working hard because she's trying to bait you, whereas Jas was always on attack mode," Lassiter said.
STAR POWER:Â 6 dynamic duos to watch in MIAA girls basketball
Growing up — literally
Another key piece to Cathedral's recent dynasty has been a consistent influx of depth around its stars. Last year, Tamia Darling and Malani Smith were difference-makers down the stretch. Darling, a transfer who had previously starred at New Mission, went through growing pains in her first year but showed flashes as a complimentary scorer, and Lassiter believes the junior has significantly improved her in-game processing.
Smith was perhaps the team's breakout player, as evidenced by her 16 points in the Div. 4 championship. Lassiter appreciates her ability to go with the flow and contribute even when her shot totals fluctuate game-to-game.
"That's what makes it that much better for us, because she's so tranquil. 'Whatever team needs, I'll do,'" he said.
One thing the Panthers have lacked recently: size. They could get a boost if some of the roster's post players make progress — specifically 6-foot-3 eighth-grader Kristina Dallas and 6-2 senior Skye DaCosta.
"We have size this year, which is great," Lassiter said. "So now I've got to figure out how to incorporate our speed with our size, and sort of just teaching them placement, how to use their bodies and be comfortable making contact. I think a lot of them were taught, because you're big, don't hurt nobody, whereas I'm trying to say, listen, it's OK hit somebody. It's part of the game. Don't be malicious and do anything dirty, but you've got to be able to make contact. You've got to be a threat and be physical."
