By KEN LIPSHEZ
Herald Staff

Windsor High boys basketball coach Ken Smith sat high in the Chick Shea Gymnasium bleachers Monday night, alone, taking copious notes on the trends exhibited by Bulkeley and New Britain.

Smith, as usual, is blessed with an embarrassing wealth of riches, with this year’s squad generally considered second only to Stamford’s two-state hoop factory, Trinity Catholic. But as Tuesday’s 79-77 nailbiter over a Hartford Public team minus 6-9 Darryl McCoy shows, others in the upper echelon of the vibrant CCC are capable of upset, which leads us to New Britain.

The Hurricanes lost their opening game to Public, 60-55 in overtime on the road, at a time when the team was beset by injuries to leading rebounder Raheem McKinley and sniper/sixth-man Robert McKinnon. With Steven Glowiak coming on board from Berlin, the players were still in the “Hi, how ya doin’” stage or on the mend from football.

Excuses, you say? Whatever. But this New Britain edition has the type of talent that Smith and any other of his CCC cronies need to consider.

First off, 6-5 junior Darius Watson is in a class of his own. Most youngsters blessed with that kind of height and skill at the scholastic level are asked to play with their back to the bucket or at least roam the baseline.

But Watson is a smooth ballhandler, distributes intelligently and can stroke the three-pointer. By placing him in the backcourt, coach Stan Glowiak creates serious matchup problems for virtually anybody New Britain meets.

Watson, however, is not the type to pump his fist in the air to rally the troops. He’s on the quiet side, leading by example.

McKinley plays a lot larger than 6-2, and absolutely needs to if the Hurricanes are going to reach their highest potential. Watson is the team’s tallest player but is best suited for his current role. His work on the boards can only be of a subsidiary nature.

Tebucky Jones Jr. is a marvelous athlete, alone worth the modest price of admission on some nights. When he gets a step on a defender, watch the sparks fly! The ’Canes will rely heavily upon him for help on the backboards.

Tarik Hightower, a slim 6-3, came off the bench against Bulkeley when the ’Canes were getting dominated underneath and provided some relief. His contribution is likely to become critical as New Britain strives to overcome what will almost always be a frontcourt disadvantage.

The addition of young Glowiak gives Pop Glowiak the firepower that was missing from last year’s 10-12 club. He also shores up the omnipresent free-throw shooting dilemma that has plagued the team for a spell. He swished 12-for-12 in the 70-57 win over Bulkeley.

Quashon Moore can handle and plays outstanding defense. He isn’t much of an offensive threat but he doesn’t have to be. McKinnon, when working hand-in-hand with Steve Glowiak, gives New Britain a one-two outside punch that is going to sweep away teams that opt to sit back in a zone.

With the analysis complete, what does Dr. Lip prescribe for the ’Canes? Patience, primarily. The win over Bulkeley looks good on paper but impatient attacks on the hoop resulted in too many giveaways.

A lot of it comes with the team needing to come together as a unit. Hesitation and indecision are the key reasons for unsightly turnovers, and those will be eliminated with the cohesion that Coach Glowiak will nurture if his youngsters pay him heed. The ’Canes are a sight to behold in the open floor but running an efficient offense remains an elusive component that will be absolutely necessary for anything to come out of a promising season.

INDIAN UPRISING: The situation in Farmington (3-2) is somewhat more complex.

A very patient, very tall, very well-coached squad from E.O. Smith exposed the Indians’ deficiencies. The Panthers were draped all over two-sport All-Stater Spencer Noon.

Perhaps the best-kept secret among our local fives is Farmington’s 6-2 forward Ryan Murphy. Murphy has absolutely no fear. He was even posting up in the face of E.O. Smith’s 6-9 junior center Tyler Olander and blazing a path to the hoop.

Murphy is strong, smart and confident, one of those players who may not draw All-State type attention but probably merits it. After all, it’s a game where few pundits take account of 6-2 forwards.

Noon, who strung together five straight 30-point displays to close out last season, is going to draw the type of attention that E.O. Smith provided. The Panthers soccer team was also well aware of his savvy and lightning-like first step.

But Farmington will have to come up with other options if it is to make an impact in its first tour of the CCC.