Who's the best boys basketball player in the South Shore League? Local coaches weigh in

Based on the latest MIAA power rankings that came out Tuesday, seven of the 11 South Shore League boys basketball teams are on target to qualify for the playoffs. That includes Division 3 power Norwell (No. 5), Division 3 contenders Abington (No. 17) and East Bridgewater (No. 19) and Division 4 hopeful Carver (No. 22).

Last year, Randolph was a Division 5 quarterfinalist, and Norwell made it to the Division 3 Round of 16.

This winter's edition of the league is chock full of stars such as Middleboro's Matt Youngquist, Abington's Connor Pease and Carver's Tyler Lennox. We've chronicled many of their exploits so far, but this time we're tapping into our SSL Insiders for some information. And who's more inside than the league's coaches?

Following in the footsteps of colleague Jason Snow, who surveyed the Patriot League girls coaches and Patriot League boys coaches, we've decided to do the same with the South Shore League. We sent out a survey to the league's coaches (hailing from East Bridgewater, Middleboro, Norwell, Randolph, Rockland, Sandwich, Abington, Carver, Cohasset, Hull and Mashpee).

Here are the questions we asked, and the anonymous replies we received.

Note: Here's the girls basketball version of this story.

1. Which opposing South Shore League gym has the craziest student section/best home-court advantage?

"Randolph: The gym is very small and the fans are right on top of you. It's always an electric crowd that goes crazy when Randolph makes a big play."

"Rockland: It is a small gym and their students generally show up, even when the team doesn't have a great record. It is always a fun place to go with a lot of history."

"Abington: The baseline bleachers bring the atmosphere to another level."

"Rockland is very challenging place for opposing teams. Great high school environment with big crowds and it has an intense feel to it."

2. Which South Shore League player/team has displayed the best sportsmanship?

"Hull: Night in and night out they compete hard from the start of the game. The outcomes haven't been going their way this year, but they still battle the right way to the end."

"Hull: Going through a tough season, always play hard and never give up."

"Sandwich, as they are a new team in the league."

"I thought the Mashpee players and coaching staff carried themselves with class and showed great sportsmanship during our game."

"The league is pretty respectful as a whole. Players play competitively and leave it there."

3. Who is the toughest player to game-plan against in the South Shore League?

"Matt Youngquist, Middleboro: He's a three-level scorer who can score from anywhere over half court. If you don't game-plan to take him away he'll make you pay."

"Connor Pease, Abington: He's a big body down low that you have to devote a lot of attention to in the post. If you don't, he'll put 20 (points) and 15 (rebounds) on you quick."

"Tyler Lennox, Carver: He can explode at any moment. You can think you have him under control, and he can go for 10+ points in a minute. He's got unlimited range and is crafty at the rim."

"Connor Pease, Abington: Matchup problem! Size and skill that not too many can defend."

"The combination of Tyler Staiti and Connor Pease of Abington, inside-and-out presence."

"Connor Pease from Abington creates big problems to game plan for. He’s a big, physical post player that has great touch and is almost impossible to keep off the glass."

"Matt Youngquist, of Middleboro, has the greenest light of any kid on a playoff team, so that makes him difficult to defend if he gets going."

4. Who is the most underrated player in the South Shore League?

"Mikell Orelus, Randolph: You can see that he's put a lot of work into his game. He's developed into a post scorer and a terrific shot-blocker."

"Aidan Toomey, East Bridgewater: He's a hard-nosed player that is one of their best defenders and leading scorers. He's asked to do a lot for them on both ends of the floor."

"Nick Adams, Norwell: He is outstanding, can score at all 3 levels. Norwell has so many great players that have played for many years, but his game has really grown."

"Kingston Maxwell, Abington: Starting to come into his own, going to be a great player in this league."

"Cole Rodgers, Sandwich: Tough, gritty scorer to try to stop."

"J.J. Grimes, Carver: He had a great overall game and can score from all 3 levels with a sweet mid-range jumper and is also tough, physical kid."

"Isaiah Green from Hull is very talented. The best prospect in the league is Kingston Maxwell from Abington. I think he is a much better player than he believes he is. On the large (division) side, Ronan Coffey is critical to Norwell's success, even though his numbers do not scream dominant."

5. Who is the best defensive player in the South Shore League?

"Will Leblanc, Abington: He's a strong in-your-face defender that makes it a long night for the opposing team's best player. He knows his role and does it very well."

"Will Bostrom, Norwell: He can defend every position despite his size; he can defend the top post players or the guards. His athleticism, strength and compete level separates him."

"Robbie Peterson, Carver: Great athlete. Very strong, tenacious defender."

"Matt Murray, Sandwich: Always takes the best opposing player."

"Jordan Depina, Rockland: Very active defender that covers multiple positions and seems like he’s always in position to take a charge."

6. Who is the best 3-point shooter in the South Shore League?

"Tyler Staiti, Abington: He's a player you can't leave anywhere in the half court. He'll make you pay with any daylight."

"Tyler Staiti, Abington: He is so calm and quiet with his set up. He can shoot from anywhere."

"Tyler Staiti, Abington: As pure a shooter as I have seen in the league in years."

"Ronan Coffey, Norwell: When he gets on a roll, he is tough to defend."

"Tyler Staiti is one the best pure shooters I’ve seen since I’ve been around the game. He has a quick release with a beautiful arc to the ball flight."

7. Which South Shore League team will make the best push for the state title?

"Norwell: The style of basketball they play will be tough for teams to match for 32 minutes. They're very unselfish and the scoring can come from anywhere."

"Norwell: They can be tough to match up against with the pace that they play and Coach (John) Willis has the experience to get the most out of them. Great coaching and great players is a good combination to have come tournament time."

"Norwell, Abington: Multiple scorers and depth at all positions."

"Norwell, as long as they shoot well."

"Norwell: They play a great pace and have shooters all over the floor who are unselfish and make great decisions."

"Not sure anyone has that type of team this year. Norwell or Abington could get favorable matchups to get to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 but just on talent, I'm not sure I see that."

8. Which South Shore League player is most likely to be a coach one day?

"Ronan Coffey, Norwell: He has a very high IQ for the game and is very competitive. I can see him playing in college and coaching shortly after that."

"Connor Orlandella, Abington: He is a kid who works incredibly hard and has a true passion for the game. He is a gym rat who wants to learn more."

"Tyler Lennox, Carver: He's like a coach on the floor."

"Connor Finn, Sandwich: Point guard with great basketball IQ."

"Ethan Pohl, East Bridgewater: Great basketball IQ. Sees the game very well with unbelievable poise."

"I like the way Aiden Flaherty of East Bridgewater interacts with his teammates. Managing people is largely what coaching is and I have seen him do some good things away from the play with kids that shows leadership."

9. What is the best rivalry in the South Shore League right now?

"Abington vs. Norwell games are always a battle. Middleboro vs. East Bridgewater games always have a great atmosphere and come down to the wire."

"There are many. Abington-Rockland has a rich history that brings out both communities, but Abington-Norwell has been a great one over the past 20+ years. Both teams have been atop the league and made tournament runs. A combination of history and recent competitiveness makes this one stand out."

"Abington-Norwell"

"I suppose Abington and Rockland, even though they are in two different places, talent-wise, right now."

10. Who is someone behind the scenes in the South Shore League that deserves a shout-out?

"I think the refs deserve a big shout-out. Without them, high school sports wouldn't be happening."

"Abington's Bud Madden and Don Whitman deserve to be recognized. They have been with the program a combined 75+ years through multiple coaches and make that place unique. Don has done the stats for Abington and, before the internet, the entire league to help get kids recognized. Bud does everything you need to have a successful program that no one else wants to do and does it with great pride."

"Owen Jones, Sandwich's team manager: At every home and away game."

"Drew McInnis. One of the best ref coordinators around."

"Thanks to Abington's Peter Serino for the work he does coordinating the league for the boys and girls basketball teams. Thankless task that he has taken on for us."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Local boys coaches talk South Shore League high school basketball