In Arlington, it’s not what they’ve done, but their contrarian approach to prepare for an elusive Middlesex crown.
It starts with guard Miles Robinson, whose soccer talents belong on an MLS draft board.
Robinson is the 35th ranked high school soccer prospect in the United States, according to Top Drawer Soccer, and in 2013 was one of just 32 teenagers invited to try out for the American U-18 national squad.
Yet, more unique is that Robinson has been the best basketball player in the competitive Middlesex League for two consecutive seasons, but doesn’t touch a basketball until the Monday following Thanksgiving.
“That’s true. I play a little in the summer, but I pretty much show up on that Monday for tryouts and just go,” said Robinson.
As a hoop player, the 6-foot-1 Robinson is the reigning Co-MVP of the Middlesex League, and leads the undefeated (17-0) Spy Ponders in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals.
“Miles is the best. He’s a matchup nightmare. You can’t put a bigger guy on him. He’s too quick and blows by guys. You can’t have a small on him, because he’ll just elevate and play over you,” Bowler said.
Unlike other ESPN Boston All-State candidates, Miles Robinson is hardly a gym rat. He’s never played a second of AAU basketball, traversing the academy soccer circuit as a member of the FC Bolts club team instead.
Robinson isn’t the only Spy Ponder to transition from one sport to the next without hiccup. All but two members of the Arlington High basketball team are multi-sport athletes, rotating field, hardwood and diamond.
Eight of Arlington’s eleven seniors captain a sports’ team, and all but one member of their 12-man rotation participate in multiple sports.
Although Arlington Head Coach John Bowler, who took over the program in 2009, finds the 94 feet and four walls of a high school gymnasium indefatigable, he embraces the versatility of the emerging dual-sport athletes in his program.
“You don’t have to concentrate on one sport to come into basketball season and play at a high level,” Bowler said. “Everyone thinks that playing basketball for an hour a day will prepare them for the season, but we have guys playing soccer, football, volleyball, and running cross country to get ready.”
In the offseason, Bowler and assistant coach Jack Woods branded a defensive approach that borrows one transferable skill from each player’s respective fall sport, “blitzing” ball screens.
“They’ve been in similar situations in other sports. Blitzing (trapping) a ball screen is like attacking a quarterback or attacking a ball in soccer or volleyball. It keeps our guys moving and in constant attack mode,” Bowler said of his defensive strategy.
The Spy Ponders boast an average margin of victory slightly above 20 points, trap the ball handler on both sides of the half-court timeline, while only allowing an astonishing 50.4 points per game. According to Arlington assistant Jack Woods, the Spy Ponders typically cause between 20 and 25 turnovers a game.
Despite being only 6-foot-2 for the center position, senior Frank Roche has drawn double digit charge fouls, while anchoring Arlington defensively. Fittingly, reading the eyes of the guy with the ball is what he did as a free safety for Arlington’s football team this past fall. Presumably, Roche will assume a similar role at his fall gridiron destination Tufts University.
“We make teams take tough shots. We make teams take quick shots. We make them take shots on spots on the court that they don’t want to take them,” added Bowler.
But the DNA of Arlington’s undefeated season is the manifestation of something much simpler.
In games, the Spy Ponders are a group that cherishes playing together, while at practice, they divide, albeit for two hours each afternoon, to steal each other’s minutes.
“Our top ten guys go at it each day in practice. I mean a couple of our bench guys would be starters on other teams in the league. It’s great to have this competition in practice especially this late in the year,” Bowler said.
While guard Josh Lee (61 three-pointers made in 17 games) is talented enough to play collegiately, 6-foot-4 power forward Matt Moroney is the lone Ponder scribbled on a Division 3 college basketball recruiters’ white board. He’s currently considering Bridgewater State.
Ironically, Bowler, a 1993 graduate of Arlington, was cut by Bridgewater State in the fall of 1993, only to resurface at MASCAC rival Worcester State, start for four seasons, score over 1,000 points and be inducted into the Lancer Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
“(Bridgewater State’s Head Coach Joe Farroba) Joe’s actually a really good guy. He just made one recruiting mistake. Only one, he’s a very good coach and we’ve joked about his mistake” quipped Bowler.
For all 11 seniors but one, the 2015 season will likely be the last time any Spy Ponder plays organized basketball.
But, for a group of kids who have played together since fifth grade, a perfect 17-0 record demonstrates their understanding that soon the group will disband permanently.
Arlington’s senior class is comprised of throwbacks, the athlete’s Jack of all trades, grateful for any opportunity to compete. Yet for Robinson, while exclusively playing soccer at Syracuse University next fall, he will finally be master of one.
During Wednesday's National Signing Day for NCAA student-athletes, Robinson penned his National Letter of Intent with the Orange after giving a verbal commitment in December of 2013.
At Syracuse, Robinson will join his older sister Rebecca, a junior sprinter on the women’s track and field team.
“I was already thinking Syracuse. But, that kind of sealed the deal,” Robinson said.
When asked how long Arlington will remain undefeated in their pursuit of the Division 2 State Title, Robinson commented:
“Everyone on the team knows how to finish the deal. They know how to win because they’ve been on all types of situations in all types of sports fields.”
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/high-school/post/_/id/35757/versatility-name-of-arlingtons-unbeaten-game
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