Director of Athletics, Head Boys Basketball Coach at The Rivers School — NEPSAC Class B champions 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24— ISL champions 2022-23, 2023-24
TC was so close to that dream he had a long time ago. All the thoughts to his family, friends, and those close to him. That smile will never fade and neither will the inspiration he gave to so many in his city of Boston.
These guys right here! Special connection with each other and they just kept on fighting. Appreciate all the support from our past players that made Rivers who we are now, NEPSAC Class B Champs!
Kate, Maeve, and I welcomed our baby boy last night and all are doing well and very excited! Walker Marshall Zalaski arrived weighing 7 lbs 12 oz and 20.5”. It’s confirmed for the second time now, mothers and babies are the most amazing beings!
The best day of any coach’s year is knowing their seniors are headed to a good place for the next four years and beyond! Very excited for Max Poulton (Colby), Tim Minicozzi (MIT), and Drew Martin (Amherst) on their continued success as student-athletes!
Boys’ Varsity Basketball defeats Frederick Gunn and are your back to back
@NEPSAC
Class B Champions! Jayden Ndjigue ‘23 also earned his second consecutive tournament MVP award
Fall teams at Rivers have set a high bar — only school in NEPSAC with four home games on Wednesday and only school with all five teams in the tournament or a bowl game. There’s a whole lot of action on Winter St this week!
I care about two rankings: how much do people hate playing against you and how much do they love playing with you? Our captain, Nicky Johnson ‘21, is one of the best in New England in both and Wesleyan (
@wes_mbball
) is getting one hell of a player.
Not the result we wanted but I'm proud of how our guys fought these last couple of weeks especially. I can't thank our seniors enough. You guys are what make Rivers special
Day one of practice always makes me thankful for the players and coaches that have created the tradition that makes Rivers. Looking forward to making more memories with this current group
I’m admittedly bad with following these things, but congrats to Jay Dieterle and Cam Tongue on scoring their 1000th point in a Rivers uniform. I missed Jay by a couple games...both 4 year guys that lead us in many ways
Best of luck to Ross (Cal Tech), Jermaine (Villanova), Azar (Yale), Ty (Tufts), Andrew (Bates), Kyle (Colby), Connor (Rochester), & Liam (Hamilton) as they kick off their college years. The viewing and road trips to games is starting to get more difficult in the best way!
COLLEGE COACHES - Open Gyms will start on Tuesday, September 14 at 5:45 PM and on Thursday, September 16 at 6:45 AM. The schedule will remain the same throughout the fall. Please reach out if you are coming to campus. We have a great group spanning 2022-2025!
When you give into something bigger than you, it feels that much better when you win and that much tougher when you lose. It's the best part of the game. Thank you guys for another year of memories.
Sitting on my couch by myself with a massive smile seeing J celebrate a national championship in his first year! He told me that Coach Wright teaches them to embrace the moment, and they certainly did.
"He's the nicest, sweetest person in the world. He's one of those guys, you'd love him to date your daughter. On the court, his skill, competitiveness and basketball IQ has really improved." - Jay Wright on Villanova senior Jermaine Samuels
The most interesting winter season I’ve ever been a part of just finished up. We played 13 games and every one of them felt like a breath of fresh air. I love our seniors, Kitty/Nicky/Jrich/Brigo more than I can write in any text. Thanks for all that made any season a reality!
As a teacher/coach, it's amazing to see the progress someone can make in a year. Kyle Butler '19 finished the first trimester with 5 As and a B+, which has been followed up with his 11.7 ppg. That's showing by example!
The Houston Rockets are signing forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to a two-way NBA contract, sources tell me and
@KellyIko
. Samuels earns deal after a standout Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged 11.3 points, 5 rebounds and 3.3 assists for Rockets.
In the last two years, Jermaine Samuels (‘Nova), Azar Swain (Yale), Ty Aronson (Tufts), & Andrew Snoddy (Bates) have made decisions that are life & basketball based. These guys are going to make big impacts in both areas. Good luck in the start of your years fellas!
Well earned recognition for these guys - All-ISL & NEPSAC for Max Poulton ‘22, Drew Martin ‘22, & Jayden Ndjigue ‘23. HM All-ISL & NEPSAC For Tim Minicozzi ‘22, and All-ISL & HM ALL-NEPSAC for Amir Lindsey ‘24.
They did it for and with each other.
We look forward to welcoming college coaches to campus starting two weeks from today. If any coach is looking for an alternate time, please reach out and we will try to make it work!
Spending the weekend and holidays with my parents in CT. Mama Z turned 70 today and I can’t think of better people to live by. Both look and act 20 years younger and live life fully. I’m a lucky son
Congrats to our guys recognized by the ISL. Jay Dieterle ‘20 and Camaron Tongue ‘21 as 1st-team All-ISL and Nick Johnson ‘21 as HM All-ISL and Defensive POY!
Congrats to Cam Tongue, aka Kitty, on signing his NLI to Santa Clara. This man has come a long way from his early minutes as an 8th grader just a short 4 years ago. Love you kid!
We wake up today and get to learn our fate in 24 hours. Love the guys on our team with all I’ve got. Hoping to be on the court Monday to extend that time together! Class B playoffs are a monster that we are excited to take on!
Brooklyn Elizabeth Zalaski joined us at 3:06 am yesterday.
Her mom is a superhero, her brothers can’t wait to meet her tomorrow, and her dad is some unexplainable place beyond happy.
Now time to get back to just staring at her in amazement for hours on end…
We are 6-1 heading into the break, and it feels like we haven't sniffed our ceiling. Good to have a few days off and figure out what needs to be cleaned up going forward. Happy holidays to all!
A week overdue, but I want to give my full congratulations and love to Terrell Hollins in his hiring as the head boys basketball coach at Concord Academy. He’s beloved by our players and staff, & he will be missed inside Benson, & we will all be rooting for him and his new squad!
As a coach/educator/person, I'm a huge fan of people who make others better. We lose
@itsjarrelo
from Rivers at the end of the week, and we all wish him nothing but the best of luck. He's not a finished product yet, but his heart/person are pure. This kid is special, good luck!
Just returned from a long trip in Portugal celebrating five years of marriage to the best person I know. Anyone who has met her knows the special kind of luck I have to have her in my life
People wonder why he was the best coach in New England, and it’s because he’s one of the best people around. Who wouldn’t want to lace them up for this man? Always on point, always knows the room, and always with a laugh — so thankful for how much he’s helped me.
During Chapel today departing faculty John McVeigh offered a farewell + thanks: . “Brooks took a chance on a young and inexperienced teacher and coach 20 years ago,” he said. “This place has given me and my family so much more than I could ever give back.."
Too many memories and words to put down here - all love A and looking forward to one last run together. Albany gets an exceptional person, teammate, leader, student, and player
It’s not every day your wife is featured in an article in the
@nytimes
! Kate’s work in suicidality is hard and so needed - awesome to see it being talked about!
Been an amazing year! So thankful for family, friends, our beautiful little girl, and my amazing wife. Also thankful for the players and parents from current and past that make my job the best every day!
Just a little glimpse into the mentality of Jermaine and his journey at Nova. If you’re in the right place, and you’re the right person, you work and reap those benefits of growth and love.
Before the summer ends, I’d love to welcome point guard Nicky Johnson ‘21 from
@MiddlesexMagic
and wing Jack Staiti ‘20 from
@Metro_Boston
. Both guys are big additions as players and people to the Rivers community
Jay Dieterle went off in the final set, he’s shooting it better than I’ve ever seen. Jack Staiti & Nicky Johnson chipped in in every way, and Trevor Noble and Jack Richard both figured out how to get it done against good competition. Is it November yet?
A happy Mother’s Day to my mom and all of the moms involved with the kids that I’m lucky enough to work with. It’s an extra special one this year as I am watching my wife inch closer to our upcoming due date in October. The love for her and our future little girl is endless!
Very proud of the way our guys played as a group down the stretch this past month. They made it happen. Won 10 out of last 11 to finish 19-6, and hopefully there’s good news coming on Sunday. Good win tonight, hopefully back on the court Monday!
ISL DPOY & NEPSAC POY along with leading a team to a NEPSAC & ISL championship - hell of a run and impact from our captain and one of the best leaders I’ve been around!
One of my greatest joys in coaching has been watching Azar play and to see him have the career he and his dad worked so hard on together. They put plan into action every day. All love AZ!
Love this message. Be genuine in your interactions with others. It will help someone in their day and help you further enjoy what you do. Be a good human
Cam Tongue ‘21 went from mid single digits in pts/rebs to 16 ppg & 9 rpg this year. He went from no postseason accolades to 1st team in both the ISL and NEPSAC Class B. Anyone who has been around him knows the ceiling is far off, can’t wait to see what the year brings.
Good luck to our former captains, Ty Aronson (Tufts) and Andrew Snoddy (Bates), in their Day One’s today. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, finally
Congrats to our senior captain, Jay Dieterle, on his acceptance to Tufts! He’s also gotten off to a monster start in his senior campaign. It was a good Friday night!
Nick Johnson I
@nickyjohnson_3
The 5'9.5" lefty was the ISL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20 and is loaded with playmaking ability on both ends of the floor!
Scholarship caliber prospect with high-level academics!
Just finished watching
@JeffJuron
and
@SuffolkMBB
get the W in their first game of the year. For anyone that doesn’t know, that dude can coach and his men are tough. Makes me itch to get on the floor here in a week and a half
Congrats to our floor general, Amir Lindsey, on scoring his 1000th point today! The man has done it all at Rivers and always with a smile. Appreciate you!