Braedan Shea
@braedan_shea
With 2:18 remaining in the first half of Pioneer Valley Regional High School’s matchup against the Hoosac Valley Hurricanes in the first game of the Hoophall Classic, Hurricanes forward Frank Fields received a pass at the free throw line, directly in the soft spot of the Panthers 2-3 zone.
Fields was patrolling the middle for the majority of the half, typically reversing the ball to the opposite wing while trying to keep the Pioneer players on their heels. Usually the leading scoring option for Hoosac, Fields instead took a step back. His teammate, Joey McGovern, was scorching hot from the opening tip – starting the game off with three NBA-range 3 pointers in just three minutes.
But with all eyes on McGovern from the defense, Fields used it as an opportunity to get back to his roots. He aggressively faked a pass outside, believable enough to move the Panthers to the left side of the court. Fields swiftly pounded a dribble forward, gathered himself and went up strong. As he hit the apex of his jump, he was met by the arms of a Pioneer Valley big man.
Fields let out a roar of excitement after his back hit the hardwood of Blake Arena – and his shot hit the bottom of the net.
On the ensuing free throw, Fields pushed the Hurricanes’ lead to 14. And Pioneer Valley head coach Scott Thayer, with one hand on the scorer’s table and the other on his hip, could do nothing but watch in disappointment at his team’s performance.
Thayer knew that Pioneer Valley had the potential to play much better. This was a team that could help him finally achieve one of his career coaching goals – winning a state championship.
Thayer is no stranger to state championship teams, especially state-winning Pioneer Valley teams. In 1992, the hometown product joined the Panthers’ coaching staff as an assistant to Perry Messer. In their six years together they transformed Pioneer into a state powerhouse, totaling three league championships, two Western Mass. and two state Division III titles, and a school-record 51-game winning streak between 1995 and 1997 led by former NBA player Adam Harrington.
Success followed Thayer when he left in 1997 to become the head coach of Greenfield High School, once again rebuilding a program into force, winning the Western Mass. Division II title and advancing to the state finals. He was named the Mass. Basketball Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year for his efforts.
Following two more league titles in 2001 and 2004, lack of enrollment pushed the team back into mediocrity. But once again, Thayer completed a turnaround – and in 2013 his squad won the IL title. He was later honored as the Division II WMass and MBCA State Coach of the Year.
Following that season, Thayer left Greenfield to spend more time with his family.
His retirement didn’t last very long, however. Two years later, Thayer was named as the head coach of his former team, Pioneer Valley. Since his return, the program has been successful, adding two more Western Mass. titles to his resume in ‘18 and ‘23. But still no state championship victory to add to the trophy case.
As Pioneer Valley emerged from the locker room at Hoophall, the Panthers appeared ready. The look of defeat was replaced by a look of determination, as the team showed an angry confidence. In the third quarter, the Panthers finally looked like the team that Thayer knows they can be.
With a relentless defensive effort and an offensive explosion from Thayer’s son, Brayden, who finished as the game’s leading scorer with 29 points, Pioneer Valley cut Hoosac’s lead to just six, with Blake Arena sounding more like it was located in Northfield instead of Springfield, Mass.
While it was the closest Pioneer Valley got to Hoosac, with the Panthers ultimately losing 68-53, it was that third-quarter stretch that left Thayer optimistic.
“I think the opportunity is there [to win a state championship],” Thayer said. “How we go about our business will dictate whether we have that opportunity again.”
That view is shared within his family, as Brayden also believes that this team, when playing to its fullest potential, can get the job done.
“We showed it in spots last year,” Brayden said. “Obviously it’s not the same team. But when we decide we want to play the game like we did in the third quarter – that can really change the game.”
Besides the loss, Thayer, who graduated from Springfield College in 1991, was glad to be back on Alden Street and have the opportunity to play in such a prestigious tournament.
“It’s a great honor to play here, having gone to college here,” Thayer said. “But it was a great experience for the kids. They earned the right to be here.”
Much like his father, Brayden has state championship aspirations. Winning it with Thayer at the helm would make it that much sweeter.
“Growing up, I always looked up to him,” Brayden said. “He’s my idol when it comes to not just basketball, just life. It would be a great experience. That’s a goal of mine, to do it with him.”
Photo by Nick Pantages/The Student