Laroche Hoping to Go Out on Top with a Full Season

By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sport Writer

Like many in Bellingham, Richie Laroche got involved with sports at young age and basically due to his older siblings. Now, as his senior year is playing out, he is hoping that he can go out on top with the Blackhawks basketball team playing to their capability.

“My older brothers, Ryan and Evan, played basketball, and they got me into it at a young age,” Laroche said. “I just loved the energy around the sport and working off my teammates.”

Last winter, as a junior Laroche got to start for Coach TJ Chiappone’s varsity squad, and although it was a great feeling to be playing for the school’s top team, it was also a discouraging season due to COVID. 

“It was definitely a different type of season with COVID. We only got to play 10 games and didn’t do too well going 2-8,” he said. “We also had to wear masks being pulled up over our noses at all times, making it difficult to breathe. It was a tough experience and not the one that I had expected in my first varsity season.”

Laroche, who was more of a rebounder for the team last winter, will be looked upon to do some scoring this season, especially with COVID issues still sidelining athletes as well as the team having it’s point guard sitting on the bench due to health issues. According to the senior power forward, Ross Priscella, the team’s point guard, is a key component to the team’s success bringing the ball up the court while being one of the main scorers.

“With Ross out a number of games to start the season, the coach has had me run the offense and bring the ball over mid-court,” Laroche said. “I know that the team in general needs to step up their games, but I need to score more. Being the tallest player on the team doesn’t put pressure on me, but I have to rebound as we’re one of the smallest teams in the (Tri-Valley) League.”

Having a limited team throughout the early stages of the season, Chiappone has had to rely on his senior captain to keep things flowing in a positive way on and off the court.

“He’s the leader of the team that does a little of everything for us. At 6’2” he’s a very versatile player, and depending on what we need during a specific game, he’s role with change,” the Bellingham Coach said. “Last year, he was a role player, but he came into the season this year having improved on every facet of his game during the off-season. He not only got stronger, but worked on his shooting, ball handling and rebounding. He’s going to be our go-to guy this season.”

As Laroche had noted early, the Bellingham team is vertically challenged when it comes to other teams in the league, which leads to difficulty scoring as well as rebounding at times, and his coach agrees.

“We are offensively challenged, especially with Ross sidelined, so we’re going to look for some scoring from Richie in addition to his rebounding and being a presence under the net,” Chiappone said. “I am optimistic that our scoring will go up when we start to get some players back, but for the time being, it’s on him.”

Laroche has taken the difficult task at hand without complainin, and at the time of this writing he has averaged 14.2 points per game, while adding 9.2 rebounds, one block and one steal. The senior even helped Bellingham open this season with a buzzer beating win over Nipmuc.

“As soon as I shot it, I was hoping that it would go in, but I was unsure until I heard the crowd,” Laroche said. “Once the ball went in, I really didn’t know that to think. I knew that it was a big shot, but I had never experienced a varsity game winning shot.”

Laroches’s path to get to that buzzer beating shot was a long time in the making. During the eighth grade, he became one of three eight graders to make the high school team. The following year he moved up the ladder in the junior varsity squad, but once again was still one of the younger kids on the team. It wasn’t until his sophomore season that he was named captain and began to see substantial floor time. About mid-way through the season, he was called up to the varsity team as a swing player. For the most part it was a watch and learn experience that eventually led to his becoming a varsity starter.

In addition to being a great teammate on the Bellingham varsity team, Laroche is also involved in the unified basketball program, where he teaches special education athletes the game of basketball. 

“My parents that told me about it and that I should get involved and I thought that it was a good idea to help out,” he said. “I love being part of the team where I am also helping. It’s very heartwarming to see that you’re making a difference in their life, teaching them a sport that I truly love.”