By Jack Nicas

Mark Antonelli is the new head coach of the Somerville High School boys basketball team. After a month-long hiring process, Antonelli beat out former Charlestown coaches Jack O’Brien and Steve Cassidy.

In a school-issued press release, Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi said Antonelli’s ‚Äúgenuine commitment to the long term success‚Äù of the school’s basketball program is what made him stand out above the other candidates.

Athletic Director Nicole Viele said in the release that Antonelli challenges his players to work harder on and off the court and can “clearly plan and execute a practice.”

During the interview process, Antonelli presented a ‚ÄúBasketball Action Plan,‚Äù which illustrated his plans for on and off-court success for Somerville’s student-athletes, according to the release.

Antonelli said the plan includes in and out-of-season goals, his philosophies, and a detailed blueprint on how he would run his tryouts and first 12 practices leading up to the first game, if he were hired as coach. That plan can now become a reality.

Antonelli is a Somerville resident, a 1996 graduate of Somerville High, a former point guard on the basketball team, and the former assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach at the school for the past five years.

Before coming to Somerville, Antonelli was the varsity coach at St. Clement High School for two years. The team went 5-13 and 12-6 respectively in those two years; they were 0-60 the previous three. In his final year there, Antonelli led the school to its first tournament berth in 11 years.

In the fall of 2003, Paul Garrity became the head coach at Somerville High. Antonelli said Garrity immediately called and “basically welcomed me home.”

Antonelli served as Garrity’s assistant coach and simultaneously led the school’s junior varsity team to a 70-12 record over five years.

Now, as the school’s head coach, Antonelli said he will run an exciting team. ‚ÄúWhen we get the ball, we like to run,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúWe run a fast break system; we don’t dribble the ball up the court, we push it up with the pass.‚Äù

Antonelli said the team will be led by Franklin Salvador, a returning junior and first-team GBL all star, Ricardo Bonhomme, one of the few seniors on the team and a second-team GBL all star, and David Soto and Gabe Vides, the final two returning varsity players.

Otherwise, Antonelli said the team will experience a rebuilding year; he said he’ll rely upon young players to step up, including Ken Pierre, Matt O’Donnell, Richie Arisme, and Chi Che, all junior varsity players under Antonelli last season.

Antonelli said he never punishes his players for missed shots and highly encourages shooting from long range. Garrity, Somerville’s head coach last season, said Antonelli has the perfect weapon: he called Salvador ‚Äúthe best three-point shooter in the league.‚Äù

Garrity said of Antonelli, ‚ÄúMark is one of those guys who’s wanted to be a coach since he was very young; he’s always looking to learn.‚Äù He said Antonelli is an intense motivator, but ‚Äúreally cares about the kids.‚Äù

Antonelli said his goal is always to win the state championship, but only one team can do it per year; “so, the real goal is to teach [the kids] life skills and how to be responsible adults when they graduate.”
Antonelli has been doing that for years; Garrity said Antonelli coached many of Somerville’s players in the Youth League when they were 10 or 11 years old. Garrity also said Antonelli, as the junior varsity coach, would get to know the varsity players years before Garrity.

‚ÄúWe’ve got some great kids here, we really do,‚Äù Antonelli said. ‚ÄúThat’s the reason I wanted to come back.‚Äù