RallyNorth.net

Diaz lifts Methuen to new heights

Monday, December, 10 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

It wasn't quite exactly Michael Jordan getting cut from his high school JV team, but it still stung Romeo Diaz.

"The coaches forced me to play on the 8th-grade 'B' team," said Methuen's Diaz.

Diaz never forgot the slight.

Entering his third year starting on the Methuen High varsity, Diaz, through his play, has let the youth league folks know what he thought of the "B" team.

Diaz, an Eagle-Tribune All-Star last winter, has been fighting the hoop hierarchy ever since.

And opponents have been paying dearly.

"All I can saying is that the same AAU programs and coaches that slammed the door in his face a couple years ago came begging for him to play for them this summer," said Ranger coach Rich Barden. "That's how far he's come."

With the season opener with St. John's Prep just a day away, Diaz' agenda remains an ambitious one.

"I want to make myself a better player so I can help the team get better," he said humbly. "Playing for free in college is definitely a goal. I feel like I can play Division 2. But before that, I want to lead our team to the state tournament. And this time, I want to win some games." Just talking of tourney wins vindicates what Diaz, who led the club at 16.0 points a game last year, has meant to the Methuen program.

Before his sophomore the year, the Rangers had fallen on some hard times, going 27-73 in the previous five seasons. Under Barden and with Diaz coming of age, Methuen has righted the ship, winning MVC small titles and reaching the tourney two seasons in a row, going 22-20 over that span. "One of the pressures I put on myself is to make a name for ourselves," said Diaz, who played in tournaments all over the country with the Metro Boston AAU and Bay State Magic teams this summer. "People are going to respect us, and nobody is going to take this team for granted again." There is no secret to Diaz' success.

"He just plays basketball all the time," said Barden. "Now that it's the season, he's actually slowing down a little bit and playing less."

Slowly but surely Diaz has put the pieces in place to become a more complete player.

"I think all-round my game is better," said the 6-foot-4 Diaz, who'll play the wing this year, according to Barden, because that's where he'll play in college.

"I've worked hard on my defense, and my shooting, and taking the ball to the basket."

A stellar athlete (he had a few dunks last year), Diaz also handles the ball like a point guard, creating mismatch problems around the league.

As for the future, Barden, who played at Merrimack College and knows how tough it is to earn a Division 2 scholarship, figures the ultimate reward is coming. It's only a matter of time.

"He's been around it and talked to all the coaches, they all like him," said Barden. "Now he's got to go out and make a couple of them love him."