ORFORD — Jamie Bourn easily could have taken the Rivendell Academy boys basketball coaching job himself.
After Ross Convertino, the Raptors’ athletic director for the last five years and head coach for the last four, took a job at the Basketball Hall of Fame, Bourn replaced him as AD. An assistant on Convertino’s staff last season, Bourn simply could have named himself to take over Convertino’s other job as well. But that would have taken a big chunk into his administrative responsibilities, so Bourn instead tapped Andy Perkins, previously Rivendell’s junior varsity coach.
“That was a no-brainer,” Bourn said. “He’s coached most, if not all, of these kids since they were middle-schoolers playing AAU, so he’s familiar with them and they’re familiar with him. He gets the most out of these kids.”
Perkins grew up in Vershire and attended Thetford Academy, playing basketball and baseball for the Panthers before graduating in 1991. He began coaching just two years later, starting with fifth and sixth graders in Thetford, and he has worked in real estate for Dartmouth College for 29 years.
All the while, he stayed involved with coaching in Orange County, mostly at the youth levels, before arriving at Rivendell in 2019 as Convertino’s JV coach. From 2006 to 2008, Convertino was a student manager for the men’s basketball team at the University of Connecticut under Jim Calhoun, who led the Huskies to three national championships. He later spent two years as a graduate assistant under Mark Few at Gonzaga, which has made the NCAA Tournament every year since 1999.
“I feel very lucky to have been able to coach under Ross,” Perkins said. “I’ve picked up a lot of his style and philosophies, even how to run a practice. A lot of his style is what we’re going to keep, and we’ll still be doing several of the things he started here offensively and defensively.”
The Raptors reached Barre Auditorium twice under Convertino and last year entered the VPA Division IV playoffs as the undefeated top seed and the favorite to bring home Rivendell’s first state title. But in the semifinals against fourth-seeded Blue Mountain, they failed to put the Bucks away after leading by double digits throughout the first half and by seven with just a minute left. Blue Mountain stormed back to stun Rivendell, 43-42, in what would be Convertino’s last game on the Raptors’ bench.
Several of the Raptors are also coming off a long soccer season in which top-seeded Rivendell fell to Winooski in the state title game, the second straight year they have lost at that stage.
“These guys are very hungry to (bounce back),” Perkins said. “I’m always going to try to motivate the team, but this group has the motivation already. They’re a hard-working group to begin with. What we’re hoping for is to be playing our best at the end, so if that means we’re not undefeated, we can live with that.”
This year’s squad no longer enjoys the services of graduated seniors Kyle Carter (18.3 points per game last season) and Chris Pierce (11.7 ppg). Senior Harry Molesworth, Rivendell’s top returning scorer, is day-to-day with leg issues, and another senior, Josiah Welch, will likely be out until at least early January with a thumb injury.
Convertino’s teams employed full-court press often, using a 2-2-1 trap to create turnovers and lead to opportunities on offense. Perkins said he will be keeping things mostly the same on offense, playing at a faster tempo, but will incorporate more man-to-man defense. His tenure officially begins Saturday afternoon at home against Mill River.
“The way we went out last year was a really bitter pill to swallow,” Bourn said. “These kids, they’re resilient. They know what they need to do this year, and they’re excited, they’re amped and they’re ready to get the season started.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.