A wild offseason on the region’s boys basketball scene continues to play out as, on Wednesday, two more area varsity coaches announced they are stepping down – Methuen High’s Anthony Faradie and Salem High’s Rob McLaughlin.
That now leaves at least five open jobs in the region with Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem and Whittier Tech all hunting for new coaches.
I’ve been on this scene as a sports reporter since 1989 and don’t ever remember a season of such upheaval.
The vacancies come at a huge time for MIAA and NHIAA athletic programs. Prep school poaching has grown into such a giant threat for schools in the current era of sports. The first line of defense against athletes defecting is a dedicated, driven program manager/head coach.
“This can be a little telling,” said Faradie. “This job is a grind, especially for people who have families. and you know, nobody who does this is in it for the money.”
Dedicated to Salem
McLaughlin is a flat-out “Blue (Devil) Blood,” and has been his entire life.
“Grew up here, played here, left for five years when we moved out of town, but came back,” he said.
McLaughlin, a business teacher at Salem High, started as Andy Corey’s freshmen coach, bumped up to EJ Perry’s JV coach, then took over the program for himself in 2010.
“Everything has been a Salem thing,” said McLaughlin, who has been a part of the program for 30 years. “To be honest, that was the lure of the job. I didn’t feel like I needed to chase varsity jobs around the state. Luckily, it opened and I feel like I did a decent job here.”
McLaughlin’s teams made the Division I playoffs every year but this past season, with the Zack Caraballo/Kyle Poulin-led group going all the way to the 2019 state title game. He finishes with a 137-159 career mark.
McLaughlin will look to spend a little more time with his family, something he’s looking forward to after a long run.
“This thing is a, ‘24/7, 365’ type of deal. It’s on your mind all the time,” the coach said. “After the end of the season, heading into spring, I wasn’t getting the juice for the offseason stuff like I usually do. When the summer league stuff starts to become a chore, and you know you would rather be doing other things, with the family or whatever, it gets you thinking.
“We’re in this for the kids, and to do it right, you have to be in it 100 percent. If I was a parent, I wouldn’t want to be in a situation where a coach wasn’t totally in it for the kids.”
McLaughlin, at 55, is closing in on retirement from his real job. As he says, he’s still five or six years away. He doesn’t rule out a return to coaching, but the situation would need to be right.
Faradie Will Be Missed
For Anthony Faradie, the decision to leave Methuen and take the helm at Wilmington High School was not an easy one.
In 11 years at the Klimas Fieldhouse, he took a program that won four games in the year before he was hired, and built a perennial winner in what has grown into one of the fiercest leagues in the state.
“Methuen has been great. Before I got there, it was a total rebuild,” said Faradie. “I think we’ve been on a really strong run. We’ve had some great memories, great players have come through here with great assistant coaches. It’s hard to leave behind.”
Logistics and family dictated the move for Faradie, who lives in Wilmington and teaches in Medford.
“It’s become harder and harder to do it the way I want to from such a distance,” said Faradie, who has a pair of young children.
“I like to think of us in Methuen as a strong program, and Wilmington hasn’t been good in a long time. It’s totally a family decision.”
Faradie went 125-103 in his tenure with the Rangers, including a stretch of 49-29 since the pandemic.
With the likes of Lennon Abreu De La Cruz, Isaiah Andino and Nethaniel Clemente all expected back in the fold, Faradie leaves Methuen with the shelves still well-stocked.
“With (former principal) Rich Barden and (former AD) Matt Curran, I’ve had unbelievable people behind me,” said Faradie. “I still plan on being heavily involved with the alumni. Everyone in Methuen has been great to me.”
