WILLIAMSTOWN -- If you saw Nathan Majumder on the soccer field, then you know he can do some pretty special things with a soccer ball.
The senior scored 31 goals in 18 games on his way to the All-Transcript boys' soccer MVP.
All winter long, Majumder has been sending a pretty clear message to all of Berkshire County: He is far more than a soccer star.
He's proving that on the hardwood for the Mount Greylock boys' basketball team.
The EssentialsWho: No. 3 Mount Greylock boys vs. No. 6 St. Joseph's What:Western Mass. D-III Quarterfinal Where:Mount Greylock Regional High School When: Tonight, 6 p.m. Coverage: Live-blog and post-game interviews at blogs.thetranscript.com/sports/ and on Twitter: @NAT_DigitalJosh and @NAT_DigitalSam |
"In terms of using soccer skills for playing defense and stuff, it helps," Majumder said after a team film session on Wednesday. "You still have to use the quickness and agility to play tough defense on guys like [St.
He might not be the prolific scorer he is on the soccer pitch, but he has still been a vital cog in the Mounties' balanced offensive attack.
He is one of four Mounties to average double-digit points this season. He averaged 10.5 points per game during the regular season, as did Hank Barrett. Tyrell Thomas averaged 13 and Tyler Picard led the team with more than 15 per game. The Mounties used that balanced attack all the way to the No. 3 seed.
"That's great because no team can focus on one guy," Majumder said. "When we have four or five guys who can all score in double digits on any given day, then it's impossible to defend everybody."
Majumder's scoring skills aren't his biggest skill set, however. All season long, he has taken on the toughest defensive assignments.
"I think most of all, he is committed to playing defense," Greylock coach Bob Thistle said during practice Wednesday. "I think that is easier said than done. A lot of kids want to touch the ball and score. He does that too, but he really wants to help this team win. He's committed to playing defense and takes great pride in it."
When St. Joseph's rolls into town tonight as the No. 6 seed for the Western Massachusetts Division III quarterfinals, Majumder will once again draw a difficult assignment. For the third time this season, he will be tasked with guarding Roberson, the Crusaders' all-time leading scorer.
"I've seen some of his instincts and his moves," Majumder said about Roberson. "I have a lot of respect for him. I'm not going to be able to play up on him too much. I just want to keep him in front of me.
"He's going to get his points, no matter what you do. But if we can limit him and those passes he makes when he's inside under the hoop, if we can limit that we'll be in good shape."
Just like the Mounties' scoring is balanced, Greylock also has a slew of players that can play solid defense. If Majumder is struggling to slow down a scorer, it can make a switch or try a different look.
The Greylock coaching staff preaches team defense. The team always sets a goal to hold opponents under 12 points per quarter. For the most part, they have been very successful at that this season.
"We're pretty balanced defensively," senior Brett McCormack said. "We want to try and always shut down the other team's best players. We go over the scouting reports and just try and see how we can shut them down. We watch a lot of things and do all the necessary stuff to be good defensively."
Roberson enters tonight's contest after scoring 17 points in the Crusaders' first round win over No. 11 Frontier. Roberson averaged 26.5 points per game this season.
St. Joseph's is the defending Western Massachusetts Division III champions and also has a plethora of players who can score. Mike Carpenter led the way on Tuesday with 24 points and Lavante Wiggins had 17.
The reach the summit as the top team in Western Mass., the Mounties will have to top St. Joseph's for a third time this year. Greylock was able to top the Crusaders on Jan. 25 in Pittsfield, 64-61. Then the Mounties defended their home court with a 63-58 victory on Feb. 15. Both times Roberson had productive first halves, but quiet seconds.
To get to the team's goal of winning a Western Mass. title, Majumder will have to play top defense on a top scorer. In the Feb. 15 matchup, Roberson scored 17 points in the first half. Majumder found a way to slow him down in the second, allowing him to collect just eight more points.
The winner of tonight's clash will advance to the Curry Hicks Cage on the campus of UMass-Amherst for the semifinals. No. 2 Granby or No. 7 Lee will be the opponent at the Cage.
"I think if we can have four good defensive quarters, we'll be able to work through the highs and lows of any game," Thistle said. "This is really the type of game we want to be in. We have to really focus on the fact the you love playing the game and love playing with these guys. We all want to practice on Friday, that's the goal."
To reach Sam Monroe, email
smonroe@thetranscript.com.
On Twitter: @NAT_DigitalSam
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