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The Concord boys basketball team showed growth throughout the inaugural season of the Dave Bonner Memorial Summer Basketball League.
The crowd at Concord basketball games has dwindled since its heyday. Back when the Bonner kids starred and their late father, Dave Bonner, after whom the league was named, sat in attendance, the gym was packed. That was over 20 years ago.
Neither the girls’ nor boys’ varsity teams have won an NHIAA game since the 2023-24 season. That’s part of the reason why it’s hard to fill up the gym.
It’s not empty, though — families and friends are still there to cheer on the players on the court. Yet, even as one of the largest cities in New Hampshire, Concord hasn’t been able to string together a complete 32 minutes of winning high school basketball against any of its competitors.
How and why the basketball teams in the city have lost their competitive edge is hard to pin down to one issue.
Athletic Director Steve Largy and his coaches, girls’ two-year coach John Edwards and boys’ four-year coach Tim Latorra, are trying to pull the nose up on the plane one day at a time.
From the bottom up, through summer camps and the league, they want to foster basketball-minded players. Not every player has to be one, but setting a culture that is welcoming and embraces commitment to the sport is a priority, Edwards said.
“When you have that, then you can build kids who want to play year-round. You have kids who want to be in the gym in the summer and in the fall,” Edwards told the Monitor in the winter after a loss in the Capital Area Holiday Basketball Tournament.
Both teams were very young last season, with sophomores and freshmen accounting for the majority of players. This upcoming year will be another opportunity to grow.
It would be too much to ask for the programs to turn in seasons that earn playoff berths — but moving up from the bottom would be a massive improvement.
“Stick together, whether that’s getting in the gym together or even just hanging out outside,” rising junior guard Landon Perez, who commands the Tide’s backcourt, said about how the team can keep building. “Definitely still young.”
The winter season is still months away, but LaTorra feels the team has progressed this summer.
On Monday, July 27, the Concord boys showed up in a big way. The team built an over 30-point lead halfway through the second half and ultimately advanced to the summer league semis with a 46-23 win.
The defense was impeccable. The Tide (6-4) allowed zero field goals in the first half — 20 minutes straight of dominance — and poured in the points against ConVal.
Yes, it’s “just summer league” and, yes, it was against Division II competition, but the team will take any wins it can get. Anything to prepare for the season ahead.
“The camaraderie is getting there. We’re trying to look better as a team and the chemistry is getting here, so hope to make some noise in the regular season,” Landon Sartorelli, a rising junior, said after the win over ConVal.
Concord’s Ethan Belanger elevates on the wing with an open three attempt against ConVal in the summer league on July 27, 2026. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Concord guard Landon Perez (M) will look to be a leader for the Crimson Tide this fall after the team went winless in 2025-2026. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
That’s exactly why the summer league has been so crucial. On the bench, LaTorra has had over 20 players to pick from. These student-athletes have shown up every Monday and Wednesday for the past month.
The buy-in this summer has been a huge boost, LaTorra said. Much of the core from last season showed up this summer and has improved its fluidity on the court.
The team rotated and cut with ease during the game on Monday, making the right passes when needed and sticking to the game plan throughout.
There’s still some ground to make up. Individual uncertainty, lack of experience and disjointed play hampered the team last year, according to LaTorra. It won’t be easy to beat anyone at the D-I level.
“If we can get past that and do it together, man, it’s going to be fun to watch,” LaTorra said. “We got the pieces, we got the talent, we got guys that have skillsets that compliment eachother very well.”
There were no selfish plays on Monday. It was team basketball with an excited bench that seems to have grown closer over the course of the summer.
The Tide summer league team lost to another Division I opponent in the semis, Manchester Central (9-0), on Wednesday, but can still take away lots of positives from this summer.
Whether they’ll be able to carry some success over into the winter and the NHIAA schedule is yet to be seen, but for now, it’s a promising sign for a team hunting for a single win.