Concord head coach Tim LaTorra spent his Wednesday at the Division I boys’ basketball semifinals in Exeter, a chance to gather concrete evidence for what separated the Tide from some of the top programs in the division.

2022-23 was surely a rebuilding year for LaTorra in his first season leading the program that finished 6-12 and missed the playoffs because of tiebreakers. But this rebuild doesn’t just encompass the varsity level; he took the job in October prepared to build up Concord boys’ basketball from the lowest level youth leagues all the way to the varsity team. He knows the Tide won’t necessarily be ready to compete for a spot at the stop of the D-I standings next year, but those other programs provide some guidance as to what his players can work toward.

“You have to have one of two things on the team – it'd be nice to have both – but you either need guys that are physically strong and tough to be able to own the glass and play physical, and you need guys that can shoot the ball,” he said. “You look at some of these teams that are in (the semifinals), at all times, they've got three or four guys, when they're open, they can shoot it, and it's going in. That's what people in town that are interested in playing basketball really need to think about: work on your shot in the offseason, make it a thing, make it part of your routine.”

But beyond the tangible skill sets he’s hoping his players continue to develop in the coming years, the buy in and the belief in LaTorra’s long-term vision for the program already started to manifest this season.

Keeping that perspective, he said, remains key to continually moving things in the right direction.

“We are in a full rebuild,” he said. “That doesn't just mean wins and losses. That means mindset. That means teaching commitment. That means teaching all the core values that we have throughout the year, so that the foundation is set to continue to build moving forward.”

The Tide started the season losing three in a row, and then winning three in a row, surpassing the 2021-22 win total (2-16). After a rough stretch from mid-January to early February that saw Concord lose seven of eight, LaTorra’s group rebounded with two wins before dropping the final two games of the regular season to miss out on the playoffs.

A postseason appearance would’ve been nice for sure; if nothing else, it could’ve served as evidence that Concord boys’ basketball isn’t a pushover. But again, making or missing the playoffs does nothing to alter the long-term plan LaTorra’s laid out.

As he prepares to discuss offseason plans for his returning players, one thing is clear: There will be lots of chances to work in the gym.

“We got the shooting machine in there, it's back up and running. We're going to try some new things with our middle school-aged kids,” he said. “I'm running two basketball camps, so there's going to be lots of opportunities for guys to get in the gym. The other side of it's going to be, these opportunities are here, are you going to take advantage of them? If we're really serious about not just playing basketball, but being basketball players, then hopefully these opportunities are things they'll take advantage of.”

The offseason also presents more space for LaTorra to work with his players and for them to continue building chemistry and improve their games without the grind of the season hanging over them. 

When LaTorra started this past October, he had to try to jam summer, fall and preseason work into a couple of weeks. Now, he’ll have more time to settle in and bring everyone on board with what he’s hoping to accomplish. 

And if this first season was any indicator, the Concord boys’ basketball program looks on track to see continued improvement in the coming years.

“I’m just really proud of the guys for having that patience and working through some of the struggles of maybe not seeing all the results they wanted,” LaTorra said. “The amount of time they put in themselves and the community to try to help build up the excitement for that next generation and being able to see the long-term view of everything was really encouraging. Hopefully that continues to snowball for years to come.”

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