The Salem News | Baker’s Dozen: Salem High’s best teams of the 21st century to date
Posted on: August 11, 2025
By Matt Williams | Assistant Sports Editor
Basketball is as much a part of the DNA in Salem as Halloween, so it’s no wonder a hoop team tops the list of the Witch City’s best high school teams of the 21st century.
This 20-3 outfit scored one of the definitive wins in Salem boys basketball history when it stopped 4-time defending state champion Charlestown in the Division 2 North semifinals. Led by a tremendous big man in Patrick Shea and a dynamic backcourt of Dan Fraser and Eric Groszyk, Salem could bang and run with anybody. Then first-year coach Tom Doyle came up with a genius way to prepare for the Townies’ press defense, playing 7-on-5 in practice.
