Thirty years ago, the Bristol Central boys basketball program stood on top of the state tournament mountain in Connecticut.
The Rams, led by future Boston College commit Malcolm Huckaby, went 24-0 and won the 1990 Class L championship. Huckaby scored 21 points in the 66-65 state final victory over second-seeded St. Joseph-Trumbull, but he pointed out that it wasn’t just him.
“This team really has more than one guy,” Huckaby told Channel 8 after the game. “Everyone says that oh, Bristol Central is only Huckaby, this and that. We proved tonight that other guys can pick up the slack, and they did that all during the tournament.”
Indeed, the game-winning shot that March afternoon at CCSU’s Detrick Gymnasium came not from Huckaby, but from fellow senior Gregory Fradette. With the game tied at 63, Bristol Central brought the ball down the court. Huckaby was double-teamed and gave the ball up. Fradette got it at the top of the key and passed the ball to senior Richard Salgado in the corner. Salgado passed out to reserve Marvin Fitzpatrick. Fradette popped out to the right wing, nearly out of bounds. Salgado passed Fradette the ball, and the 5-foot-9 guard stepped into his shot and buried it. The shot went in with about five seconds left.
“I knew it was in. It just symbolized our whole season,” Fradette said. “That’s what it came down to, and that’s what we had to do.”
St. Joseph called timeout with three seconds left, and one second was added back onto the clock. The Cadets, who were also undefeated going into the game, got a three-point shot off in front of their own bench. It missed, and the putback at the buzzer wasn’t enough. Bristol Central 66, St. Joseph 65.
Fradette said he hadn’t been hitting shots consistently in the game, so he figured the Cadets might leave him open.
“When they did, I had to hit it,” Fradette said.
“He was out deep, too. It wasn’t like it was a 15-footer or a 10-footer,” Huckaby said. “It was a deep 3-pointer, and it was just great. I still can’t believe that he hit that shot.”
The late Lonnie Brooks, a senior in that dream season, went for 19 points.
“Lonnie Brooks was outstanding,” Bristol Central coach Ed Phelan said.
Fradette had 17 points and Salgado bagged six points. Fitzpatrick scored just three points, but it was his pass that found the open Fradette for the game-winning shot.
“(Greg) was the man that was open,” Phelan said. “Give credit to hitting the open man, and Greg buried it.”
Roderick Hickey started and didn’t score. Scott McCarthy came off the bench but didn’t score.
Logo credit: Bristol Central High School
