By Michael Letendre

NEW HAVEN – Each and every time Bristol Central senior guard Steve Alseph does something well on the court, you can hear the crowd start to chant “Steve…” in unison.

His name is chanted in a very slow and deliberate way and if you’re any kind of trash television watcher (like me), the way the crowd says Steve’s name, you know where that particular pronunciation comes from.

If you ever watch the Steve Wilkos Show, the former director of security on Jerry Springer, you can hear crowd chant Steve’s name the exact same way.

And when the audience starts chant his name, Wilkos is usually yelling at a guest – for some sort of tomfoolery –  and the crowd is agreeing with the host’s take on a certain situation or topic.

Typically, the audience also says his name in unison when Wilkos is ejecting a slimeball off the set in Stamford where the show is filmed.

But for Alseph, when he’s on the court for the Rams, you can hear his name coming from the crowd off a tremendous defensive effort, a nifty pass, or a timely three-pointer.

Alseph, a transfer from Sacred Heart, has been nothing less than sensational this season for Central at point guard – averaging a tough 6.3 points-per-game this season.

The CCC South All-Conference selection has done everything for the program, from face-guarding the opponent’s top player, slipping pin-point passes to All-Stater Donovan Clingan or just causing general havoc on the hardwood.

Alseph is just the type of player Central head coach Tim Barrette craves for his line-up: a heady guard running the show offensively while taking a no-mercy approach against opponents on defense.   

“He’s my engine man,” said Barrette of Alseph. “Steve’s been a great addition to us. He comes to practice, works hard every day, and says nothing. I couldn’t be happier for that kid to have an opportunity to play in the state final.” 

Against Wilton on Tuesday night, Alseph took every assignment to heart and made each possession a nightmare as he was nearly in the jersey of sharpshooter Thomas McKiernan – or whomever he picked up defensively – the entire evening.

He always puts in the work and you can never question that fact.

The senior nearly tallied a double-double, sinking home seven points and tallied somewhere around 10 rebounds in the Wilton showdown.

And along the way of an intense game, Alseph isn’t shy in the trashing talking department either – always happy to point to the scoreboard when an opponent has a few choice words during on-court battles.

In that department, Alseph carries a 27-0 record this year.

Guard Play

Against Wilton, the guard play of Victor Rosa, Damion Glasper, and Alseph was tremendous as the three-headed monster generated 24 points – right around their season averages – to help augment the play of Clingan who posted another unworldly stat-line against the Warriors (30 points, 21 rebounds, eight blocked shots). 

“The guards stepped up big,” said Clingan after the Wilton game. “Steve, Damion, Victor, not even making shots [but] just moving the ball, getting to the basket, hitting clutch free throws, rebounds, defense, everything.”  

That trio played most of the 36 minutes against Wilton but got a little help from Tre Blair when Alseph picked up his fifth foul late in OT.

But by the time Alseph left the game, his defensive imprint was permanently stamped on the showdown as it took Wilton most of the extra frame to finally post a point.

By the time the Warriors eventually scored, Central held the lead for good.

Earning the moment

Wilton was tremendous on Friday, refusing to go quietly into the night, and turning the game into a near Wrestlemania grudge match with its physical play and over-the-top style (even some flopping).

And that squad was talented to boot.

“They’re a tough team,” said Clingan of Wilton. “They could shoot it, they can move the ball well, they played well. Respect to them.” 

The Warriors only led for 7:43 over the 36-minute barnburner and once Glasper kicked a pass over to Clingan for a lay-up with 1:18 to play in the second quarter, the Rams racked up a 17-16 edge and never trailed in the contest again.

Though Wilton tied the game up late to force the extra session, Central played well in OT and more than earned its shot in Uncasville after that 54-52 triumph. 

“We said to these guys ‘you deserve this shot, truthfully,’” said Barrette. “But Wilton wasn’t going to give it to us. [We had to] go out and take it. We did enough to take it. Obviously, that’s a good team. Joel [Geriak is] a good coach, give him some credit. They slowed us down.” 

And after Central rolled both Amistad (65-38) and Waterford (70-48) to get to the semifinals, Wilton took its best shot against the locals but simply could not get over the hump.

Despite consecutive missed free throws, turnovers, and chances to win the game in regulation, the Bristol Central boys basketball team made all the big plays – on both sides of the ball – when it mattered most in overtime.

And now, it’s state championship time.  

“We panicked a little bit, [Wilton] made some shots, big shots, and they took advantage of a couple of our mistakes,” said Barrette. “If we [would have made] free throws, we would have shut that game down. We have to do better. We’ve got a chance at Mohegan Sun to win the state title [and] we have to be able to make free throws.”