COVID-19 may have canceled most of their season, but through it all, senior point guard Ben Merrit has led the boys varsity basketball team. With the season ending in two short weeks, the team has four games left on their schedule, and they’re hoping to come out of the season undefeated. The first game brought the Wyverns their first thrilling win of the season, led by a group of standout seniors including Merrit.
Merrit started basketball at the young age of three, and he soon fell in love with the sport and team atmosphere. Over his long basketball career he has played point guard and shooting guard. Joining Kingswood Oxford in his junior year of high school, he has definitely left his mark on the team in such a short time. “I came to KO junior year because of the academics and how they would help me become a better student along with preparing me for college,” Merrit said. “Also for the athletics to help prepare me for the next level.”
As a senior on the team, Merrit has brought both leadership and on-court skills. The upperclassmen look up to Merrit as a leader and for guidance on the court. He brings many assets to the team. “I also give the team the ability to stretch the defense out so we can get some easy buckets near the basket after I’ve made a couple from behind the three-point line,” Merrit said. The Kingswood Oxford boys varsity team had big dreams for this year considering they gained many new students who stand out on the court. “This year, if it were a normal year, I believe that we would have won the Class B Championship since we’re a lot deeper than we were last year,” Merrit said.
Earlier this month, Merrit made the decision to take his basketball skills to St. John Fisher College located in Rochester, N.Y. Merrit talked about how the most stressful part of the whole recruiting process was making the decision. COVID-19 has impacted his senior season of basketball but, surprisingly, made the recruiting process easier for him.
“COVID kind of made it easier since coaches would respond more frequently and reach out first,” Merrit said. While making the decision to attend St. John Fisher College in the fall was difficult, Merrit knows this is the place for him. “I chose St. John Fisher because of the campus, how close it is to a city,” Merrit said. “The academics were a major part in my decision, and where students landed jobs after graduating.”
Merrit is excited for what the future holds for him in college and also the teammates he leaves behind on KO boys varsity basketball.
