The boys varsity basketball team won their fourth straight Paul “Frosty” Francis
Kingswood Oxford Invitational Tournament, which was held between Friday, Dec. 15, and Sunday, Dec. 17.
Although there was an expectation to win the KIT tournament just as every other year, the boys did not let the pressure get to them as they were able to end the weekend 3-0.
Going into the KITs, senior center Co-captain Chuck Hare noted the stronger competition in this year’s tournament in comparison to other years. “I think that there was definitely a feeling where we had to perform more than usual, but I still went into it feeling confident,” Hare mentioned. “I trusted my teammates, they trusted me, and I think that we did a good job performing.”
Before taking the court, Head Coach Brad Seaman said he wanted to make sure that all of his players would always remember this moment in their high school career. “I tell them how you’re going to remember the outcome of this game and how you want to associate that is up to you,” he stated. “You may not remember a February, Wednesday game, [but] you’re going to remember all three nights of the KITs. So how do you want to write that memory? How do you want to look back on it?”
On Friday night, the team was able to pull out a powerful 89-34 victory over Greens Farms Academy. Impressively, 12 players were able to score against the Dragons in a 30 point win, with Hare leading the team with 13 points. Other notable performances included sophomore guard DJ Biggins with seven assists and senior center Co-captain Odin Malz with eight rebounds. In addition, everyone got to play on average 10 to 12 minutes, which is typically unheard of in high school games.
Moving on to Saturday, the boys played against a tough Pingree team in the semi-finals. According to Hare, the Highlanders came off to a hot start and challenged the Wyverns early on in the game. “We came out a little complacent and then had to pick it up in the second half, but they definitely pushed us more than we expected,” he said. However, the team was once again able to pull off an impressive 70-58 win. “They had a pretty solid squad, but we just wanted it more,” Biggins said.
Finally, Sunday arrived, and the most anticipated game of the whole tournament, the championship, was quickly underway. The team faced Lawrenceville, and they were able to finish the weekend on a high note, despite the several challenges they faced along the way. In the first half, while the defense stayed strong and fended off Lawrenceville, the offense wasn’t quite at its peak performance. According to Coach Seaman, in the second half the team managed to change up their pace. “We’re running all over the place Friday night, [on] Sunday we’re working hard, and we understand it’s a dog fight,” he said. “We held onto the ball pretty well and we out-rebounded them. It was fantastic.”
The rest of the team seemed to agree that their hard work and the ability to make adjustments on the fly were key components in winning the KITs. “Our last game in KITs was a proud moment for me and for my team,” Biggins expressed. He said he felt like there were many times in the game where they could have quit and given up, but they fought through.
After the boys were crowned the KIT champs, Biggins was singled out as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The MVP is the individual who had the best performance throughout the weekend, contributed the most both offensively and defensively, and continuously exhibited great sportsmanship. According to Biggins, being given the title was an extremely rewarding and touching moment for him. “I’m very proud of myself for winning the MVP because it felt good knowing that all that work was really showing,” he said.
Sophomore wing Declan Griffiths talked about his mindset through the tournament as he tried to stay focused. “I’d say my focus was taking it one game at a time, taking it slow, and taking care of each team,” Griffiths commented. “First, you’ve got to take care of business on Friday night. Then, as soon as we won Friday night, we went in and only focused on Saturday, and then focused on Sunday after that.”
Due to the team’s versatility and depth that they showed on the court, they all seemed to have the same goal set for the rest of the season: to win a Class B Championship. According to Coach Seaman, though, being on a team is not just about winning game after game, but rather enjoying the experience and creating memories with teammates. “On the other side of coaching, there is a part of me that believes in the overall experience, which is one of the goals that’s always in the back of my mind,” he explained. “It’s important to me that when [the boys] look back, they can tell the coaches cared about them and that, as best as we could, made sure they had a good time.”
Finally, Coach Seaman said he could not be prouder of his team’s selflessness throughout the tournament and effort shown not only in games but in practice everyday. He went on to say that when the boys find themselves playing and cheering on their teammates during games, what he sees is the hard work and dedication every single one of them puts in during practices. In addition, he made it clear that this year’s team truly is one of a kind.
“I can confidently say that this is not something you’ll find in next year’s newspaper, or in the old ones,” he stated strongly. “These are the best practices we’ve ever had because these guys are hungry, there’s no drop off, and everyone’s competing.” Coach Seaman said that as the season continues, the team is going to continue to get better and better because complacency is a killer, and there’s no complacency with this group. “If no one’s complacent and competition is making everyone work harder, we’re going to be a better team for it,” he said.
Be sure to come out and support the boys varsity basketball team in the coming weeks as they are sure to have a strong showing each game!
