This article was written prior to the Lions winning the 2019-20 MAC Basketball Championship
By Joe Masters ’22
Heading into the winter season, the Varsity boys basketball team at St. Andrews has high expectations. For years it seems the team has always been at the top of the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) going head to head with teams like Flint-Hill, Sidwell, and Maret to name a few. Even with the loss of key seniors Heru Bligen (Longwood University), Kamari Williams (Boston College), the team is still looking as strong as ever heading into the 2019-2020 campaign.
Coach Kevin Jones, who guided the team to MAC championship in 2015, only asks three simple things of his players, “to compete, play hard, and play together.” The team followed Jones’s wishes in their season opener against Georgetown Prep, winning resoundingly, 89-52.
“I thought it was a great win not because of the score, but because whether it was the first five, the first guy off the bench, the second guy off the bench, or the third guy off the bench… I don’t think the energy level ever dropped off… I was most proud of seeing people do things that we work on every single day.”
With a strong win under their belt, the Lions will head into a stretch of their schedule that will see them play 3 straight conference foes in GDS, Potomac and Sidwell Friends School. Although one can make an argument that certain teams are better than others, Coach Jones has instilled a value within the team that no one team or game should be valued more than the other.
“One game at a time, one day at a time.”
No matter who they play, Coach Jones always reminds his players to play with the same energy that they would against any team. This is a mindset that Jones hopes echos throughout his team when they play GDS on Tuesday and for the rest of the season as they look to make a run for the MAC championship.
An image originally featured in this article was not owned/licensed by the Mane News and, therefore, has been removed from the online-version.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2019-20 Print Edition, the full version can be viewed here