The EHHS boys basketball team has had a great building season for their team ending with a final record of 15 and 4 and overall ranking of 3rd in Division III. After having a losing season last year, going 5-14, the team was back and ready to disprove those who doubted them. At the start of the season, the boys found a strong win against their rivals, Branford, which brought them great confidence to continue their season in a positive direction. Some successes include a 73-52 win against Shelton and a 67-56 win against Daniel Hand.
Sophomore Trew Kitson and Junior Nick Bilides both agreed that the success is truly because everyone on the team has a common goal. The whole team is fully committed to the success of the group as a whole and “in it” to win it, according to Nick.
Trew Kitson, EHHS shooting guard, states, “The team has a new mentality, new drive, and the coaching is strong this season.” As the season went on, the team had ups and downs but overall their skills were stronger and the team found more successes than their 2022-2023 season. Although the team was stronger this year, there are still things that they need to work on. Trew said, “We haven’t played to our full potential yet.” He has full confidence in his team and he knows that his team has the ability to reach new heights. There is one player who stuck out to Trew this year: “ Anthony Fazio, because he works really hard and you can tell that he fully wants to win.”
Nick Bilides, an EHHS center, also agrees that the mentality and drive of a team is one of the biggest contributors to a team’s success. A team can only have success if everyone is fully involved and ready to do everything they can in order to reach their goals. He said, “We all know that we can do better.” Mindset will always be one of the most important aspects while working with a team. Although Nick knows that the team could always grow, he is still proud of where his team is at, especially with their hard-fought 15 wins and learning from their 4 losses. There is one player in particular that has stuck out to Nick this season; “Trew Kitson sticks out to me because he works really hard.”
Even though the team had a great season, the boys still have goals that they are working to reach. Both Nick and Trew agreed that there is only one goal: win states. When I asked Trew what his most memorable moment was, he said “There is no memorable moment yet. Not until we win states.” As of February 16, the team is ranked 3rd in the Division III class for the State Championship, which begins next week. The last game for qualifying is tonight at Cheshire at 7:00 pm. Join the boys as they finish their regular season off with a swish!
