Basketball - Boys' Junior Varsity
After securing 10 victories in 2023-24, the boys JV squad looked to continue the upward trend in 2024-25. Thanks to outstanding buy-in from the players and a strong collective will, the Marianapolis JV boys finished with an impressive 11-7 mark and a flood of excellent memories. Led by co-captains C. Eggen '25 and H. Swadia '25, the group shook off an 0-2 start to win 11 of its next 15 games before falling in OT to Austin Prep in the season finale.
Every one of the 15 players contributed to the overall success. P. Alves '27 was the MVP for the season, logging huge minutes - often in tense situations - as the primary ball handler while also improving his three-point shot dramatically. N. Kostovski '27 was clearly the Most Improved Player, as he worked to become an invaluable 6th man and turned in some of the best individual performances of the season for the Golden Knights. M. Foskett '28 and A. Sanchez '28 brought the youthful exuberance that helped win games now and will in the future, as well. L. Vigliotti '27, O. Benedict '27, and J. Meehan '27 made noticeable improvements from freshman to sophomore year in a number of areas, setting up a promising situation as they transition into upper-class leadership roles. R. Rudnicki '26 and B. McNair '26 had moments of brilliance and stuck with the program despite many challenges throughout the season.
Grinding, always grinding, against a really challenging schedule, the Golden Knights swept all four (4) games against their Quiet Corner neighbors Pomfret School and Rectory School, with three of them coming down to the final minute of action. Going 4-0 against these rivals was a first for the program. Satisfying wins against Westminster School and Concord Academy plus sweeps of Cushing Academy and Wheeler School kept the season moving in the right direction.
Individual moments - like Eggen's dunk at Rectory and Alves' clutch game-tying shot in the season finale - will be long-remembered by the coaches and staff, who felt that the players, on the whole, maxed out their talents and gave everything they had to create a winning environment and culture. A standard has been set.
With many of the players returning next year, the goal is going to be 13 wins. Looking forward to November already!