On March 29, Wellesley Youth Basketball held a banquet in the high school’s café to culminate another exciting year in Wellesley Hoops recreational basketball.
According to Wellesley Youth Basketball’s website, “Wellesley Hoops is WYBA’s core program and the primary league for players in grades 4-9 who want a competitive basketball experience. Everyone makes a balanced team, practices once a week, and plays primarily other Wellesley teams in Saturday games.”
The event opened with a speech from longtime coach and former commissioner Ken Jones, who has two daughters enrolled in the high school. Jones spoke of an anecdote in which the girls’ team he had coached this year won one of their first games. The story was a tale of sportsmanship and spirit, in which a group of young girls’ gave it their all to beat a competitor.
Jones emphasized the importance of both competition and participation in the league. He explained how the goals of the Wellesley Hoops program include “promoting commitment, sportsmanship, and respect,” he said.
After the presentation of trophies to the champions and runners-up of each division, the “spirit award” was given to a player from each team who demonstrated team spirit and sportsmanship throughout the season.
Throughout the event, the presenters raffled off various items, including Wellesley Basketball apparel and gear, as well as two JetBlue airplane tickets. Pizza from Comella’s, a local restaurant, and homemade desserts were served.
Many of the coaches in the program are high school students, and one varsity player, Brian Creonte ’15, spoke on his experiences in the league.
Creonte has been a part of the program as both a player and a coach for many years, and expressed his gratitude for having been able to a part of the program. Creonte stressed how much he enjoyed “giving back to a program that shaped who I am today,” he said. “It has been a positive experience.”
Many members of the high school community have participated in the league, and the annual banquet serves as a reminder of the power of basketball to unify players, coaches, and parents alike.
(Matt Lieberman ’16, Editor-in-Chief)