Chaminade Basketball has been on a roll lately, and it seems like this team is playing its best basketball at the right time. With great senior leadership from Jonny Jordan, Tricy Collins, and Isaac Newman, and younger players such as Elijah Poniewaz and Mohammed Kourouma stepping up when needed most, the Red Devils are looking poised to make a deep run in the postseason.
It has been a weird season for Chaminade this year. The team had seven seniors and thirteen total upperclassmen last year, but now they have just three seniors and six upperclassmen. Senior Tricy Collins said, “It feels odd coming from a team with a lot of seniors usually. It feels good being someone for the younger guys to look up to, and I get to lead them by example.”
Coach Frank Bennett ’01 added, “We are fortunate to have a team of high character players who love to work at the game they love. As a result, they are able to take advantage to the playing time available by those who left or graduated.”
The Red Devils started off the year with a win against Lift for Life but then dropped a game many would have thought they would win against McCluer North. When asked how the team has handled adversity, sophomore Elijah Poniewaz said, “We treat adversity like a challenge, and the way we handle it is by coming together. When things get hard on the court, we’ll huddle up after a dead possession to regroup, make sure everyone’s locked in, and keep playing Chaminade basketball.”
Chaminade has some of their biggest matchups coming up soon, as they play the Vianney Griffins and the De Smet Jesuit Spartans within a week of each other, as well as games at Vashon and against Webster Groves at home to close out the year. Elijah Poniewaz does not think the team has played its best basketball yet, saying, “We’ve had flashes and strong quarters, but we’re still working toward sustaining it for a full game. It’s a process, and this team is willing to put in the work to improve every day.”
As this season comes to an end, it is important to recognize our seniors. Isaac Newman, Tricy Collins, and Jonny Jordan have all been through the ups and downs of Chaminade basketball these past four years. Tricy Collins remarked that his favorite memories from his time playing at Chaminade have been “those two state appearances, even though we came up short the last two years. I would say being able to get there is a big accomplishment for me, but hopefully we can have a different outcome and get a ring.”
The Red Devils are looking up right now. With huge wins over Vianney, Putnam City North (OK), and Logan-Rogersville, the Red Devils are trying to get over the hump for the first time since the Jayson Tatum days as they are on a roll.
