The Cistercian Basketball season is back! The Hawks are back, and led once again by our athletic director, Coach Dorn. His coaching staff, with faces both familiar and foreign to the average student, is looking forward to bringing their expertise to the Hawks on all levels as the basketball program continues to grow. Both the high school and middle school have three teams this year, and developmental progress is being made from the smallest third former to the oldest senior. From the loudest chants to the most inspiring team breakouts (shoutout to Burke), be ready to hear about the hustle and bustle that comes with the basketball season.
This year’s varsity team is already looking ahead this season to conference play. Led by a strong core of six seniors with previous varsity experience, they hope to put it together to make a deep run in the SPC championships in February. All-around threat Dylan Smith, interior man “President” Omah Egedigwe and Stuart Walton hope to lead the team to an SPC title, with the help of the outside shooting of Owen Kane, George Saliga, and Luke Roppolo. Coach Dorn also hopes that his new additions in Dylan Pitts and Jack Roman can add new facets to the team on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, Burke Landrum and Sebastian Soriano reprise their previous roles, and aim to be even more aggressive on offense. They, along with all the other basketball players, are working hard each day to perform at their very best.
However, the new players are not the only new additions to the basketball program, as the program has added a new coach on the varsity level JC. Another and more noticeable addition are the two new uniforms that Hawks will suit up in. They might even look nicer than those that the soccer team got, but soccer did get some nice warmups. They hope to defend their court with pride throughout the season and are working hard each day to bring basketball more success. All while Jack Roman defends his “right” to five lockers.
This year the Hawks look to push the pace on offense and to play with a faster tempo than seasons prior. This change makes use of our unique personnel, and aims to ready younger players for their future in the program. The “Jet” is taking off quickly, and our teams plan to catch others off guard with their fast-paced offense and flying defense. And if they can’t, you can all imagine what Coach Dorn and Coach Hamstra have cooked up to get us in shape (don’t worry, those guys are great). Winter sports are a time of learning and growing both physically and mentally as they help form us into not just better athletes, but better men as well.
The year started off on the right foot with a solid win away at Dallas Covenant, while JV Black picked up wins at Dallas Christian and at home. The annual Cistercian Tipoff Classic was also successful in bringing an intensity to the school, as eight different teams come over to play tournament style. The Hawks easily got it done in their first game and drew a raucous crowd for their second. The Cistercian student section demonstrated once again why they are one of the best in the SPC and with the new energy behind their wings, the Hawks almost pulled off a massive late comeback, falling just short of time at the end.
But December is just the ramp-up time that allows the Hawks to spread their wings in the second semester. The team has learned a lot from their first few games, and they head into the break with a fire in them to show their might in the future to their quivering SPC opponents. If the team can put it all together, they truly believe that they have a shot at major success in the near future (barring no major injuries again). Who wouldn’t want another SPC success story to bring back home like teams of the past have?
On that note, we basketballers have a favor to ask you. On Tuesday, January 14th (maybe get some help from our teachers) clear your schedules. One week after our return from winter break, join us. Pack the stands once again for an extraordinary night of Cistercian athletics. The Hawks will be facing their hated feline rivals whose name we loathe together, not just on the court but on the field as well. From 4:00pm to after 8:00pm the Hawks will be engaged in glorious combat against the feeble St. Mark’s Lions. This is another chance for us to come together to support our sports programs, and demonstrate our dominance over what are sure to be emasculated lions. The high school will turn out, and we hope to see even our youngest Hawks show up to support the boys.
Check the Cistercian website or the Friday notes if you would like to see some free Hawks basketball over the break. If you are not entertained, you can get some decent popcorn and hot dogs or write me an angry email for misinformation. Also, high schoolers should look forward to an announcement from the Black Hand for potential basketball pep rallies in the future (ooooooooh). Here’s to a successful winter sports season! Go Hawks!