BOSTON — Basketball is a team game, and there might not be a better squad that exemplifies that than the English boys basketball team.
The group came together last year to win the Division 1 state championship, the school’s first boys basketball title in 80 years. But the story didn’t end there.
As the players tell it, pretty much from the minute the Bulldogs left the Hart Center at Holy Cross following their title win last March, English started working on its next goal: another state title.
“Pretty much from the minute we won the title last year, we’ve just been hanging out together,” said English senior Jack Rodriguez, who has played a big role in the Bulldogs’ tournament success. “We hang out in school, out of school, at practice, after practice. We spend time together all the time.”
“We’re really just a big group of brothers,” said fellow senior Jarnel Guzman. “We’re always hanging out together, whether it’s related to basketball or not. I think part of the reason we all work together so well on the court is because we spend so much time together.”
The work has paid off. Guzman had a huge season and earned Northeastern Conference MVP honors, while Rodriguez, Mason Jean-Baptiste, Ademide Badmus and Jean-Baptiste Mukeba all pitched in with big games of their own. The team’s chemistry and high level of execution was a direct result of all the time they’ve spent together working.
“These guys work hard,” said English coach Antonio Anderson. “Everyday in practice they come prepared. I work them hard and they always respond.”
“At this point, we know each other’s games so well it’s easy to play with everyone out there,” said Rodriguez. “It’s always easier when you know where a guy is going to be and when you know he can make a play.”
“I trust these guys with everything because I know that they have my back if I’m struggling and I’ll have their back if they’re struggling,” Guzman said. “It frees everyone up to take shots and try to make plays because your teammates have your back.”
All that hard work catapulted English to Tuesday night’s Division 1 state semifinal win over Mansfield, giving the Bulldogs a chance to play for a second consecutive state title.
Going into the state championship game, which will take place Saturday night (TBA) against Springfield Central, players and coaches alike know that the Bulldogs just have to keep executing.
“It’s great to get the win and we worked hard for it, but we know we’re not done yet,” Rodriguez said. “We came all this way to win another state title, and we have to stay focused if we want to get it done.”
“This is what we’ve been working for since we won last year,” said Guzman. “We’re close now, but we have to keep it going.”
“We just have to continue to play well defensively and trust each other out there,” said Anderson. “If we can play the way we’re capable of on defense and then knock down some shots on the other end, we’ll be tough to beat.”