MARBLEHEAD — Last year as a junior, Marblehead’s Seamus Keaney had a pretty specific role on the Magicians boys basketball team. Playing somewhat in the shadow of star guard Patrick Bugler, Keaney was relied upon mainly as a scorer who could take the pressure off of his teammates when necessary. But in his senior year, Keaney has been named a captain and is expected to take more of a leadership role. And he’s certainly met expectations.
“Some people might say he was in Pat’s shadow last year, but he really was a key part of our team due to his scoring ability,” said Marblehead coach Mike Giardi. “This year his role is different and he’s doing a great job here too. He’s a hard-working kid who’s a good leader for us.”
“Last year, I was more like a fourth option on offense, so I had to make it count when I was out there by scoring and taking the opponent’s best guy on defense,” said Keaney. “This year I kind of run the show out there, so it’s been a bit of an adjustment.”
The adjustments have come in both realms of basketball, both on the court and off. On the court, Keaney needed to become more aggressive with the ball, whether it’s looking for his shot or looking to make a play.
This was exemplified in a game last week against Peabody, one in which the Magicians had to fight until the end for a slim five-point victory over the Tanners. Keaney was aggressive in getting to the basket early on, but couldn’t finish a number of plays. Despite that, Keaney remained a force in the game by doing everything else well, finishing with three points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“Sometimes when things aren’t going well offensively, you’ve just got to contribute in other ways,” Keaney said. “I try to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Off the court, he’s had to adjust to the concept of being the guy the other players look to. But he relishes the opportunity and makes the most of the elevated leadership role.
“It’s really been a privilege to lead this group of guys,” Keaney said. “They all work hard, they all want to win and we all love to be around each other and pick each other up every day.”
Part of what makes Keaney such a good player and leader, according to Giardi, is the fact that he’s such a hard worker. On the court and in the classroom, Keaney gets his job done and he does it well.
“It’s just great to work with him,” Giardi, who also teaches at Marblehead High, said. “He’s such a hard worker out there, always trying to get better on the court. I have him in the classroom as well and he works just as hard in there. He’s just a great student-athlete.”
So now, as Keaney has helped lead the Magicians to a 10-6 record, the state tournament sits on the horizon. Despite that, Keaney is repeating a line that has been heard quite a bit around these parts over the past 15-20 years when talking about another team, the New England Patriots.
“We just need to keep getting better every day,” Keaney said. “We’ve got to take things one game at a time because every game matters, and we can’t take any steps back at this point. We just have to keep moving forward.”
Keaney and the Magicians will host Northeastern Conference opponent Lynn Classical (11-4) on Friday night (7).
