LYNN — Success has come fairly quickly for coach David White and the KIPP Academy boys basketball team. The Panthers cruised through the Commonwealth Athletic Conference and reached the Division 4 North final last season — their first season competing under an MIAA schedule. This weekend, they’ll make their Walter J. Boverini Tournament debut.
“We’re excited about the opportunity,” White said. “We talked about this being our first time in it but we’re not just going to play in it. We want to compete for a championship. The kids are excited about having the chance to play against some really good schools in Lynn. They’re excited to compete.
“It’s a credit to our kids and our coaching staff,” White said of KIPP’s recent success. “We work extremely hard. When we do that, we give ourselves a good chance to win games. Our mindset is ‘don’t get outworked and come prepared.’ When we do that, we have a chance to see success and that’s what we’ve seen in a short period of time.”
KIPP enters the tournament in place of English, who’ll play a Christmas Tournament in South Dakota. English fell to St. Mary’s in a powerhouse battle in last year’s Boverini Final.
“It’s a big thing in the community,” White said. “There’s a lot of people there. The kids play for bragging rights. It’s a good opportunity for us to show the community that we can also compete at this level. We’re definitely excited about it.”
The Panthers find themselves a bit behind the curve to start the season. They’ve only played one game — a 68-26 rout of Presentation of Mary Academy two weeks ago. Their second game of the season, a CAC tilt against Christian Fellowship, was postponed due to snow last Tuesday.
But White likes the energy and effort his players have put forth in practice.
“We’ve had some really good practices and some practices that weren’t so good as far as mental focus and energy level,” White said. “I think we’re at a place where it’s hard to gauge because we haven’t played competition. I will say that our younger guys are pushing our older guys. When we play first team against second team, our second team pushes the older guys. One thing about our team is I know we’ll play hard. If we play hard and the right way, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win.”
In KIPP’s season opener, Winfred Sanchez engineered the offense and Dave Filias commanded the post. Joel Aguero’s 14 points and 12 points from Wesley Garcia also factored into the win.
KIPP knows the Boverini won’t be a cakewalk. St. Mary’s, 4-0 this season, has won three of the last four runnings. Classical, the 2017 tournament champion, is 3-0 this season. Lynn Tech (1-2) comes into the mix hungry to prove itself after a string of disappointing showings.
The Panthers will take on Tech in the opening round Friday (4) at St. Mary’s Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium.
“All three teams are good,” White said. “I’ve seen them all play. They all have talented rosters. They’re all well coached. It’s going to be a battle, no matter who we see. We play Tech in the first round and that’s going to be a competitive game. Talent-wise we have to elevate our level and take things up a notch. All the other teams have played more games than us so we’re a step behind in that sense, but we’ve had more time to prepare.”
