LYNN — They’re young, talented, full of potential, and play basketball near Boston. It’s not Brown and Tatum, it’s Giovanni Jean and Andy Batista.
Lynn Tech was led by a pair of backcourt freshmen this season, but they’ve been side by side for awhile – sixth grade to be exact.
“That was the first time we played together,” Batista said. “We ended up playing on the same AAU team the next couple of years.”
After their time with Mass Rivals, a certain chemistry began to form, which isn’t news to Tech fans.
“Once we got here, we were already familiar with each other and knew how each other played,” Batista said. “That’s what made everything easier.”
It certainly did. They both eclipsed averages of 15 points and five assists per game. Better yet, they had a great time doing it.
“It’s fun out there,” Jean said.
As for what they do best, Jean said he enjoys watching Batista take things to the rim, who followed with a compliment of his own.
“For Gio, I love his fight on both ends,” Batista said. “It doesn’t matter who’s in front of him… that’s what I love.”
It’s not uncommon to see star plays become consumed by ego. But for Jean and Batista, it was the exact opposite.
“If we wanted to win, we couldn’t put our individual goals first,” Jean said.
“We never let our individual stuff get in the way… that I’m really proud of,” Batista said.
Head coach Corey Bingham also played a key role in that regard, never prioritizing one player over another.
“Everyone we have, he treats the same,” Jean said. “He treats every player like a son.”
Another strength of the duo was its mentality. From priding themselves on defense, to rooting for the other more than themselves, it was a shared mindset right away.
“We were already on the same page mentally,” Batista said. “It was really easy to play off each other.”
And if you thought they’d get sick of each other by the final buzzer, think again.
“We’re all like family. We go out to each with each other [and] we do everything together,” Jean said. “It really is a second family.”
All that said, there were changes that had to be made, with Batista saying the high school level surprised him at times.
“We can’t do all the fancy moves and stuff; we’ve got to do the fundamentals,” Batista said. “It’s a lot different.”
One year down, three to go. Despite its tournament loss to Tyngsboro, it was an 18-win season for Tech – a team that’s just getting started with Jean and Batista leading the way.
“Winning the state championship was one of our goals,” Jean said. “That didn’t happen this year, but we’ve always got next year.”
