LYNN — The Agganis All-Star Game weekend kicks off Saturday with the girls basketball game at 4 p.m., followed by the boys game at 5:15 p.m. at Lynn Classical. This year’s boys basketball teams will be coached by St. Mary’s Josh Keilty and Masconomet’s Jaycob Morales.
The two head coaches said they are both “excited” and “honored” to coach in the event.
“The Agganis games are a great honor, and to be able to coach these athletes, I’m really looking forward to it,” Keilty said. “To be selected, the players have to be high-quality athletes and high-character kids. Whenever you get to be a part of it and get to watch them compete, it’s great.”
“Being new to the NEC the last two years, I wasn’t too familiar with the Agganis Games or the area itself, but when I got the call from Jeff [Newhall], it was awesome to hear I was selected,” Morales said. “It’s definitely an honor to be able to create one last memory for these seniors.”
Keilty and Morales faced off twice during the season. Keilty and his Spartans won both meetings, including the Division 2 state championship game. But the two have known each other for a while.
“Josh and I were joking last summer and said to make sure that with us both being in Division 2, it doesn’t separate the relationship that we have with each other. We have a lot of respect and love for one another,” Morales said. “We built a lot of bricks by our own individual character at the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. He spent a lot of time working there, and I spent a lot of time growing up there and volunteering there. We have a lot of respect for each other across the board, and we’re both great coaches. We’re both building established programs, and I know whatever happens down the line we’ll always have that respect for each other.”
“I’ve known Jaycob for a long time. He’s a great coach and a great person,” Keilty said. “I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s done over at Masco. It should be a lot of fun competing against him again.”
Both coaches will coach some of their seniors one last time. Rolky Brea Arias, Gabriel Makuwa-Sykes and Jason Perry will suit up for Keilty again, while Morales will coach Jimmy Farrell one last time.
“It should be a lot of fun. It’ll be great to step on the court with them one last time,” Keilty said.
“It’s great to be able to coach him one more time. Last time I got to coach him it unfortunately didn’t go our way, but over the last few years we were able to create some special things at Masco,” Morales said. “Jimmy Farrell is one of those kids who always stepped up to the plate, and we have a special bond, so this is a great way to send him off before he goes to college to play for Chris Bartley at WPI.”
The game allows traditional rivals to become teammates, something Keilty believes is special. He’s also looking forward to seeing some familiar faces from his time coaching at Georgetown.
“The respect the players have for each other and the respect they have for the game and how they compete is amazing,” Keilty said. “We’re familiar with a lot of these kids because they’re local. There’s a lot of Georgetown kids on the team too, which is really cool for me. We have some Lynn Classical guys as well. It should be a great opportunity to step back on the court one last time and give it our all.”
