By Ben Furnish

“The goal for this season is a championship. Anything short of that simply isn’t good enough.” Those were the words spoken by me, Ben Furnish, the senior point guard, ahead of the 2022-2023 Varsity Basketball season.

Since the beginning of November, the Varsity Knights Basketball team was on one path, a championship path. 

Through the ups and downs which the season threw at us, through all of the ups and downs, we managed to navigate it and sit comfortably for the playoffs. 

The Knights’ biggest enemy throughout the season was our own health. 

 It was a miracle that the squad ended up in the position we were in, with key rotational players being sidelined due to injury. 

“It’s frustrating being on the shelf for so long when all I want to do is go out there and help the team win,” said Hunter Renaud on May 19th.

Throughout eight gruelling games spread out over two months, we finished with a record of five wins and three losses. 

This record did not indicate the calibre of play the Knights possessed. The elite shooting skillset of players like Spencer Eldridge, coupled with the physical play of an athlete like Michael Flynn, left hope for the Knights in the postseason. 

The Knights were under the leadership of Coach Ruscitti and Coach Dickinson, two contrasting personalities.  Dickinson’s relaxed approach to coaching allowed all players to feel comfortable and connected on the court. Ruscitti’s style of coaching motivated the squad to put in maximum effort for all 32 minutes of the game. Their blend of basketball knowledge crafted an excellent floor spacing and high-volume shooting system for the players to thrive in.

Without further ado, let’s break down and recap the Knight’s season as a whole, both in positive and negative lights.

Rewind to a frosty day on December 12, 2022. The Knights possessed a 1-0 record, with a gutty win against Holy Trinity College a week prior. We entered the contest shorthanded yet confident. Without key players such as Hunter Renaud, Tom Xie, and Aris Kanellopoulos, the Knights hoped to escape with a road victory and head home 2-0. 

“Gentlemen, the only way we escape with this win is if everyone steps up into their new roles with confidence,” Coach Ruscitti stated. 

This intention to step up into their new roles and thrive lasted a few seconds. 

From the opening tip, we were on our heels, constantly being harassed by the opposing team, the basketball itself feeling slippery. We couldn’t keep the ball in our hands. As the buzzer rang for halftime, we looked like we didn’t want to be there. 

Heading into halftime, team leader Tom Xie desperately attempted to salvage any sliver of hope the team had of winning.

Reflecting on the contest in a May 19th interview, Xie still laughs at the remarks he made that day. “I don’t know about you boys, but I didn’t travel all the way up here to go out like this.”

“Looking back on that, it was probably not the best time to say those words. In the end, I had to re-evaluate my leadership on the team because what I said ended up being counterproductive,” Xie reflects.

Despite the pep talk, the second half story was no different, and Trinity kept their foot on the gas until the final buzzer sounded to cap off an abysmal 32 minutes of play. 

The Knights left the contest dejected, wondering if the rest of the season would look like what they saw. This was a turning point in our season. 

We had travelled all the way out to Port Hope to be utterly embarrassed, and the following weeks would be a true character check for the squad. 

Reflecting on that performance in a May 29th interview, Michael Flynn had some interesting remarks. “This loss honestly helped us in the long run. It was embarrassing as hell at the moment, seeing their fans laugh in our faces, but it changed the demeanour of our squad for the rest of our season.

The Knights used the loss as fuel, going on a four-game winning streak and cruising past our competition. 

As leader Tom Xie explained, reflecting on that moment in the season, “we were finally playing together as a unit rather than individually, and we were reaping the rewards. I only wish we had begun the season with this same philosophy, and maybe we could have had even more success.” 

In the final week before the playoffs, the Knights had two games remaining. 

However, with a playoff spot firmly clinched, the coaching staff of the Knights decided to take the foot off the gas in order to rest the squad. The Knights used the final two games as practice, using every possession to prepare and simulate situations they’d encounter in the playoffs. 

The squad ended the season with a 5-3 record.

Finishing in the third seed, the Knights would match up against the two seeds, Trinity College. 

This should have been a death sentence for the Knights, but the team felt different. Having all our pieces back, coupled with a new offensive and defensive system, we felt more confident than ever. We looked to counter the size discrepancy we faced by shooting our opponent out of the game.

 The Knights may have lacked the size, but we were superior in skill. We used the next week to rigorously prepare for our playoff opponent. 

“In order to simply compete, we needed to forget about the last result and move on. Goldfish memory served us greatly,” Renaud states, reflecting on the contest.

The regular season was complete. It was virtually irrelevant. It was playoff time, and the Knights’ philosophy going forward was to forget the past, work hard in the present, and reap the rewards in the future. 

We entered the gym feeling confident and composed. We knew what we had to do in order to get the job done. It was a matter of execution and the will to win. 

“Gentlemen, don’t worry about the crowd, the other team, or the refs. You control your own destiny. Make winning plays and pick your teammates up. We only move as far as our weakest link, so let’s all step up,” team leader Dougie Bell stated.

The squad took the floor with the objective of staying composed, and for the first half, that is exactly what transpired. 

The Knights went into halftime down four points, with some elite physical play by Hunter Renaud and Michael Flynn.

As the second half commenced, the Knights began to struggle with the physicality that Trinity presented. The offensive rebounds for the Bears began to pile up, and the game was beginning to get out of control. 

As the fourth quarter progressed, both Flynn and Renaud found themselves fouled out from the game, leaving the Knights extremely short-handed. 

We tried our best but fell valiantly at the hands of the Bears, with a score of 62-46. Just like that, the season was over. However, we held our heads high as we exited the floor, knowing we had left it all out on the court with nothing to regret. 

The season that the Knights went through was full of ups and downs. However, the respect of peers and coaching staff alike never wavered, and that was what allowed the Knights a shot at championship glory. 

The team dealt with injuries, sicknesses, and cancelled games, yet we managed to stay the course throughout the season.

Shot by shot, possession by possession, the squad grew together as a unit, and it showed in the final playoff games. The graduating players were able to teach the Juniors what it meant to be leaders on and off the floor, showing them what discipline looked like and putting in the maximum effort day in and day out.

Star center Hunter Renaud shared his reflections on the successful season the Knights had during a May 29th interview.

“If we wanted to, we could lay out every excuse in the book for why we did not win a championship. Injuries, yeah, they killed us. Cancelled games and practices did hurt our momentum. However, part of what made our squad so unique was the way in which we were able to roll with the punches. Not one man on this team quit. Everyone stuck together and fought until they ended, and I’m proud of this core for always being by each other’s side.”

Shooting Guard Aris Kanellopolous added his perspective on the season that was. “Honestly, with all the adversity we dealt with, the season was a success, but there were so many bounces, missed shots, and missed opportunities that, if they went in our direction, could have us sitting with championship status. It is always hard to look back and think about what could have been.”

The Knights hope to continue their winning ways in the 2024 season, and as for the recent season, it can be remembered as a time of adversity, struggle, and growth; however, one thing is certain: no matter the circumstance, the Knights kept on fighting.