Team profile: Boys Varsity Basketball

Oscar Wang, Campus Reporter

On March 3rd, 2021, Kent varsity basketball team concluded its shortened season with a convincing win against Avon Old Farms. “We were fortunate enough to muster 5 games this year with the COVID protocol,” team captain Carlos Paya Barrachina commented with some optimism. “There were some tough wins that really boosted our team’s confidence and chemistry, like the first matchup against Avon Old Farms, where the game was never separated by more than one possession in the first half. ” Everything changed after half time. What Kent Varsity basketball talked about on the sideline was unknown, but the team turned up another gear and simply called game for the rest of the matchup. Avon wasn’t prepared for the sudden increase in concentration from Kent School’s offense and failed to keep the score close for the entire second half. 

Though there aren’t any official awards for the season, Carlos selected his hypothetical candidate for MVP and DPOY. Cordell Brown, with his on court dominance on both ends, is the game changer of this team. Carlos underscored his impact, saying that without him on the court, Kent School would lose its sharpest tooth on offense. There are other honorable mentions such as Phil Brown, and Jake Daly. Shifting to the other end of the court, Niko Candido is nominated to be the DPOY of this team. With his high defensive IQ, Niko knows what plays the offensive team is running, which allows him to call up the switches to blow up the whole play or interrupt the offense totally by intercepting passing lanes. “Niko alleviates our defensive pressure and makes playing team defense much easier,” Carlos said. 

As the NBA continues to evolve to a more space-and-pace, position-less era, Kent varsity basketball embraces the trend and incorporates three point shooting to be a big part of their offense. “Our team enjoys this type of modern offense because there are so many spacings, which makes offense beautiful and limitless.”