It was the 2014 Boys Varsity Basketball District Championship game at Lake Highland Prep. The small gym was packed with students, parents, faculty and alumni from both schools. The game was a back-and-forth battle the entire way. The Saints, led by senior Kobe Eichelberger and junior Trent Suddeth, held a nine-point lead with just a minute left in the game. It looked as if Trinity would win their second district title in three years. However, Lake Highland refused to go away that easily. Trinity’s offense shut down in the final 60 seconds while the Highlanders seemed infallible.
At the final buzzer, one half of the gym was cheering for their team’s victory, while the other half just stood in stunned silence at what they had witnessed. Tears were shed by the seniors who had just played their final basketball game of their high school career.
Nearly a year removed from the heart-breaker at Highland, the Saints that were on last year’s team still remember the game vividly. However, instead of dwelling on it, they are using it as motivation for this upcoming season.
“Being runner-up last year was really tough,” Suddeth said. “We have been using that as motivation to perform better this year.”
Assistant head coach Jack Coughlin knows that better than anybody.
“[The loss] might be a blessing in disguise,” Coughlin said. “We are [extra] focused.”
The Saints have added another weapon to their arsenal in the offseason. Jasen West, a sophomore, is already one of the most talented players on this year’s squad. He worked his way onto the varsity team at Lake Highland last year and has beem a big part of Trinity’s offense this year. Coughlin is thrilled to have him on the team.
“Jasen is best described as ‘special,’” Coughlin said. “A player with his talent does not come around often. The best thing about Jasen is that he is a joy to be around. He never wastes a minute. If he isn’t practicing, he is studying or practicing Chinese.”
Starting senior guard Blake Garfinkel is also excited about the addition of West.
“I’m very excited to play with Jasen in the backcourt this year,” Garfinkel said. “He’s a great ball handler and defender and I’m glad he came to Trinity.”
The Saints lost four starters from last year’s team, including career 1000-point scorer Eichelberger. However, this year’s team has seven seniors on its roster. Many of these seniors have been playing together for years now and share a great amount of trust.
“I think having six other seniors on the basketball team is a big advantage because our team has a lot of experience at the varsity level,” Garfinkel said. “We have very good chemistry as a team on and off the floor.”
The fluidity among the seniors is evident. While players like Garfinkel and Will Miles began their careers at Trinity last year, others like Suddeth and Robyn Steenstra have been playing together since middle school.
“We have all played with each other for a long time, so that helps with unity,” Suddeth said. “It’s nice to have guys on the team you have grown up with at Trinity.”
This is also the second year of head coach Irwin Hudson’s era at Trinity. Hudson, owner of his own basketball training facility, knows the game extremely well.
“Coach Irwin lives and breathes basketball,” Coughlin said. “It’s in his blood.”
While Hudson’s first season didn’t turn out quite as he had hoped, the team still believes in him.
“So far he’s been a great coach,” West said. “He’s really pushing us to work hard each and every day.”
This year’s team is extremely talented, especially on the offensive side. They have playmakers around the three-point line and in the paint.
“We have a lot of shooters, guys who can finish at the basket and guys who can rebound the basketball, which creates a well-balanced team,” Garfinkel said.
Coughlin believes that what this team is best at is not something that is in the stat book.
“This team’s greatest strengths is their determination,” he said. “Their desire to get better and work harder shows the seriousness this team possesses.”
So, they have the senior leaders. They have a new weapon. They have the coaching. What could possibly the Saints back?
“We have to get tougher,” West said. “We have to get our defense better.”
While these deficiencies could hinder the Saints’ success, the team just continues to work.
“I think our defense is getting better everyday and guys on our team are buying into communicating on defense and getting stops,” Garfinkel said.
The fuel that has been driving the Saints to work so hard is to live up to the hype. They are under high expectations from many people, including themselves.
“Obviously the goal this year is to win a District Championship,” Suddeth said. “That has always been my goal, and it is no different my senior year.”
Coughlin knows that these goals are within the Saints’ reach.
“I expect great things from the team this year,” he said. “They are motivated and hungry. The team wants to prove to everyone what champions they are. The District Championship is only the beginning.”
