Foran basketball is off to a strong start, under the lead of two Freshmen Jaxon Staples and John Johnson. The team beat their cross-town rival early in the season for the first time in 13 games and qualified for the state tournament with a win over the Shelton Gaels on January 20. 

           Head Coach Ian Kirkpatrick shares how the two new Freshmen will fit in with the rest of the roster. 

           “Adding Jax and JM to a roster with Jackson Doyle, Gabe Bonessi, Kasen Lanese, Riley Young, Joey Meade, and Kyle Viesselman gives us a tremendous amount of depth and versatility.  We’re able to play at a faster pace, defend harder, and execute better.  They add to our competitive edge.”

           As they are a relatively young team, two freshmen starters contributing every game is always a good sign. 

           Kirkpatrick states, “We have high expectations for our underclassmen.  That being said, making the jump from grade eight basketball to the high school varsity level is extremely difficult.  Jaxon Staples and John Johnson were able to make this transition as freshmen and solidify their role as starters.”

           Both Forward Staples and Guard Johnson coming out of their grade eight seasons knew that they would have to show up every day to be able to make the varsity roster. 

           Staples states, “Coach has said from the start of the season that all spots are up for grabs. So I knew if I tried as hard as I could in practice that I could earn some minutes.”

            Staples is starting off the season hot, winning the Platt Tech Holiday Tournament MVP, scoring 20 against Sheehan and 16 against Platt Tech in the championship and coming off a Co-Athlete of the Week award in December. 

           Johnson was also a part of the Co-Athlete of the Week award in December and says, 

           “Coming into the season my expectations were to just help the team in any way needed, win games and have a good personal season.”

The boys are currently 10-4 and have six regular season games left on their schedule with three home games remaining and then will move onto the playoffs where they look to continue their success.