The boys’ season was full of ups and downs. Although they could not secure a victory, they never gave up. Players stepped up when they were needed and gained immense improvement.
Led by Rahul Shah, a former coach at Michigan, the team of 12 was initially nothing but a bunch of rusty hoopers. Having the home gym of the Rec center, they weren’t able to do much since their court is much smaller than other teams’ home courts. With the help of their coach, he taught them new plays and moves to improve their game.
Team manager Parker Shea has helped the team. Although he originally did not make the team, he has acted as the assistant coach throughout the season. Shea has helped the team voluntarily, affecting the team by being at games.
As the season went on, the boys faced their toughest game yet when they played Marblehead, ending in a loss of 79. Despite this devastating loss, this experience allowed them to improve as players. Instead of giving up, they rallied to work harder so the same outcome wouldn’t happen again. After the game, Shah said this is how the team grows as players and people, not that giving up shows growth.
Head coach Rahul Shah sent an encouraging text to the team’s group chat on their blowout loss against Newburyport writing, “Loved how you came out swinging against the best team in the CAL Love[d] how you want to hold each other accountable; the back and forth on the bench with each shows you care. Our record doesn’t reflect your improvement since game one.”
One of the boys’ games where they excelled the most was their second time facing the Ipswich Tigers. Off to a slow start, the boys were down 20-2 at the end of the first quarter. Inspired by the words by Shah at the half, they switched the momentum, cutting down Ipswich’s lead basket by basket. Nearing the end of the third quarter, the Ipswich lead was only four points.
The generals had come back due to Ipswich subbing in their second team. They had taken out all of their starters, which was now the time for the boys to strike. And so they did. It was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams for the rest of the game. Coming down to the end, the Tiger’s lead was at its slimmest, but there was no time left. As the clock ran down, the Tigers held the ball to run it out, forcing the generals to foul. Unfortunately, it ended in a loss for the Generals, but they were fueled by having played one of their best games yet.
“These boys have grown and grown, overcoming the challenges they have faced along the way,” says Shah when asked about the team’s overall growth throughout the season.
“I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from being on this team,” says freshman Rowan McConnaughey. “Over the time of being on this team, I’ve gained lots of valuable memories with new people, and I’ve also formed lots of friendships.”
“When our team started off, we didn’t have much chemistry—morally, we didn’t have a really good attitude, but all of us have gained a lot from this team. The lessons we’ve learned have helped and will [continue to] help us in the long run with, for me, soccer and for other teammates, baseball. These lessons that we’ve learned from our coaches and from our teammates and the experiences we’ve been through have really developed us. And we’ve really grown as people and as players, not just as teammates but as a person in general,” says McConnaughey, describing his thoughts on how this team has impacted his life. He said, “Overall, it’s been a great experience for me.”
When asked if freshman team captain Andersen Kraft had a positive takeaway on the season, he says, “It was rough at first losing by so much, but when we started to play as a team, I could accept losses because we were getting better.” This positive experience Anderson had is shared by his team’s overall optimistic attitude, with each teammate providing his best effort
Many people associated with this team believe they grew as people and teammates after this season. We saw this from players like Rowan McConnaughey, captains like Andersen Kraft, and head coach Rahul Shah. With this newfound talent, the players hope to improve during next year’s season, despite knowing a change of seasons could bring a change of teammates.
Alison Hawkins • Mar 20, 2025 at 11:11 am
Go Generals!