The Fenwick Friars have always had outstanding sports teams and seasons, and they would not be possible without the coaches. Every team is led with excellence by coaches who are determined to build character in every Friar they coach. As the 2021-2022 basketball season rounds the corner, many are excited to watch the team led by coach Tony Young, the new varsity boys’ head coach.

Since he was young, basketball has been in Coach Young’s life. When it comes to how the sport specifically affected him, he said, “Basketball built character in me. Growing up, I was a bit of a troublemaker, but basketball helped shape the man I am today. It kept me motivated, not only in the sport itself but also in my academics. Basketball gave me opportunities that I didn’t think would be possible at the time.”

When asked about the incoming young men he’s coaching (as tryouts just ended), he said, “It’s the beginning of the season, so I’m expecting some trial and error, but also integrity, hard work, and a good attitude. I see them as young men, and I expect them to not only be respectful to the sport but also themselves.” He said, “They represent the school, they represent you and me; not only am I a role model for them, but they’re also role models for what good sportsmanship should be across all sports.”

Coach Young also went on to talk about how just like the team, he hopes that by his mentorship and the sport, that over the season it’ll impact them. He said, “Basketball is not just a sport, but for people who seek more out of it, it is life. The game will make you cry, it’ll make you laugh, it’ll give you friends and memories that’ll last a lifetime, you get out what you put in, you know? I hope that the sport touches them just as much as it did for me. It’ll push them to be hardworking, well-rounded men, so that when they’ve grown adults, they’ll have all the tools they’ll need to go forward in life.”

He has high hopes for not only the young men this season but also for the results of this season’s games. Fenwick boys’ basketball has never ceased to amaze our students, who always pack the gyms whenever it’s game day. Coach Young is ecstatic about caring about the legacy of the Friars this upcoming winter season. When asked about his hopes for the season, he said, “I don’t expect winning all the time, that’s not realistic, I do expect playing with everything we have, pushing the players to their limit. You know, showing up, having a good time, and [being] ready to compete with all we got.”

It’s clear how much the sport of basketball means to Coach Young, and his expectations for this year’s team — high expectations of hard work, commitment, and grit from everyone. Basketball is a team sport, and as Coach Young said, we get out what we put in, whether it’s in sports or our lives. Now, as football slowly comes to an end, we await the arrival of the boys’ first basketball game and are excited to see not only the development of the team over the season but also how the young men of the team grow in their character, all with the guidance of Coach Tony Young, Fenwick’s new boys’ basketball coach.