For parents and athletes, senior night can be a bittersweet ending to a high-school career in any sport. This is the last time some of these kids will see each other -- the last time they will play together on a high school team. At McKay High School there are four seniors that I would like to recognize, Hayden Hull, Josiah Castillo, Shaton Daniels, and Noah Tavera.
The last game of the regular season is tonight, Tuesday Feb. 21, 2017. McKay plays South Salem -- a tough team. In order for McKay to win, they will have to play a good game all four quarters. No matter what the outcome might be, McKay has a chance to play in post season. If all of the selections and situations happen with the state rankings, we will be watching McKay in post season. The GVC has already been labeled as one of the toughest conferences. With a win tonight it will be more of a guarantee. Good luck Scots!
From left, Hayden Hull, Josiah Castillo, Shaton Daniels, and Noah Tavera. At the bottom is Manager Bailey, thanks for your hard work, Bailey!
Let's start with #24, 5' 11" Hayden Hull. I've known Hayden since his sophomore year. Hayden is fearless, he attacks and plays defense like there's no tomorrow. A lot of people don't know that Hayden had surgery two weeks before basketball tryouts this year. He played in the first game of the season and did very well. That's who he is, he doesn't give up and he loves the game. This year he has hit some huge three-point shots to help the Scots win big games. He's had some amazing steals and finished lay-ups. Hayden is one of the nicest kids I've met at McKay. If Hayden wishes to pursue playing basketball at a community college, I really feel he can with some extra summer training -- he works hard and he is a fast kid with a nice shot. Best of luck, Hayden, I enjoyed watching you play and grow as a young man.
What can I say about #5, 5' 4" Josiah Castillo? Wow, this kid has range on his three-point-splash shots. Josiah is a quiet kid, but I've seen how his talking happens on the basketball court. I remember when he was interviewed on CCTV, a local TV station. I think John Piper did most of the talking, Josiah said maybe three words. This kid is a competitor and always gets back up when knocked down by a 6' 7" player. Josiah has a natural gift of hitting the big three-point shot. I remember watching him release the basketball before tryouts when he was a freshman -- nothing but net -- effortlessly. He is one of the reasons McKay was able to beat highly ranked teams like South Salem and West Salem. Josiah is another kid that, I feel, can play community college basketball. Thanks for the exciting games you played Josiah, it was fun watching you hit some of the thirty-footers. I'm wishing you the best in your near future.
The next player I want to recognize is #1, 5' 11" Shaton Daniels. Shaton, nickname "Bam" has been with the McKay Basketball Team for two years. During tryouts of his junior year I didn't know who he was or where he came from. All I knew was that this kid was fast and energetic. I never knew of a kid that was injured and then one minute later he was healed. I remember one time I saw him limping a little. I walked over and asked, "Shaton, you okay?" He replied, "No, I pulled my groin." Then a minute later the coach had everyone run lines. Shaton zoomed pretty fast and was one of the top five finishers. In one of my previous blog posts, I wrote Shaton's story. If you haven't read it yet, please do so. Shaton has overcome so much -- his family moved from New Jersey. Shaton is one of the hardest workers on the basketball court. A lot of people may not know that he is also a great mathematician. Shaton can play basketball at the next level if he chooses to strive for that dream. He is fast and can finish baskets with lightning speed. Best of luck in whatever you pursue, Bam, you can achieve it.
The fourth senior basketball player is #4, 5' 9" Noah Tavera. When I first saw Noah during his freshman year, I really thought he looked like Fred Savage (actor and brother of Ben Savage from "Boy Meets World"). Anyway, Noah has been such a huge asset to the basketball program. He is one tough scrapper on the basketball court. I was worried that he might not play basketball this season due to his baseball dream. I'm sure I can speak for many -- we were all glad he did play. One of my favorite plays that Noah executed was when he hit two back-to-back And 1's against North Salem. We were struggling as a team to that point. He turned that game around for the Scots. He is a competitor at any sport he plays. Noah went through a rough time last year when he lost his dad to cancer. I know that it will be tough for him and his family on senior night, but I also know that his dad would have been so proud of Noah's senior year and how far he has come, not only as a decent young man, but also as a senior leader on the basketball court. I'm excited to write Noah's story pre-baseball season -- I'll keep you posted. Congrats to Noah, your future is bright, never give up!
I would also like to recognize the coaching staff, Dean Sanderson, Matt Espinoza, and Jack Martino. These coaches sacrifice so many hours of their own time to help these young men become who they are, not only good basketball players, but also decent young men. It's difficult to stick to rules at times, and I appreciate that at McKay, if you don't follow team rules, well, you're not going to be playing. This teaches kids to be accountable for mistakes made during the season. This will help them become remarkable people. In a future job, the employer will have work policies. These young men will follow those policies because of lessons learned during their high school sport's days. Thank you coaches for showing love to these seniors.
My final thoughts are for the parents of these amazing young men. Thank you to all of you for supporting your sons and the basketball program at McKay, for attending their games; taking them to practice; feeding them; disciplining them; keeping them in school; laughing with them; crying with them; sacrificing your social events for them; buying basketball shoes, and keeping them educated. These kids have managed to make it through high school with passing grades. This success reflects on you, the parents -- you are a big part of it. Give yourselves a pat on the back, you've done well. You showed so much love for your senior kids, they will remember it forever, trust me.