For the past four months, our Varsity basketball players pursued one goal: an ultimate win at the state championship. Even though the season did not go as we expected, our journey has been a memorable and historic testament to perseverance. 

When the season began in November, everyone was in go-mode, ready to dominate the district. Initially, our team was ranked as #14 out of 15 teams in the area. That did not sit right with us; that set the tone for our season, and we worked even harder to prove the doubters wrong. We started off on fire, winning our first 7 games. Our confidence grew, and we felt like we could not be stopped. At this time, a leader emerged among the players: our junior point guard, Khamari “Smiley” Faulks. He averaged 20 points per game. With him leading the pack, we became one of the teams to beat. 

At the Allen Iverson Classic in late December, we faced off against Norview, who we had lost to in the 2nd round of the playoffs in 2019. This loss had been grating on us, fueling the desire for revenge. We also knew Allen Iverson himself was going to be there. Victory, however, was not assured. At the end of the first half, Norview held a 9 point lead. During halftime, we recalibrated, and our defense stepped up. This allowed us to cut Norview’s lead down, forcing the game into overtime. Within the last few seconds of the game,  Norview scored a quick basket, but Smiley got the ball and scored a layup at the buzzer. Bethel won, and when asked about this moment later, Smiley said, “We need[ed] to win because Allen Iverson was here.”

After the Norview game, our morale and confidence reached a new high, but then the following week, we faced an unexpected tragedy.  Our star player and leader Smiley was hospitalized, and he could not move the left side of his body. Smiley was our best point guard in the program. We all knew we had to step up just as he would want us to do, but this was no easy task. To make matters worse, Coach Brehon was undergoing chemotherapy.  As a result, the team started the second half of the season on the wrong foot. After a few losses, we felt as if we had hit rock bottom. 

Nevertheless, Coach Brehon and our players did not give up. First, Coach Brehon brought in Jah’Bryant to help pick up the slack. When asked how he felt about his sudden promotion, Jah’Bryant said, “my goal was to stay humble and stay focused and get better. I… wanted to pick up where Smiley left off.” Then, point guard Naz Griffin transferred to our team from Atlanta. His competitive energy brought the team back together.  Our performance was inconsistent, but improved. We won against Denbigh and Hampton High, but also suffered defeat in games against Kecoughtan, Woodside, and Heritage. 

Our losses put us in a tough position: we had to win 4 out of 5  games in 6 days to make the playoffs. We won the first two games handily, but our next game against Woodside proved especially memorable. It was senior night, and we won, securing Coach Brehon’s 400th career win. It was an amazing moment for all of the players. After this game, we beat Churchland, guaranteeing our team a spot in the playoffs for the state championship. 

As the playoffs began, nervous anticipation set in. “My mindset [at the time] was to bring Coach Brehon his first state championship,” senior guard Markel Godwin reflected. “I know all teams dream [of a championship], and few ever do it, so I know we had to play possession by possession and couldn’t look past not one team.” We went into the regionals playoffs against Menchville with a mindset ready to win, but come gametime we lost our composure. 

Despite losing in the playoffs, it was our road to the tournament that defined us as a team. When asked to pick one word to sum up this season, Coach Brehon chose perseverance. From this season, we players emerged stronger and more united than ever before.