On Thursday night, St. Dominic will be honoring the boys basketball seniors in a home game against Duchesne High School. On this night, the Crusaders look for a win and to celebrate the five seniors who have truly left their mark on the St. Dominic and the entire basketball program.

The 2022 basketball senior class is one of the strongest the school has seen in quite a while. Each senior excels in their role and takes responsibility for what they need to do for their team to succeed.

“The St. Dominic [basketball] program will leave everything out on the court. Win or lose we know we hustled and played our hardest from start to finish,” senior Luke Shelton said.

Some of the seniors have been with the varsity team for their whole highschool career. They have not only seen the changes in their own abilities but have also been a part of the hard work and changes the team has gone through to get them to where they are today.

“When I played as a freshman the team was all seniors plus one sophomore so it was obviously very different from the way we play now. That year we focused a lot on playing solid defense more than our offense. After those 8 seniors graduated, we had a whole new team and nobody knew what to expect. Over the years, I have seen us develop from a program that people would look at and say ‘This should be a game we win,’ to looking at us and saying ‘This will be a tough game,’” senior Mathew Willenbrink said.

The team has always had big goals but this year, they’re looking to achieve even more accolades. The team won back-to-back district championships and have all worked incredibly hard to leave their imprint on the school. All of their hard work has paid off and now they are the closest they’ve ever been to reaching the ultimate goal..  

“The whole team just wants to leave the program with a final four appearance this year. That’s been our goal from the start,” senior Jason Bland said.

The boys have grown so much in the last four years and have helped the team become one of the best in St. Dominic history. They hope their time spent in the program will continue to inspire the teams that will come after.

“St. Dominic basketball has impacted me in a way I wouldn’t have believed four years ago. The coaches and community are all phenomenal in what they do,” senior Ryan Schwendeman said.

Not only have the boys impacted the program and school, they have gained a lot of experience as well. What sets them apart from other programs is their ability to accept any role given to them. No senior is bigger than the team.

“I want to leave the impact of knowing your goal should be to be the best at your role. It doesn’t matter what it is; just do your best for your team and teammates,” senior Luke Cullison said.

The seniors have not only impacted their team, but their coaches as well. All of the coaches agree that they have never seen players so dedicated and willing to do what the team needs from them.  

“I think the best thing that they bring to our team after four years is their mentorship. They help our underclassmen understand what is expected from them,” varsity Head Coach Kevin Roberts said.

There is no doubt that the seniors will leave a legacy in the program and will be missed greatly. The entire St. Dominic community hopes to see the boys achieve their goals and continue to thrive after highschool. Be sure to support the boys on their senior night against Duchesne High School this Thursday at 7.