Submitted photos – The St. Bernard’s JVs and their tournament trophies.

By Ray Hamill — The next generation of Crusaders appear well equipped to continue to keep their boys basketball program on a successful path.

With the varsity team set to graduate eight seniors from this year’s Little 4 championship team, St. Bernard’s will have plenty of big shoes to fill in nine months time.

But that shouldn’t be a problem.

This year’s SB JV team was arguably even more impressive than their varsity counterparts.

Under the guidance of head coach Zach Davis, the young Crusaders went 24-1 this winter, including a dominating 6-0 record in the Little 4 on the way to a conference championship.

They also won all four of the tournaments they competed in, and they succeeded with hard work and a lot of enthusiasm.

“I really couldn’t keep these guys out of the gym,” Davis said. “This was a group of boys I didn’t have to force to work hard. They wanted to put in the extra work.”

That paid off for the Crusaders, whose only loss came against a McKinleyville team that was equally impressive on its way to an 8-0 record in the Big 5 and a Panthers team the Crusaders beat twice this winter.

It was also an SB team that benefitted from open communication between the players, something Davis and his staff have stressed and something he says he learned from former SB head coach Issac Gildea.

“I think that’s what separated us this year,” Davis said. “It’s something Issac always preached.”

The play and leadership of the team captains also played a key role on the path to success.

Several players stepped up for the team, including sophomores Iverson Crockett, Oliver Hart and Henry Hinrichs, as well as freshmen Cal Figas and Weston Levy, all of whom played pivotal roles.

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Crockett was ready to go from the opening day of practice and helped set the tone with his play and the example he set.

“Man, he came out on fire and never slowed down,” Davis said of the team captain. “The level of consistency he showed in 3-pointers, on defense and in a leadership role, I feel he lifted his team up.”

Hart set the tone on the defensive end.

“He was kind of the anchor for us defensively. He was our best rebounder,” the coach added. “He’s a silent leader. He goes out and does his job every single day.”

Hinrichs also helped set the tone for his teammates on defense, adapting seamlessly to the court after a big season for the SB football varsity team in the fall.

Henry’s defensive game is a lot like his older brother Tyler’s.

“He led the team in charges taken, which is one of my favorite stats,” Davis said. “He plays a lot like his brother Tyler on the varsity. He’s kind of an unsung hero.”

Levy, meanwhile, had an immediate impact for the JVs at point guard.

“He very much embodies the traditional point guards,” the coach said. “He can score when he wants but he’s way more excited to get the ball in his teammates’ hands.”

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Figas also impressed the coach with his play at forward and was one of the team’s most improved players over the course of the campaign.

“The growth I saw from him when he decided he wanted to take it to the next level,” Davis said of the young standout, who had a monster performance in the rubber game against McKinleyville, finishing with 27 points and 23 rebounds. “There was a switch that he flipped in the last part of the season.”

But the success was a team effort, with the entire roster contributing.

“It was really a testament to their work ethic,” Davis said of the squad which also includes sophomores Satori Adams, Alex Jimenez, Gabriel Biwole, Adam Brunton and Jerry Ma, as well as freshmen Kade Pinochi and Pablo Romo. “As a group it was was probably one of my easiest years (as a coach).”

Davis also praised the contributions of assistant coaches Cliff Hart and Sean Gardner.

And whether it was the first unit on the court or the second unit, the Crusaders were always fired up and ready to.

“We kept our foot on the gas pedal no matter who we were playing, and we came out every single game with the same amount of aggression,” the coach added. “Even the second unit plays with that fire, and the first unit were their biggest fans.

“They all bought in and realized they wanted to play for each other and wanted each other to succeed.

“One thing we liked to do is we prayed before every game, and really we give all the glory to God.”

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