Trojan athletes' hard work recognized
<p>Troy Basketball Coach Cory Andersen shaking hands with Nathan Olds during athletic awards assembly Thursday, April, 10.</p>
Troy High School’s winter athletes were recognized for their efforts Thursday morning during the seasonal sports award ceremony.
Girls basketball Coach Justin Young started things off, warning he planned to challenge former football Coach Jim Dasios’ record for longest speech. Considering the rousing applause his talk earned at the end, and the fact that every word kept students out of class that much longer, no one seemed to mind long-winded praise.
“At our first practice, the second drill we ran, or tried to run, was the three-man weave,” Young said. “It was chaos: girls stumbling, balls flying all over the place. I looked around and thought, this is bad. But the improvements we made really showed in our final game.”
The Lady Trojans (2-17) dropped their final game of the season to Eureka, 43-41. Senior Kellie Lundin ended her impressive prep basketball career with a 24-point outburst. Five other players scored for a short-handed Troy team.
“I was most proud that everyone cared,” Young said. “My message was to play loose. I walked to the locker room and there was a strobe light going and crazy music playing with the lights off. I came in and they turned the lights on. I turned them back off and told them to keep dancing another minute. It worked because we came out on fire. The closest comparison I could make is the first Rocky movie.”
Young called each girl up to the front of the auditorium before the entire student body.
Cheerleading coach Jennifer Bonifas praised her three girls for spirited effort and teaching their first-year coach 75 new cheers.
Junior varsity basketball Coach Tony Smith made sure every aspiring varsity hooper knew where he had to be this offseason if he wanted playing time next year.
“You need to get to open gym,” Smith said, repeatedly.
The ceremony ended with outgoing boys basketball Coach Cory Andersen thanking his young men for their commitment. Senior guard Gabe Hickman was recognized for his All-State honors, an award he also earned as the Trojan’s quarterback on the football field.