Fall ‘24 Boys Basketball Season - New Achievements & Expectations
Photograph by Wiley Bouchard ’26, “Sequoyah Gryphons Against Beacon Hill On The Court”
The Sequoyah fall 2024 boys’ basketball season has concluded, and the team tallied up many new achievements and set expectations for future Sequoyah basketball teams. This team, led by Coach Brian Knigin, made it to the CIF playoffs for the first time in Sequoyah history. Although they came up 13 points short in their playoff game against Beacon Hill Academy, they did set a new standard by making it as far as they did.
According to Coach Knigin, the season was an overall success in terms of the team’s effort and growth. He watched them persevere during tough times, and helped coach them through it. Since Knigin began coaching Sequoyah sports four years ago, he had finally witnessed Sequoyah reach the playoffs, and it certainly took the team effort and time.
Knigin praised the team for their tenacity, acknowledging injuries and struggles along the way, and noting that while the team “ran out of gas but overall, they fought really hard, and we were all proud of their effort.”
Throughout the season, the team often traveled long distances for practices and games, which posed challenges for balancing schoolwork, basketball, and personal commitments. Having to juggle competing demands can be very challenging for team members’ mental or even physical health. Dominic Ariola ’26, a sophomore and Sequoyah basketball player for two years, found it challenging to allocate time for schoolwork after returning from practice. His advice to other student-athletes is to “not procrastinate and try and use any time you have during school to get your work done.” For Foster LippSmith ’25, who has been playing basketball for four years, his favorite memory of the season was the second game the team played against South Western Academy, where “a lot of people were able to play on the team, even including the minorly injured team players.” He thinks Knigin’s speech on mental toughness got the players through that game. LippSmith also looked back fondly on the game against Waverly, where the Sequoyah team won by 55 points. During that game, many non-starters had the opportunity to play—a rarity in most other games—which bolstered team cohesiveness. LippSmith especially valued the team’s mental preparation before games and their moments of bonding as a team, which positively impacted the team’s performance.
Over the course of the 2024 basketball season, the Sequoyah high school basketball team gained expertise and competence they can bring into the next season. Knigin noted that in the future he looks forward to getting “stronger physically as a team, and getting a little tougher.” According to Knigin, the team’s future is bright, and the playoffs should be a regular occurrence as long as the team continues on the right track. Look forward to future seasons, and get excited for new endeavors!