St. Agatha Parish sixth-grade boys team raises their trophy at the CYO basketball championship tournament held at Westwood High School, March 15. Pilot photo/Wes Cipolla
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WESTWOOD -- John Hurley, coach of St. Agatha Parish in Milton's CYO sixth-grade boys basketball team, doesn't play favorites on his team -- though he easily could.
"I mean, I love all these kids," Hurley told The Pilot. "I have my own son on the team, but I love all these kids like they're my own children."
Hurley coached his son Jack and the rest of his team to victory at the Archdiocese of Boston CYO Championship Games, held at Westwood High School on March 15. St. Agatha defeated St. Edward Parish in Medfield 47-33 in the boys fifth-sixth-grade final.
"It's a tremendous accomplishment," said Hurley, who has known his players since they were in third grade. "These kids work hard all season."
It was the first CYO championship victory for point guard Charles Novak.
"It feels good," Charles told The Pilot. "A lot better than losing."
By his own estimate, Charles has been playing basketball since he could walk.
"It's fun to go up and down the court," he said. "It's full speed all the time."
His mother Justine told The Pilot that CYO basketball stands out because of its camaraderie and the quality of its coaching staff. Her son agreed.
"They're great coaches, and they always do the best to try to help us win," Charles said.
The boys seventh-eighth-grade final saw St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish in Boston's North End defeat St. Edward's 63-45. In the boys ninth-10th-grade final, St. Martin de Porres Parish in Dorchester beat the Plainville-Wrentham Catholic Collaborative 72-47. In the girls high school final, Gate of Heaven Parish in South Boston beat Westwood's own St. Joan of Arc Parish 60-51. The winning teams will go on to compete in the New England CYO Basketball Tournament in Middletown, Connecticut, from March 28-30.
"We don't have the basketball program for the sake of kids playing basketball," said Ken Foscaldo, former CYO basketball coordinator for the MetroWest region and current athletic director of St. Joan of Arc. "There's a lot of opportunities for kids to play basketball today, but I think we have coaches that look out for the kids as people, as much as they do about winning and losing games."
Foscaldo didn't play basketball growing up, but was always a fan because his alma mater, Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, "was a big basketball school." He has been a fixture in CYO and Westwood Catholic athletics for decades. He said that the goal of CYO is for kids to learn how to respect one another and grow closer to the church.
"It's given me a way to be a disciple of Jesus through the sport and through prayers before games and mainly being able to give the kids a good role model, a good role model in life. It's not just about basketball. It's about values."
Current CYO MetroWest Co-Coordinator Dave Benoit sees himself in the kids on the court. He used to play CYO basketball at St. Cecilia Parish in Ashland. It was a way for him to play for his community, make friends, represent his church, and celebrate his faith."I see a lot of young kids here that are at the beginning of their life, that are enjoying an excellent opportunity for competition and learning the game and developing the game and in their life and in their maturity," he said. "And yeah, that definitely excites me, because I think I went on a similar journey and had a similar experience."
As a kid in South Boston, Kevin Lally played CYO basketball at Gate of Heaven, where he found a sense of belonging and made lasting friendships. He is now that parish's athletic director and CYO coordinator for Boston, the South Shore, and the North Shore.
"It's rewarding for all that hard work that they've put in all year has paid off," he said of his victorious team, "and the sense that all of the girls have developed friendships that will last a lifetime."
Some of the mistakes he sees them make on the court are the same ones he once made.
"I see the fun they're having, how much fun I had playing CYO," he said. "I had a great time playing."