It was an emotional night for Highland Park on February 10th, 2023. The crowd rushed to embrace the players the second the timer marked the end of the game. For the first time in two decades, the Highland Park Boy’s Basketball team won the division after beating Calvary Christian with a score of 64-52. The starting five: Jowuan Keyes, Phillip Wilson, Danny Starcevic, Markos Hantsoulis, and Jayden Guadalupe, coached by Kambui Little and Chris Brzozowski, led the team to victory with a large and passionate student crowd. Ethan Chen, a player on the team, noted that the biggest factor that contributed to the win was Markos Hantsoulis dropping 21 points, changing the flow of the game. He later adds, “3rd quarter we went on a big run, 21 points to 13 points, which helped solidify our win.”
This was not the only win for the team; Coach Kambui Little was named the Boys Gold Division Coach of the Year. Sophie Huttner, a spectator, comments, “DJ Khaled and the boy's varsity basketball team have one thing in common. All they do is win.” Sure enough, the team's record of 13-1 in their division showcases the immense success they have had this season.
However, with all the excitement of the win, there was a verbal altercation between a parent of a player from Calvary Christian and some supporters of the Highland Park team. This traveled to social media where a high school sports writer called for the NJSIAA to “consider tossing them from the state tournament” via a post on Twitter.
Nevertheless, the boys' basketball team brought excitement and pride to the school after 20 years without winning a division championship. With new talent and the beginning of what may become a winning streak, the future looks bright for Highland Park athletics.