It’s one of the best traditions in sports.
And one Max Moshinski loved watching.
Moshinski is a junior on the Father Judge High School basketball team, and like many kids who grew up around the Catholic League, one of the best days of the year was when he would head down to the Palestra to watch the Catholic League boys basketball championship game.
The event annually sells out the massive arena, and during the game, fans watch, cheer and enjoy the experience of being around the best teams in the area battling it out.
But Moshinski’s favorite part wasn’t even the game. It was after it.
“I loved watching the games before I got here, and I remember watching the teams cut down the nets,” said Moshinski, who lives in Huntingdon Valley. “We would always stay to watch that. I always thought that was cool.”
Watching was cool.
Sawing them down? That’s a lot more fun.
Moshinski played a huge role in helping the Crusaders bring home the Catholic League championship, 27 years after the team last hoisted the banner.
An energy guy, Moshinski has been on the Crusaders varsity team since his freshman year, and naturally his role has grown every season.
This year, he was one of the first guys off the bench to spark Judge, and he did just that in the championship game. When the Crusaders were struggling early, he was inserted in the lineup and scored the first two points for Judge, which trailed 10-2 after one quarter. He continued to play hard the rest of the game and the end result was Judge defeating Roman Catholic in the championship game.
“It’s been great since I got here, and every year, I’ve worked hard to do a little more,” said Moshinski, a wing who also helps out underneath when the Crusaders go to a smaller lineup. “Freshmen year, we had a solid squad. We had a lot of great talent, so I tried to learn from all of them. We made the playoffs, but lost in the play-in. It was hard for sure.
“Last year, making the Palestra was awesome. I didn’t see the court a lot, but it meant a lot for all of us to get there. It was great to get in front of that crowd and play in front of all those fans. Last year wasn’t as bad because I knew we had a good amount of guys coming back, and I thought if we worked hard, we could be one of the best teams in the league. We knew it would be hard, but I thought we would be back.”
Moshinski was right.
And he was also right about working hard.
As soon as his sophomore season ended, Moshinski hit the gym hard. He points out he wasn’t alone, the entire team did the same thing.
They worked hard from the end of last year with the hopes of bringing the PCL title home to Judge. That was the first goal.
The second goal was to win a city championship. The Crusaders fell just short of that goal when they lost to 6A Public League champions Imhotep Charter in the District 12 championship.
But both teams, along with Roman Catholic, advanced to the state playoffs, so Moshinski and his mates still have a chance to accomplish the third goal, which is winning a state championship.
“They’re a good team, but our three goals were to win the PCL, win the district championship and win a state championship,” Moshinski said. “The good thing is even though we lost, it doesn’t hurt us. We wanted to win that, but we still get a chance to play in states, so we can still reach that goal.”
Moshinski and mates still have a lot to accomplish this year, and the longer they play together, the longer they can work on next year’s goals, which mirror this year’s goals.
He credits the hard work with some of the success. The rest comes with being a cohesive unit.
“We really like being together, not just when we play basketball,” said Moshinski, a strong student in the classroom. “We will hang out, get something to eat. We ran a 5K as a team. We just have fun being around each other.”
Moshinski also credits his family with making him a better player.
Sure, he put in all the work, but he appreciates all the work those around him put in to make him a better player.
“My parents, they play a major role,” Moshinski said. “They would get me to practice, workouts, and they push me to get better.
“They play a major role in my success. It was a great feeling spending time celebrating, getting pictures. My dad played football at Judge, so they know the PCL. They know how big this was. It meant a lot to win it for them. It was great, it was for everyone.”
