It was a grueling game of pickup.
The Father Judge High School basketball team split its team evenly for a long and hard battle that started at the beginning of the school year and continued for the first three months of the year.
It was back and forth, both teams pulled out all the stops, did everything they could to help their team, and when it was over, it couldn’t have been any closer.
The amount of work both sides put in was crazy, and it’s even crazier when you think the competition never entered the gymnasium.
This all took place in the classroom. It was a battle of grade point averages, and when it was all said and done, there were four players who achieved 4.0, and the end result was one team defeated the other, 3.5 to 3.4 in the first marking period.
Unlike in PCL games, there were no losers in this, but it showed what these fine athletes are capable of in the classroom.
When you have the talent the Crusaders have on the court mixed with the grades the players are achieving, good things happen. Like two of your star players accepting Division I scholarships.
On National Signing Day, Kevair Kennedy and Everett Barnes announced that they both will be playing basketball beyond Judge. Kennedy, a point guard, will attend Merrimack College. Barnes, a big man, is bound for Loyola of Maryland.
The stars last year helped lead Judge to the semifinals of the Catholic League playoffs. This fall, they were two of four Crusaders who achieved 4.0 grade point averages, joining senior Kevin Beck and sophomore Jermiah Adedeji.
Both stars are excited to begin their next chapter at their schools.
“I liked the school, the coaches and I love the playstyle,” said Kennedy, who grew up across the street from St. Bart’s. “They play fast, they play fast out of a zone. I like that. I’ll be playing point guard.
“It’s a big relief. I had a lot of help from my coaches and my parents.”
While he’s unsure of a major, business is a possibility.
“I liked the coaches, I had a good connection with them,” said Barnes, who played two years at Burlington City in New Jersey before coming to Judge last year. “I love the campus, and I already know some of the players on the team.
“It’s a great school. My grades have always been pretty good. I’m (ranked) in the top 40 (of his senior class, which is top 20 percent). Grades are important, I’ve talked to a few coaches and most that I really liked were higher academic schools. They have great academics, that’s a reason I chose to go there, too.”
They are set in the classroom.
And now they’re set for college.
The only thing left is to win a Catholic League championship.
Last year the Crusaders advanced to the semifinals of the Catholic League playoffs, a spot they haven’t been in since 1998, when led by now-assistant coach Jim Reeves, Judge won the Catholic League championship.
Now, both Kennedy and Barnes want to do something Reeves did.
“Signing was a big relief, I’ve had a lot of help from my parents and coaches, but it’s nice to be done and know what I’m doing,” Kennedy said. “Now the only thing I’m worried about is strictly winning a championship. That’s my new focus now. We got a great experience last year to see what it was like to play (at the Palestra). We needed to see what it was like down there. We lost. We know what it feels like to win, now we want to win.”
“I don’t have to worry about coaches or anything like that, I can now focus,” said Barnes, who plays on AAU Philly Pride, the same team as Kennedy. “Focus on the season and get better. We’ve been nonstop from AAU to workouts to the weight room, all the summer league games. We’ve been working the whole time.”
Both players were equally happy for each other’s success as they were for each other, both in the classroom and on the court.
On paper, the Crusaders have the talent to play with anyone in the area. And they’re hoping their intangibles help them reach their goals.
“We lost some kids, but this team is mostly the same as last year so our chemistry should be better this year,” Kennedy said.
“We have off-the-court relationships so it’s making it easier playing together,” Barnes said. “Our goal is to win the PCL championship. But we have a bond. And it’s strong. We want the best for each other.”
