As shoes get laced up and the sound of bouncing balls echoes through the gym, Jesuit fans all around know it can mean only one thing: Jesuit Basketball season has begun.
The varsity Jesuit Rangers started out their season with an away game but quickly followed it up with two home games that attracted big crowds.
Head Coach Chris Hill said, “My expectations [for the season] are that the boys play as hard as they can and play together. I think when we do that, winning and losing will take care of itself.” This year’s varsity team returns a strong amount of players, making it easier to play together and get adjusted in the new season.
On November 17th, the Rangers traveled all the way out to Mesquite to take on the Skeeters in the first game of the year, hoping to start the season on the right track.
The game plan headed into the game was to “get back on defense and take care of the ball,” which the Rangers did well, defeating the Skeeters 65-52. The Rangers’ defense caused a total of 15 Mesquite turnovers, leading to easy points on the fast break.
Returning players Mitch Prendergast ’17, Ben Kunasek ’16, Dixon Smith ’17, and Shawn Regan ’16 all helped lead the Rangers to a victory. Prendergast led the Rangers in scoring with 19 points, and he commented, “It was nice to get back on the court in the Jesuit uniform. The team played well, and I really believe we have a strong team that can have a really successful season.”
The newcomers did not falter under pressure in the game either as center Alan Garcia ’17 made his impact with a 15 point, 5 
rebound game. The Jesuit team fields four sophomores who all made their debut on varsity in the game, Michael Jankovich, Reid Hatzman, Keegan Nwosu, and Marcus Hill.
The Rangers’ opening game was a nice debut for the team and a good way to start the season because you can’t win them all if you don’t win the first.
Rangers’ Record: 1-0
On November 21st, the Rangers made their home debut, and all of Jesuit was there to see it as the game took place during the school day. The Rangers faced their rival Houston Strake Jesuit in a game the Rangers dominated all the way to the final buzzer.
The Rangers’ shooters bombarded the Crusaders shooting 50% from the three-point line and almost 50% from the field for the entire game.
Sophomore Michael Jankovich led the way with 20 points, and junior Dixon Smith followed close behind with 14 of his own. Smith noted, “We shot well as a team and we were able to pounce on them early. It was nice that the school could come watch our home debut.”
When Coach Hill was asked if the game feels different playing a rival, he responded, “Not really anymore. We always have a meal together and our boys hosted their boys at their houses so there is a bit more of a relationship that gets established now. We only play in non-district games now as opposed to state championships, so that has had a bit of an impact on the rivalry side of things. I don’t know that our guys want to beat them anymore than anyone else on the schedule.”
The Rangers defeated Houston Strake Jesuit 72-51.
Rangers’ Record: 2-0
On November 25th, the Rangers took on the Highland Park Scots in a game could have been one of the best of the year even though it’s still early on in the season. While the game handed the Rangers first loss, they battled it out to the end in front of a packed Walsh Gym, proving to the fans that the team has the capability to play with any opponent.
The Rangers came out of the gates firing, led by a barrage of three-pointers from Marcus Hill ’18 who finished the game 7-12 from beyond the arc and with 31 points on the game. Hill accounted
for over half of the Rangers’ three-pointers, Jesuit shooting 12-32 as a team.
The Rangers impressed the entire game with big games from others besides Hill, such as Michael Jankovich, Mitch Prendergast, Dixon Smith, and Ben Kunasek. Even with such a strong team performance, the Scots countered with their own three-pointers. They shot 13-30 from beyond the arc and only two players made all 13. One player shot 4-8 and the other 9-19.
Ben Kunasek said, “We played strong on the offensive side of the ball, but we let our defense slip and that put us in a hole. We put up a strong fight, and we can bounce back and not let it happen again.”
Coach Hill acknowledged, “I think we have a chance to be pretty good. We are getting Jacob Palisch ’17 and Rusty Landon ’16 back now so that will only make us stronger. It’s a long season and a lot will happen so it will be interesting to see how we handle the ups and downs of the year. That is usually a pretty big determining factor in how the year goes.”
The Rangers will now enter pre-season tournaments beginning with the Jesuit hosted, Knights of Columbus tournament. Make sure to come out and support the team.
Rangers Record: 2-1
