As the introductory weeks of practice transpired, Rivers girls coach Kenny Small Jr. would come home each day with the same thought at the front of his mind.
He never hesitated to tell his girlfriend.
“I think I could win a championship this year,” Small said. “I truly believe we might win a championship.”
The setting was new for the longtime basketball trainer and coach. He entered his first season at the helm of the Red Wings, but in a mere matter of days, realized the potential before him.
Talent, experience, drive, chemistry – all of it was there. Championship DNA ran rampant in this group.
And Small’s early conviction was not misplaced.
Rivers wrapped the season as NEPSAC Class B champions, claiming the crown over St. Luke’s in the final to culminate a 19-8 campaign. From the mundane drills of their first practice to the tearful glory of their trophy-hoisting moment, there was a feeling many Red Wings had never experienced before.
“Any player would agree that there are days where you don't want to go to practice. You don't want to wake up, you don't want to go to the gym, whatever – that happens,” said senior guard/forward Grace O’Sullivan. “There genuinely was not one day of that this season.”
Their talent-laden senior contingent always figured to be an advantage. Rivers boasted three Division 1 commits, with O’Sullivan (Acton, Mass.) heading to Princeton, guard/forward Natalia Hall-Rosa (Randolph, Mass.) bound for Seton Hall and guard Narissa Smith (Attleboro, Mass.) soon to join Stonehill.
Then add center Chase Anderson (Concord, Mass.) into the mix – destined for Amherst in the fall.
As a quartet, they constituted a core that challenged each other on a regular basis and often spread opposing defenses thin.
“We're all great basketball players, we all support each other on and off the court,” Hall-Rosa said. “You’re literally just playing basketball with your best friends every day.”
Small had most recently served as the Middlesex girls basketball coach for two seasons, and guided Arlington Catholic and Newton Country Day beforehand. A wealth of time spent teaching the sport taught him many lessons – one of which being the risks of abundant talent.
But managing ego was never a concern with these Red Wings.
“I've never had a team with this amount of talent, from one all the way down to 14 on our roster. I was just so impressed (with) how they handled themselves, and it made my job so easy,” Small said. “So all I had to honestly do (was) put them in the right spots to be successful – be their cheerleader, be their support system.”
The campaign commenced with a 6-2 run through December, followed by a 4-4 January slog. Identity developed as Hall-Rosa and O’Sullivan spearheaded the scoring while Anderson and freshman guard Joy Robinson (Norwood, Mass.) embraced linchpin roles defensively.
Inflection points came along the path. Rivers lost to Hoosac – the eventual No. 4 seed in the Class AAA tournament – by a 45-34 score on Dec. 22 and proceeded to rout that same squad, 60-26, in its next game on Jan. 3.
Then there was a 44-41 defeat at the hands of St. Luke’s on Jan. 18. It was a championship preview nearly two months ahead of its time, and stuck in some players’ memory.
“Walking out of that game felt like a turning point for me, and I think for a few of my teammates, just because we had walked out of there knowing that we wanted to see them again,” O’Sullivan said. “We knew, leaving that game, there was more to show than what we had.”
Upon the end of the regular season, Anderson, Hall-Rosa and O’Sullivan were each named NEPSGBCA All-Stars. Small’s crew earned the No. 3 seed in the NEPSAC Class B tournament, entering “win or go home” territory with culture well-established.
“We have so much fun, and then we're able to turn it on,” Small said.
Rivers knocked out No. 6 seed Greens Farms, but then got a handful with No. 2 seed Berkshire. Trailing 43-42 with 2.6 seconds remaining, O’Sullivan cut toward the basket and Hall-Rosa connected from the top of the paint, creating a game-winning layup that saved their season.
Defense shined in their final battle. For a third consecutive contest, the Red Wings held their opponent to 45 points or less, this time resulting in a 53-37 triumph that set off their celebration.
It marked the first NEPSAC championship for the program since winning three of four between 2009 and 2012.
“Coming into freshman year, I was so focused on, ‘I'm only here for sports. I have these goals, I want to play in college.’ And I think that it's become so much more than that,” O’Sullivan said.
Across his various coaching and training avenues, Small has earned his share of respect in the basketball community. He had never known what it was like to be a championship coach, though, or to have such an achievement certify the value of his teachings.
But then these Red Wings came along.
“Being a champion is now a great feeling,” Small said. “I can finally say that all this hard work that we've been putting in together… it finally paid off.”
Sure enough, his insights were right from the start.
