Last month, the Shaker Heights High School Boys Basketball team celebrated its fifth District title in the past 10 years. Coach and Woodbury School Principal Danny Young says he couldn’t more proud of the entire team for their accomplishments on the court and, just as importantly, he’s just as impressed by who the players are when they’re within the walls of Shaker Schools.
“These are kids from great families who are supportive of their success and who they are as young people,” says Mr. Young. “And this group was connected to the entire student body in a way that I’ve not experienced. When I looked up in the stands during the District game against Garfield, there were kids from so many different groups there to support the team.”
Senior Najee Hardaway, who will continue his basketball career next year at the College of Wooster, says that the team had a lot of positive chemistry. “We’re a close-knit group and we have fun on and off the court,” he says. And Najee says he’s not surprised that so many students came out to support the team. “The Class of 2018 is a tight group and since a lot of our starters came from this class and we were good, it just made the games all the more entertaining. When it comes to school events, this class really comes out to show its support, whether it’s football games, hockey games or anything else.”
Off the court, seniors Dale Bonner and Christian Guess spoke to boys in Woodbury’s Character in Action program about making good choices. And sophomore Dakota Cochran and seniors Justin Phillips and Najee served as mentors and guides for Woodbury Rising Stars.
“Anytime I asked them for help, they were always willing to lend a hand,” says Mr. Young. “These kids can pop in and out of a lot of groups. I think that’s why the community got behind them. They just resonated with so many people.”