HOWELL – Members of the Newbury School 5th Grade Basketball Team were recognized for their hard work and dedication, becoming this year’s champions.
The team was honored by the Howell Board of Education at their May meeting, accompanied by everyone’s favorite Cobra mascot.
“The Newbury 5th Grade Basketball Team had another great season this year. They brought home a third championship for our Cobras,” Newbury School Principal James Quinn said.
The 5th grade basketball program works in conjunction with the Howell Basketball Club. The program lasts about two months and chooses 20 kids – 10 boys and 10 girls – from each school to form teams. The schools involved include Newbury, Aldrich, Ramtown, Ardena, and Memorial.
Coaching this year’s team were Nick Czaplinski and Jeff Andrews alongside head coach Matt Zupanc.
“I was lucky enough to be an assistant coach last year on the same Newbury team, and I was lucky to be involved again this year as the head coach,” Zupanc said.
When discussing the program, Zupanc described it as unique and unlike any other youth sport team.
“What’s really cool is that the skill levels are so varying. You have kids who have never played basketball who are now playing, and then you have kids who have been playing for years. It’s unique in that regard, that you have such a wide range of talent. The kids have a great comradery, they all support each other,” he said. “I coach several youth sports teams in town, both recreation and travel, and this program is unlike any other.”
Students participate in eight games during the regular season – two games a week. They then move on to the Playoffs and finally the Championship game. For the Newbury Cobras, their regular season ended 6-2, with only two loses to Ramtown. Then in the Playoffs, they beat Ardena and went up against Ramtown once more in the Championship, ultimately winning.
“After losing to the Ramtown Rams twice during the regular season, they faced them for a third time in the Championship game and came away with a very hard-fought victory. A show of sportsmanship by both teams in the Championship and by all the teams during the season was outstanding, and something we can all be proud of as a community,” Quinn said.
The win, however, was a bittersweet victory, as Newbury School will no longer participate in the program due to the district reconfiguring schools to make room for the expanded Pre-K.
“The special part about this year was we knew going in that this was the last year for Newbury to be a participant, since Newbury is becoming the preschool next school year. It will no longer be a 5th grade school. It was really great to bring home the championship for Newbury in their last year,” Zupanc said.
“The kids were fully committed,” he said. “They worked hard and came together as a team. It’s a great group of kids with high energy. At the end of the day, we came out on top and it was great to celebrate that with the kids.”
At the May Board of Education meeting, the Newbury team were each given a certificate to recognize their success.
“Congratulations to the Newbury Cobras on another outstanding basketball season – the third championship from the Newbury School community; and thank you to all the coaches who volunteered time to lead the students throughout the season,” Quinn said.
