by mike mannix Head Coach, Boys’ Basketball
DEPARTMENTS: ATHLETICS
Boys’ Basketball program ‘All In’ with recent success When the final buzzer sounded and Wilbraham & Monson Academy Boys’ Varsity Basketball team left the court as the 2019–2020 NEPSAC Class AA Champions, some viewed it as a championship run that began in November 2019 and culminated in March with its first basketball championship in 34 years. While this may be true superficially, the championship was actually a product of the basketball program’s culture established years before. That culture is comprised of many talented student-athletes who spend their days at the Academy studying, practicing, playing and carrying themselves with the mindset of “All In.” “All In” refers to each member of the team performing to the best of their ability whether in the classroom or on the court, and representing themselves and their teammates with integrity throughout the WMA community. The basketball team’s success in the classroom has been consistent, earning a GPA above 3.0 for seven consecutive years; the team’s GPA has been at or above 3.5 for four of those. Several members of the team have received major school prizes on graduation weekend: Julian Alexis ’16 and John Adams ’20 (Rogers
Scholar Athlete); Wenyen Gabriel ’16 and Idan Tretout ’19 (Phil Shaw Award); and Devonn Allen ’18 (Markell and Monson Class of 1898 award and the Owen David Dow Memorial award). The basketball program claimed its first ever Trustees Cup—an award that recognized the team’s academic excellence, athletic success and community engagement— in 2020. These tremendous accomplishments have been accompanied by a strong college matriculation list that includes: Adams and Dakota Wheeler ’17 (Worcester Polytechnic Institute); Allen and Joe Schneider ’15 (Amherst College); Keller Boothby ’20 and Daniel Klosk (Cornell University); Miles Lester ’17 (Rice University/Wake Forest); Liam Murphy ’20 (Tufts University); and Tretout (Harvard University). The program’s status has also been elevated by nationally and internationally recognized players—Wenyen Gabriel ’16, Maodo Lo ’12 and Kyle Filipowski ’22. Mr. Gabriel currently plays in the NBA for the New Orleans Pelicans, after playing for the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers. Prior to the NBA, he was an integral part of an SEC Championship team at the University of Kentucky. Mr. Gabriel finished his career
at WMA being named First Team All League in Class AA and was ranked No. 12 nationally by ESPN.com. Mr. Lo spent the summer competing for Germany in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where he led the way to a quarterfinal finish. The WMA postgraduate starred at Columbia University and has played internationally in Germany since 2016. Filipowski’s success at WMA is still in progress and includes many accolades. He was named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, making him the second athlete in WMA’s history to win the award. He entered the school year ranked No. 20 nationally by ESPN.com for the Class of 2022, and he made a verbal commitment to Duke University in late July. WMA has also expanded its Boys’ Basketball program to include a newly created and named Varsity team. The team will compete regionally at the Class C level. The current and top level team has been renamed as WMA’s Prep team and will continue to compete in Class AA.
Mike Mannix begins his 13th season, and eighth as head coach, on the Boys’ Basketball coaching staff. He serves as Dean of Residential Life and lives on campus with his family.
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