Emma Shullman, Editor
New Canaan has been featured in major headlines over the past 12 months. The most recent: Sports Center Top Ten. Junior Ryan McAleer earned his way to this honor with his now nationally known game-winning three-point buzzer beater. With over 42,000 likes on Twitter, the video brought the team into the spotlight. As more and more people come to their games, the team is feeling the excitement. Coming off of a 5-15 record last year, the boys are now 14-4, well overcoming last season’s struggles.
Head coach Danny Melzer started coaching at NCHS three seasons ago and has been making an impact on the team ever since. “We’ve won 2 games in very dramatic fashion, so that certainly played a role in kids coming out,” Melzer said. “The boys knew coming into the season if they win and are successful the people will come out and support us.”
As the season has continued, student support has become more prominent; the team is engaging the community in a sport that hasn’t received attention in the past. Senior Matt Brand,one of the leading scorers on the team, recognizes the impact that this attention is having on the team. “Having more and more people at the game definitely drives us as a team. It also compliments us, hopefully showing that people like to watch us,” Matt said.
Senior and former basketball player Wyatt Wilson continues to support the team alongside his fellow students. “I think the whole student body is feeling a lot more excited about basketball because they are obviously a lot more successful this year,” Wyatt said. “For me, it’s really fun to watch because I have seen how hard they’ve worked to get where they are.”
Senior co-captain Ben Sarda has been a part of the NC basketball program since fourth grade and knows what it’s like to be an underdog sport in terms of fan support. “Last year, it was a struggle to get kids at our home games,” Ben said. “Now there are 30-40 students driving 15 minutes away to support us.”
With this new support, the team hopes to continue their enthusiasm into states and FCIACs. “We just like to stay focused on the next game in front of us, that way we can keep moving forward,” Matt said.
“We’re building a program that is going to extend beyond this year. This is not a one and done for us, we anticipate many years to come of success,” Melzer said. The team is heading into games against Ridgefield, Staples, and Westhill in hopes to improve their record.
