Editor’s note: Mollie Shambeau at Wasatch sends this story about the the Wasatch boys basketball team for the WBSA blog. We’re constantly amazed at the international reach of boarding schools and athletics.
Most noteworthy, between receiving Mollie’s submission and the article’s posting, the Wasatch boys captured the Utah boys 1A state title defeating Liahona 84-47 on Saturday March 5th.
Congratulations to coach Geno Morgan and the team.
WASATCH ACADEMY’S GLOBAL TEAM SPEAKS COMMON LANGUAGE: BASKETBALL
Diverse” doesn’t even begin to describe Wasatch Academy’s starting lineup. Its five towering athletes hail from Croatia, Lithuania, Canada, France and Bulgaria, each measuring six-foot-three or higher.
Despite varying citizenship, the players do have a common language: Basketball. “Basketball is a universal sport,” says Head Coach Geno Morgan. “You can put any five guys out there, and they could somehow figure it out.”
Senior guard Evaldas Aniulis agrees. “We are all from different countries, but on the court, everybody speaks basketball,” he says. “So it’s not that hard to understand.”
Wasatch Academy speaks basketball fluently. The team, based out of Mount Pleasant, Utah, boasts a record of 17-3, having beat 5A giant Copper Hills in late January. This past weekend, the team beat the Liahona Warriors to claim the Championship Title for Region 18. This week, they begin playoffs.
Coach Morgan admits it’s been a successful season. “We’ve had one of the toughest schedules in the state of Utah,” says Morgan. “I’ve learned a lot about my team’s toughness-they don’t fold under pressure. We had a tough game at Bryce Valley and lost by 2, but I saw the fight in my team. That was huge under pressure. To end up at this point with a 14-2 record and to lose those two games [within a few] points, we’re on track for heading into State.”
The State competition has been the team’s goal from the start.
“Our goal from the beginning of the season has been to win the state competition,” Morgan said. “It comes down to how we perform, act, and practice. I’ve been there three times-it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done as a coach.”
Morgan has a storied history in basketball. He played throughout college in Alaska, coached winning teams at the high school and college levels, and most recently served as the assistant coach at Emory University. Morgan came to Wasatch Academy on 2009.
“I had vowed to never coach high school again,” he said. “But this is a very unique job. Being here and having the opportunity to work with kids from all over the world is really special.”
Constant face-time at a boarding school doesn’t hurt either. “Our kids don’t go home after school,” Morgan said. “I see my team every day, all day, all the time-in the cafeteria, on campus, in the gym, everywhere. What we do here is different than a regular high school job, and I love it.”
Aniulis appreciates the basketball-related benefits of a boarding school atmosphere. “It is good conditioning because I don’t need to go 30 minutes [between] my house and the gym,” he said. “I can go to my dorm and back to the gym and practice any time of the day.”
Morgan also motivates his athletes to be leaders among their peers. “I was a captain and I remember losing the position because I was trying to do it my way instead of the way the coach wanted. I never forgot that. I encourage [our captains], Jarryn Skeete, Evaldas Aniulis and Mitko Kurtev to be leaders on this team.”
The motivation has had a positive effect on junior guard, Jarryn Skeete. “Coach [tells me] I need to take more of a vocal approach and show [and tell the team] exactly what I mean,” he said. “It’s going to make me a better leader on and off the court.”
Morgan attributes the team’s success to unselfish friendships. “One of the things that make this team successful is that they like each other. They love playing together with each other, and they’re very unselfish. When you’ve got a team like that, it’s huge.”
Friendship and a common passion for basketball has propelled this team to the top of Region 18, and could possibly see them to the state championship in March. It would be the first state championship in the school’s 136-year history.
Morgan is enjoying every minute. “I’m in a unique situation, having the opportunity to coach this many kids from different cultures and backgrounds and to be able to relate to all of them as a coach,” he said. “I was on the bus the other day, and I looked back at the team and saw all the different faces and colors, and I said to myself, ‘Wow this is special.’”
