Basketball season is in full swing and the Saint Louis Crusaders are more determined than ever. The top-ranked Crusaders are beating everyone in their path, except facing a loss at the beginning of the season to a fierce Punahou team. However, ever since that loss, the #1 ranked Crusaders never lost a game. 

The Crusader basketball team decided to go online because the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) makes players and coaches test before every game and didn’t want to inadvertently expose themselves to Covid. Hayden Bayudan, a senior and  Point Guard for the Crusaders, said “Some of the players on the team went (to) distance learning for (the) third quarter. We felt that the cases were rising on the island and going back to school. It was going to be a risk for us being exposed to others at the time and having to quarantine due to being exposed. Leading us to possibly missing games for our season.”

Davion Fitchett-Grance, a Power Forward for the Saint Louis Crusaders, said “Our team went (to) distance learning so that there was less of a chance to test positive. All of us agreed it’s safer at home due to the rise in Covid cases lately.”

The Saint Louis basketball team has handled this situation in a mature manner and has been working hard. The Crusaders are 4-1 and are the number one team in the state. Maverick Kanoa, an assistant coach for the Saint Louis Crusaders, said “ The season is good so far. We are 4-1. We lost a close one to Punahou and the team fought hard. The team is really close because they all have one common goal, especially the seniors on this team. The kids work extremely hard on the court as well as off the court. That’s all you can ask for as a coach and these guys bring it every single time they step on the court. The Brotherhood is strong with this group and I feel like we have a great shot at winning states this year.”

The Crusaders know what has to be done in order to get to their goal which is to bring the Koa wood back to the Slopes of Kalaepohaku. The decision was a team decision, but also an individual one because they had to sacrifice bonding with their fellow classmates. Bayudan said “It was an individual decision from all of us. Not everyone decided to stay home some felt it was best to be in school for themselves.” Fitchett-Grance, also said “It was a team decision. We heard about the penalties of testing positive. Even though you were vaccinated, you would still have to sit out 5 days. Our team has a goal of winning states so it’s a big sacrifice we all agreed to take.”

The sacrifice that the Crusaders made didn’t go unnoticed. Coach Kanoa explains that “Coach Dan introduced his coach’s philosophy called “Nine-Cells”. It talks about things like sacrifice and dedication. This team is all about that because they sacrifice going out to see their friends and stay home, where its safe. They also sacrifice on the court by putting their bodies on the line for every win. This is a really special group because they know and have what it takes to obtain the ultimate goal. We know what these boys are sacrificing off the court.”

Although the team remained in distance learning, the Crusaders also faced some adversity off the court. Bayudan said “the team has faced adversity when as some of us tested positive for Covid,” shares Fitchett-Grance. “Only a couple of people tested positive, but overall pretty well for the cases being so high.”

The Crusaders continued to sacrifice both on and off the court. Their dedication and hard work never went unnoticed and the Crusaders continued on as a team to their goal.