Editor’s Note: This story is part of an ongoing series profiling students at Oliver Ames High School. The stories are all written by students enrolled in the Journalism senior English elective.
By Olivia Johnson
Years of recreational basketball – starting at age six, countless hours of practice, three different AAU teams, and the heart of a boy who loves the game, all lead up to this very year.
Jack Spillane, senior captain of the Oliver Ames High School Boys Basketball team, had his last chance to do it all over again one more time.
Spillane was excited for his last season of basketball as he explains, “People need a new sport to go to every Friday night after the fall, and boys basketball tends to get pretty big and rowdy crowds.”
“The crowds are a big part of the game,” according to Spillane. “They get you all hyped up and it makes basketball all the more fun playing in front of my friends and everyone I go to school with cheering me on.”
In addition to the crowds, Spillane also says he enjoys his teammates. “All the guys are great. They’re like my brothers. I’ve never once had a problem with any of them. We get close during the season which only improves our chemistry on the court.”
He was slightly nervous about being captain this year because of the responsibility and leadership it requires.
“I already know it’s more responsibility than I had last year. I’ve already had to make a bunch of group chats letting people know when open gym and practices are, and I feel like it’s my responsibility that people come to preseason and take it seriously. It’s hard because I don’t want the boys on the team to think I’m strict and annoying, but I also don’t want Coach to be mad if we don’t get the turnout that we should.”
According to Spillane, he isn’t all that worried about the coaches as everyone gets along very well. “The coaches are great people. Coach Byron is a players’ coach. He gives us freedom to do our thing on the court and isn’t a complete drill sergeant… most of the time anyways!”
Spillane says that although Coach Byron and the other coaches are outstanding people that care about their players, if one person doesn’t have the grades to play on the team, that person won’t play.
“Grades are the most important thing. I know it, Bryon knows it, the coaches know it, and every guy on the team knows it too. It’s hard because basketball takes up almost all of my free time, but schoolwork always comes first.”
Spillane usually does well in maintaining decent grades, but he says his social life is the one that takes the big hit during basketball season.
“It’s hard going from fall where I don’t play a sport to basketball because I get to spend a lot of time with my friends in the fall and I get to just chill. It’s not anything like that in the winter.”
Sometimes Spillane feels like he misses out on things.
“Games are usually on Fridays, practices are everyday, and we have pasta dinners sometimes at night too. I don’t always get to chill with my friends as much as I’d like to in the winter.”
However, he’s willing to give it all up for basketball as he explains, “But hey, that’s the price you have to pay. It’s a very small sacrifice for getting to play the sport I love. It’s never done me wrong once, no injuries, no disappointments, nothing but good memories since first grade. I owe everything to it.”
Basketball is such a huge part of his life. It’s made him into a person that is unselfish, a team player, and someone that people can be proud of, especially his dad. “My dad is my role model,” Spillane says. “He’s pushed me to be the best person and best basketball player I can be. He played basketball all throughout his childhood and even when he was a young adult so he knows the game really well, which helps a lot. He just wants me to succeed and reach my full potential, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without him.” With his dad’s help, Spillane wants to accomplish what his father never got to do: play college basketball.
With his top college choices being University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of New Hampshire, and Ithaca College, Spillane has his sights set on Ithaca for basketball. He says, “I would love to play at Ithaca, I just hope I have the grades to get in. I’ve talked to and met with the coaches there and it seems like a great environment. If I get in I’ll play there.”
Spillane used to play many sports when he was younger such as basketball, baseball, football, and soccer. He could’ve chose any one of them to continue with, but he chose basketball.
“What can I say?” Spillane asked. “It’s given me everything and I’ve given it everything. I love the game. Always have and always will.”