After making the elite eight in last year’s state tournament, the Westminster boys varsity basketball team had high expectations for this season. The team is currently 21-4 going into the state tournament. With two players going to play in college next year, seniors Zade Elshihabi and Nico Searl, and a team built with many seniors, this team has achieved notable success this season due to the significant team camaraderie under head coach Matt Hixenbaugh.
This season has been one of the most successful of all time. The team won 16 games in a row before unfortunately losing to Kell at home on January 16. However the team got revenge, beating Kell two more times, once at Kell, and once in the semi-finals of the regional tournament. The Cats also had a strong win beating their rivals, the Lovett Lions, at Lovett in a close game that started out in favor of the Lions but ultimately ended in a win for the Cats.
Hixenbaugh and Elshihabi both believe the team camaraderie off the court has led them to their success. Over the summer, the team traveled to Spain to play a few professional teams. The team visited Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga, and Mijas. Coach Hix and Elshihabi vividly remember the team buffets as a key memory from the trip.
Hixenbaugh has been in his position for three years and has been a crucial part of the team’s success, having only four losses so far in the season. He says Elshihabi and Searl have stepped up into crucial roles for the team. Elshihabi and Hixenbaugh both agree that the Westminster student body plays a major role in the team’s success. Hixenbaugh’s favorite part about the season is not a specific moment on the court or winning a game; it was being able to see players grow over the season and getting to spend as much time as possible with the team. Hixenbaugh loved going on the trip over the summer to Spain, and a trip to Asheville, NC, over winter break really helped the team experience what it is like to play in college. On a day-to-day basis they do a lot of inter-squad scrimmage, lift weights, and watch film with the team.
Senior Zade Elshihabi is very excited to be playing at Washington and Lee (WNL) next year. Elshihabi said he began seriously considering college basketball during his sophomore year. “10th grade is when I really started thinking about the fact that I know I have the ability to play in college. Let’s just see where the best fit is,” he says. He is ecstatic to be playing at the next level with new talented players. He has goals of becoming an All-American and wants to bring WNL to the top 15. Everyone at the Westminster basketball team is hoping he can be a star in college.
The Wildcats head into the 1st round against Locust Grove at home at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, February 25.