CENTERVILLE, Ohio — The Centerville Elks boys basketball team is riding an incredible 44-game win streak, including last year’s Division I state championship. Something the Elks look to continue this weekend with a win over St. Ignatius in the OHSAA Division I semifinals.
“Just try to push and challenge them every day in practice to try to kind of continue to improve,” Cupps said. “They’ve done a good job of embracing that.”
Seeking back-to-back state titles for the first time in school history, Cupps said there are a lot of reasons the team has been performing so well.
Cupps said unsung heroes, Emmanuel Deng and Ryan Keifer, are two the biggest reasons.
Both are starters who pride themselves on defense.
“How I think about it, if I can do my role, lockdown everybody on defense then Gabe, Tom, Rich, Quinn, less tired on offense,” Deng said. “Just helps the game flow better.”
Deng is a guard, and arguably one of the best wing defenders on the team and in the state. He is also a highly recruited football player that plays cornerback — so he’s used to locking guys down.
Keifer plays center, but also runs track and plays football as well. Keifer said the team’s conditioning is top level, something they work on year-round. The hard work allows them to follow their team mantra.
“Our motto is Chop Wood, and that carries over into our practices,” Keifer said. “Every play we go as hard as we can, and hopefully that translates to our games. And we don't take playing off in games. When teams get tired in the fourth quarter, we keep choppin'."
Cupps said it’s easy for the media and fans to be enamored with scoring, but that’s not the key to winning.
“That is not what makes really good teams,” Cupps said. “What makes really good teams are guys like Eman and Keef that put their ego aside and just do whatever the team needs.”
Keifer, Deng and Cupps all say the streak really isn’t on the team’s mind, but they hope they can wrap the year up the right way for the seniors.
“For me personally, just make the most out of every moment and leave a legacy for those who are coming behind us,” Keifer said.
The Elks want to stay focused on the semifinal contest against St. Ignatius this Saturday, but Cupps knows he has a special group of guys.
“We wanna love 'em right now, make sure they understand how much we love 'em, and love each other,” Cupps said. “And make sure we keep that in focus for us.”