2019-2020 Season

2019-2020 – Season Summary

The 2019-2020 varsity basketball team was composed of five seniors (Jesus Botiller, Arnold Dates, Joe Feeney, Basil Ribakare, and Zach Williams), four juniors (Roosevelt Bryant IV, Desi Burrage, Quentin Cibulka, and Kayden Davis), three sophomores (Patrick Chew, JP Musselmann, and Miles Nash) and one freshman (Arman Madi). With a third of the roster made up of underclassmen, this was the youngest Brophy basketball team in recent years.

After enduring two tough home losses (by a combined six points) as well as a road loss to Desert Vista (the eventual state champion), Brophy headed out of state to participate in the 46^th Annual Father Barry Classic hosted by Jesuit High School in Sacramento, CA. The Broncos secured their first win of the year by defeating Garces Memorial (Bakersfield, CA) in the first round, and then beat the host school, Jesuit, in a terrific back-and-forth semifinal 40-38. In the championship, Brophy found itself down by sixteen points to Northern California powerhouse Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, CA) at halftime. In the third quarter, however, the Broncos outscored Mitty 21-7 behind a flurry of made shots and tenacious defense to cut the deficit to two points. While Mitty was able to hold off Brophy in the fourth quarter, the game gave the Broncos some good momentum to build on when they returned to Phoenix. Seniors Joe Feeney and Basil Ribakare were named to the All-Tournament team.

The new year began with three victories, one loss, and then an eight game winning streak that included an impressive six straight wins against Premier Region opponents. Two keys to that turnaround were the return of sophomore Patrick Chew to the lineup, and the balanced offensive attack that developed over these three weeks. Over that time period, seven different Brophy players (Desi Burrage, Patrick Chew, Quentin Cibulka, Arnold Dates, Kayden Davis, Joe Feeney, and Miles Nash) scored in double figures, which made it difficult for teams to prepare to shut down one or two players. Despite losing the last game of the regular season to Hamilton, Brophy wrapped up Premier Region play with a 6-2 overall record and secured the Premier Region title for the second time in three years. A standout victory during that streak came against rival Perry in the 2020 Hoopcoming game on January 31^st. In front of a raucous crowd in Robson Gymnasium, Brophy held off Perry 57-52.

Brophy wrapped up one of the most difficult schedules in the state with a 17-8 record and a #5 ranking going into the 6A state playoffs. That regular season finish gave them a first round bye in the state playoffs for the fourth year in a row. In their opening tournament game, BCP once again squared off against Perry at home. After trailing for the entire game, Brophy clawed back to take a one point lead with two minutes to play in regulation following two free throws from Patrick Chew. Unfortunately, Perry was able to secure an offensive rebound and a put back to go back up by one, and Brophy’s attempts at a game winner were unsuccessful. The Broncos finished the season with a 17-19 overall and the Premier Region championship.

The entire coaching staff would like to thank all of the 2019-2020 Brophy basketball players and families for their hard work, dedication, and support, particularly the five seniors. The Class of 2020 continued the streak of Brophy earning a top eight seed for the playoffs. Also, special congratulations are extended to Premier Region 1^st Team selections Desi Burrage (‘21) and Arnold Dates (’20), Premier Region 2^nd Team selections Patrick Chew (’22), Joe Feeney (’20), and Miles Nash (‘22), and Premier Region Honorable Mention selections Kayden Davis (’21) and Basil Ribakare (‘20).