The St. X Tigers are working to accomplish something for the first time since 1962: a state title. Their unprecedented season, including the LIT Championship, is no coincidence, however. St. X’s success stems from team chemistry. The team has built chemistry spending time together through volunteering, off-court meals, a trip to St. Petersburg, and grueling multi-hour bus rides. Currently, the Tigers are on top of the region and have an inside track to Rupp Arena.
This team carries the weight of the entire school and has cultivated an identity to guide them on their path to Lexington…
Tough, Nasty, and Aggressive (TNA) are the three team core values. The team follows the acronym to achieve their goal of a state championship.
“The most important thing I can do on the court is to flat out play as hard as I can every play,” junior Graham Krezmien said. “Coach Glaser has a saying where he says that if two teams are in a close game, that one that blinks loses. That’s what I think about every time I’m on the court is to try and not be the one that blinks.”
The Tigers exemplify TNA by playing tough and aggressive for the entirety of the game, which leads into the second team mantra.
8432, which stands for the length of the court (84 feet) and of the game (32 minutes).
“The whole team really exemplifies it every day,” senior Trevor Schubert said. “We practice how we play and never take days off. As a team, our goal is to play up against the other team and defend 84 feet for 32 minutes. We worked on it all summer and offseason; it has showed off in our games. We are not finished and we all have bigger goals of going to Rupp and ultimately putting a number up on the basketball banner.”
The Tigers’ identity of never giving in have been displayed throughout the season. Against Ballard, St. X trailed by as many as 15 late in the 3rd Quarter, but came back to win. “We got hit in the mouth… but we kept the faith and fought the good fight,” said Coach Klein post-game.
The Tigers have been hit in the mouth all year long, but haven’t heard a bell just yet.
