Kawhi
Leanord always strives to make every play perfect, and never gives up on any
dream, especially basketball. He took
his talents to Martin Luther King High School. During high school, his
motivation to succeed grew when he found out that his dad had been killed. Every
play that he ran could always be better, and he took the time and the effort to
redo each play. Kawhi shows everyone a great amount of respect, and always
keeps his teammates going. The determination and hard work allowed Kawhi to
play for San Diego State University. He entered the NBA when he was traded to the
San Antonio Spurs with the 15th pick in the 1st round during the 2011 draft.
Kawhi
Leanord had very few expectations going into his rookie season with the San Antonio
Spurs. Many veterans were on the team such as Tim Duncan, a future hall of
famer, and Boris Diaw, one of the best passers in the NBA. His only goals were to improve his defensive
skills, but more importantly his offensive capabilities. Everyone knew about
his great vertical and his ability to lock down defenders, but his shooting was
very poor. He had the opportunity of a lifetime to improve his game over time
because there were so many great players on the team. Tim Duncan could teach
his how to play better defense, while Manu and Tony could help him on his offensive game.
Both of these players know how to score into the paint, but more importantly
shoot threes and twos. This was key in Kawhi's development because this was the
first time he was surrounded by a number of skilled players on the team. Kawhi
learned from the best and hoped to showcase his improvements in the upcoming seasons.
Kawhi
Leneard waits for his opportunity to come as he sits on the bench throughout
the entire season 2013-2014 season. He learned from great players such as Manu
Ginobili and Tony Parker who taught him how to control emotions on the court. After
practice puts extra time in the gym and the weight room to become a stronger and
better basketball player. On the court players saw him practicing extra
shooting ,and the field goal percentage increased throughout the entire season.
All of his teammates see a great player, and also a quick learner. Every play
that is made can be analyzed by him, and he waits patiently for his chance to
shine. His chance to shine started during the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Every round he gets better and better, and gained a lot of confidence with his
skills. The pinnacle of becoming a star player in the NBA was during the NBA
finals when they faced the Miami Heat for the second straight year. The look in
his eyes to get revenge was a joy to see.
Kawhi
Leneard looked great against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and was ready to become
a superstar in the NBA finals. With each performance his confidence grew
greatly and used each one as a stepping stone. In the first game he ended up
for 22 points and went 3-4 for shooting threes. He was never a good 3 point
shooter in his early career, but the practice over the years is finally paying
off. This was an amazing game from him. No one expected the transformation to
happen so quick, but he showed great character with his game. No one could stop
him from scoring, and finished game two with 20 points while going 1-3 from
three. This was another fantastic performance from him, and gained five extra
minutes of playing time during game two. Game three was the best game for
Kawhi, and he finished with 29 points while going 3-6 from three. With each performance,
Kawhi's character reflected an amazing amount of joy, and deep appreciation for
everyone around him. Even though he only scored nine points in each of the last
two games, everyone knew who he was. He was the best defender in the game, and
became a monster of the offensive side. By a large margin he gained the
ultimate prize by winning the MVP of the NBA finals. As he was handing his MVP
trophy, he hugged his mother, and gave his teammates and fans all the love they
deserve. Not only does Kawhi have one of the best basketball IQ's, he shows how
hard work and dedication can give others hope of achieving their dream.
Kevin O’Leary led the Norton Boys
Track team to third place at the TVL Championship on May 22, 2014, and led with
an a league leading throw in javelin. The Boys Track Team were in very high
spirits going into this meet. Each and every one of them wanted to win it all
for the 2nd straight year. Coach Tayler was very excited to get this
meet going since they had won the Massachusetts Division 4 State Relays only a
few days ago. They wanted to continue to show their dominance over every other
team in the league. Every person on the team showed a great amount of courage
running on the track. With all of the
injuries and illnesses to the team, the team gave it all they got, and did
everything that they possibly could.
Many seniors left their mark on the
league during the last regular season meet for Norton High School. Kevin
O’Leary continued his amazing season in javelin with a throw of 176’ 6”. This
made him the TVL Champion in this event, and left his mark of greatness on this
special event. Paul Schleicher had a huge day in discus. He threw the discus
138’ 1”, and came very close to beating the school record. It is only a matter
of time before Paul beats the old school record, and shows what hard work can
do. Joshua Kelleher was put into the triple jump during the meet. He did very
well with a jump of 41’ 3.50”. This jump placed Josh as second in this event.
Zach Sicard did two events during the meet. He was in the triple jump and the
long jump. He placed both in each event, and had great jumps. In the triple
jump, he placed in third with a leap of 41’ 2”. In the long jump, he placed
sixth with a jump of 19’ 0.5”. Max Marcotte placed fourth in the 800 with a
time of 2:01.31. Brandon Durocher placed fourth in the high jump with a jump of
5’ 10”. All of the seniors put in a great showing at the meet, and look forward
to what’s next in their lives.
Many of the underclassmen and
upperclassmen also placed during the meet. Joey Annand is one of the best
freshmen at running the mile. He continued his dominance in the mile by winning
this event with a time of 4:53.56. Mike Tierney placed in two events which were
high jump and the 400 meters. In high jump, he jumped 5’ 10”, and in the 400
meters he ran a 53.93. He came in third in the high jump, and fifth in the 400
meters. Justin Ireland competed in the long jump and the 200 meters at this
meet. He came in third in the long jump with a personal best of 19’ 5”. He also
came in fourth in the 200 meters with a 23.75. As the meet went on, both of the
relay teams placed third overall. The 4x100 consisted of Zach Sicard, Justin
Ireland, Adam Winairz, and Camden Cleathero. All of them ran for a combined
total of 45.86. The 4x400 consisted of Max
Marcotte, Sean Cappellini, Parker Cleathero, and Chris
Wrenn with a time of 3:42.14. Chris Wrenn continued his success in the 400
meters by placing sixth with a time of 53.96. Adam Winairz also continued his
success in the 200 meters by placing sixth with a time of 23.80. Everyone in
this meet contributed greatly, and gave it all that they had.
Coach Tayler always wants to win a
TVL Championship, but fell short of this goal at this meet. Even though the
team didn’t win, he was ecstatic about the way Norton perceived through all of
the injuries and the illnesses. Norton showed a great amount of pride, and was
a role model of how teams should act. He was very happy with the amount of
effort that each athlete put into this meet. Many of the athletes felt like
they put everything they had into this meet, and showed a great amount of pride
in representing Norton. Coach Tayler could not have asked for a better group of
students to coach. Every senior on the team will be missed next year. The Norton
Boys Track Team have ended their regular season, and will start their
postseason at Durfee High School on May 31st to compete for the
Division 4 State Championships.
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