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Trinity Catholic basketball coach Mike Walsh will make his 11th trip to the state basketball finals since 1995 when the Crusaders meet top-seeded Career Magnet on Saturday at Mohegan Sun. This trip, however, might be the veteran coach's most rewarding.
Trinity (17-9) meets Career at 11:30 a.m. in the Class M championship game after few people gave the Crusaders a chance at being there. The 18th-seeded Crusaders were 12-8 in the regular season and needed to win their final game to even make the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference playoffs. Trinity started out 0-3, and stood at 2-5 after losing to Brien McMahon on Jan. 10.
"Without question, this has been one of the most rewarding seasons,'' said Walsh, who has won four state titles, the last in 2004. "When you have a team that overachieves, it's a gratifying thing."
Trinity won six straight games after the loss to McMahon. That streak coincided with the return of junior Kevin Lemuene, who missed several games with an injury. "He gave us another three-point shooter, and since he came back he's been our second leading rebounder,'' Walsh said.
The other turning point for Trinity came Feb. 14 when the Crusaders went up to Ridgefield and routed the Tigers, 75-57. That was only the second loss of the season for Ridgefield. "I think that really gave us some confidence,'' Walsh said.
Since then, Trinity has shown it can play with the elite. It knocked off No. 1 seed St. Joseph, which is playing for the Class LL championship Saturday, in the first round of the FCIAC Tournament. Itbattled eventual league champ Bassick before falling in the FCIAC semifinals. The Crusaders have been road warriors in the playoffs, beating all of its opponents in enemy gyms. It defeated No. 15 Brookfield, No. 10 Bethel and No. 2 Nonnewaug on the higher seeds' home courts. It reached the final by defeating Notre Dame of Fairfield, 62-59, in overtime at neutral site Masuk.
Senior guard Jonathan Boykin, who has been part of Trinity teams that have made deep playoff runs in the past, has been Trinity's leader. "He's really been the glue,'' Walsh said of the Norwalk resident. "And (sophomore) Schadrac Casimir has improved as much as anybody over the course of the season."
Casimir, a point guard, seems impervious to pressure. He drilled the game-tying shot to force overtime against Notre Dame and scored a career-high 30 in the loss to Bassick in the FCIAC semis. The Crusaders have also gotten a boost from 7-foot, 1-inch freshman Pascal Chidiebere Chukwu in limited time during the playoffs.
Trinity has lost its last two title games by a combined five points. It lost to Crosby, 56-54, in 2005 and in 2008 to the Waterbury team, 82-79. Maybe it's time the Crusaders win a close one this time. "This might be the best team in the state,'' Walsh said. "It's going to be a challenge."
The Crusaders have met challenges all season. It seems fitting that the final one comes when the stakes are highest.
Do you plan to attend Trinity's basketball game Saturday? How do you think they will fare? Start the discussion below!
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