For Brophy Prep. it all started the freshman season for the class of 2018. They stepped on the court as teammates, and by their senior year they walked off in tears, as brothers.

“Those guys are my brothers and to think that I won’t be playing another game with all these guys is honestly pretty heartbreaking,” said Ian Burke.

Burke, along with fellow seniors Jaxson Baker, Ben Paul, Colin Besh, Xavier Juniel and Christian Kirkland, put the finishing touches on Brophy’s best season in history, going 24-1 before losing in the state semifinal game to Mountain Pointe.

A change before their sophomore year kick started a turnaround in the l program. Matt Hooten was promoted from his position as junior varsity head coach to lead the varsity.

Hooten came in with an emphasis on culture and expectations to a team that came off a 17-9 season that ended in disappointment. “We continued our weightlifting and skill development into the spring, we felt like we were falling behind other schools that were continuing to do that, and then our players weren’t developing as quickly.”

Developing the players strength and skill was not the only expectation Hooten implemented. He expected the players to interact with each other and to align to the overall mission of the school.

That mission? To motivate and develop young men. As Hooten puts it, “Not just as students or athletes but as people. Our legacy is going to be the quality of the young men that we graduate from our program.”

Brophy Prep will graduate those six this year, including four starters. The group also includes two Division I players, who will continue their basketball careers at the next level in Baker and Burke.

They all came together on the freshman team. At the time Hooten was the junior varsity coach. Hooten said, “I always watched freshman games and practices because I knew I would be coaching those guys eventually.

“We didn’t pull up any freshman that year. Ian and Jaxson were able to play with their classmates, each one of them developed a role on that team.'' 

The next season was Hooten’s first as varsity coach. His team consisted of only three seniors and one junior who had played on the team the year before. Hooten pulled both Baker and Burke up to develop their skills on the varsity level.

That first team went 14-14.

“Our sophomore year we weren’t a very experienced team, which looking back on it was helpful for Jaxson and I. We got some serious minutes on that team,” said Burke.

With their two star players on the varsity team, the junior varsity talent developed on their own.

Hooten said, “Guys who were playing a more supportive role on the freshman team were able to step up and play a bigger role on the junior varsity team their sophomore year. That gave them great experience.”

The next year, Hooten’s second, the teammates reunited on the varsity team. With high expectations from their coach and their roles clearly defined, the team earned a record of 19-8, thanks to large contributions from the then juniors.

“Ian and Jaxson were definitely the leaders and scorers for that group. Colin (Besh), Ben (Paul) and X (Xavier Juniel) were for the most part coming off the bench for us,” said Hooten. “I think the time they spent together their freshman year, and then the time they spent apart their sophomore year played a huge role in that success.”

The Broncos earned a trip to the playoffs that year, but were knocked out by Desert Vista.

The loss did not go over well for the upcoming senior class.

Baker said, “I remember the day after we lost in the playoffs we had seventh period training. With us being the new leaders, Ian and I and all the seniors really took advantage of that and said we’re going to start right here, right now, from the first day and build.”

Taking advantage may be an understatement, Brophy’s strength and conditioning coordinator Joe Denk said. “They put so much time into basketball, and not just practice. They had a dedication to the weight room, they’d come in during their free periods and roll out and do flexibility stuff.”

Denk noticed the hard work these players put in for their senior season, and sent a message to the group before the season started.

Of the email, Denk said, “It was basically just, ‘You’ve worked too hard and done too many great things to get to this point and be rattled by any sort of pressure, or feel inferior to anyone. Every moment you’re out on the court lay it all out there.’”

Burke felt the email was validation of the work he and his teammates had done and proof of what more they could accomplish. “I remember (Denk) sent all the seniors an email, and this was before the season started, before we won any games. I remember that sticking in my mind.”

Feeling confident and motivated, Brophy rattled off 12 straight wins to begin the season, in large part due to their senior leadership.

Hooten said, “They were able to lead as a group, they really had a tremendous sense of chemistry and rapport. There was no jealousy, there was a clear understanding of the skill sets and strengths that each one of them brought and they could fuse those strengths together in the best way that they could help the team.”

Brophy finished its regular season with a record of 24-1, earning the Broncos the top seed in the playoffs as well as the No. 1 ranking in their home state of Arizona.

The season, however, was by no means a cakewalk. The Broncos had been involved in many close games, many of which came down to the fourth quarter, three ending in overtime.

Through those tense times they stayed together and persisted as a team, always believing in each other and their coach.

Baker said, “Coach Hooten is the best of them when it comes to being poised and always being confident in us and us being confident in him.”

Hooten added, “In those moments of adversity I want our guys to be calm and see things clearly. I want them to be able to look at each other and look at me and know that we are going to persevere in the face of a challenge.”

The team finished the regular season 9-0 in games decided by five points or less.

Brophy rolled into the playoffs with confidence after their season, believing they could beat anyone. They won their first two games by a combined 29 points to send them into the state semifinals against Mountain Pointe.

In an emotional game, the Broncos season came to an end in a 62-58 loss that came down to the wire. 

Although tears were shed, the player’s heads were held high, recognizing the accomplishments they had made as a team.

Hooten believes the tears came from more than the sting of defeat. “The hardest part wasn’t when we lost or who we lost to, it was just that the season was over. I loved coaching this team.”

Baker added; “What’s so great about our season is we can look back on so many great memories, not only on the court but off the court. Even though we didn’t reach our goal, we can still be more happy than sad because of all the good times we had as a team.”

Although they did not reach their goal of winning a state championship, Brophy’s seniors can rejoice in the fact that they played hard and stuck together through the inevitable ups and downs of a season, and that they made memories that will last a lifetime.

Burke said, “It was the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball, and I have fun playing basketball every single day.”