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It’s a unique team in several ways. The boys basketball squad at Prince Edward Middle School went undefeated in the regular season, going 12-0. Now they have a rare opportunity, a chance to win their third conference championship in a row. Making this more impressive is the fact until this year, only four kids on the team had ever played middle school basketball before. 

“It’s an accomplishment for them to be proud of,” said Coach Louis Gould III. “Since November they have grown, buying into what we want them to do on and off the court. We have a lot of youth league kids, a team full of first-time middle school players. There’s only four kids that have ever played middle school ball and only one that’s been with us going on three years now.” 

He’s referring to starter Jaylin Boyd, who has been with the team through two conference championships and now as a third year player and starter, he’s working on title number three. 

Every team member also has to follow Coach Gould’s rule. This isn’t a case where students can skip class and still play ball. In order to perform on the court, you have to perform in the classroom. And that’s exactly what happened for the players at Prince Edward Middle School. To be a part of the basketball team, they had to not just earn it in practice, but they had to show up and do the work in class. But that didn’t come as a surprise to any of them. Despite not having played in middle school before, they knew what to expect, because they’ve all played at some point for Gould in youth league. 

“Every player has been coached by me at a time in their life, either in rec league basketball or another sport,” Gould said. “I think that’s part of what makes it gel. Kids know me, they know what product we want to put out.” 

Building from the ground up 

They may not have experienced a middle school practice before, Gould said, but the kids knew that he cares, that he respects them and they respect him in turn. He doesn’t approach it with a “win, win, win” mindset. Instead, Gould goes into a season, regardless of the sport, wanting to see players grow. 

“Don’t get me wrong, we want to win, but the expectation is never winning,” Gould said. “We can win and still be a bad team. We want wins but that’s not the first priority. The first priority is to see growth every game. Teams that win just going through the motions don’t win in pressure moments because they didn’t grow, they didn’t improve throughout the season.” 

You can’t build a team for the playoffs or help kids prepare for life’s situations, by helping them avoid the pressure. Instead, the goal is to learn to improve, learn to develop through those situations. 

“If you have growth and they buy into the system, the winning will come,” Gould said. “It’s like a package deal.” 

This year’s team consists of Jadai Green, Javonte Holmes, Jazir Peterson, Jaylin Boyd, Avan Carrington, Silas Perkins, Mike Malone, Cam Walker, Jazil Lyles, Dashar Gordon, Dreion Wright, AJ Spragues, Jamir Johnson, Daitwaine Cordell and Kingston Thompson. Each one having earned their spot on and off the court. 

Prince Edward Middle team wins in classroom

The thing about sports, Gould said, is that sometimes it helps students apply themselves in the classroom. For some kids that otherwise might not care as much about their final grade, knowing their spot on the basketball court depends on trying their best in the classroom makes a difference. 

“All of them, they knew they couldn’t play with bad grades, that’s not how we do,” Gould said. “We had kids scrambling, working to get those grades up. They definitely showed they wanted to be part of the program, by the effort they put in.”  

The team didn’t lose a single player to bad grades. For most, Gould said, they just accepted it as another part of practice. In order to be a good player, they had to be good students. 

“They did everything possible to get where they are now, being disciplined, showing out not just in practice but in the classroom. They pushed themselves every day.” 

So what happens next? 

Now comes the playoffs, which starts Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Prince Edward is the one seed, so they get to host the opening game. Then if they win, the season goes on to Saturday, where the semi-finals will be played at a neutral site. And if they win at that point, it’s time for the championship on Feb. 11, at a currently undetermined location. It’s hard to win one title, let alone two. But now, Prince Edward has the chance for a three-peat. 

 “The boys want to get that third one, they’re really pushing,” Gould said. “On and off the court, they’re really locked in.”