Every winter, the brotherhood is humorously disrupted at Malvern by the competitiveness of CYO basketball.
Drawing students back to their respective middle school or parish roots, the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball season is one of the most intense couple of months throughout the school year for Malvern Prep students.
The teams represent different parishes or Catholic schools and are split into different regions based on location.
Any student who is a member of the team’s Church is allowed to play as long as they do not participate on their respective high school basketball teams.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The games allow you to reopen some of the middle school rivalries you had as well as compete for a year’s worth of bragging rights among your fellow Malvern classmates.[/perfectpullquote]
“I really like how everyone is allowed to play and that there are no cuts,” junior Garrett Reilly, from St. Agnes, said. “It makes it a lot less stressful and more fun than playing for a high school team.”
Usually, students participate in CYO to have a good time with their friends from middle school and to catch a bit of a break from their rigorous schedules.
Junior Quinn McCahon played varsity basketball at Malvern his freshman and sophomore years but decided to join his St. Pat’s CYO team this year instead.
“Since I already play football and lacrosse for Malvern, I wanted to be able to have some time off during the Winter, but I still wanted to play basketball,” McCahon said.
The games allow you to reopen some of the middle school rivalries you had as well as compete for a year’s worth of bragging rights among your fellow Malvern classmates.
“One of my favorite parts about playing CYO is going to school the days before a big game against someone else in my class or coming back to school the day after beating another team and being able to brag about it,” sophomore Sean Rushton said.
After the regular season, the top two teams from each region in the entire Archdiocese of Philadelphia compete against each other to find out who the best CYO team in the city is.
“Last year, my team made it to the final four of the Philadelphia Archdiocese tournament,” junior Liam McKnight said. “It was a lot of fun to keep playing and it almost seemed like we were in the NCAA March Madness tournament.”
These are the months when the brotherhood gets tested. It’s win or go home, do or die, and the intensity on Warren Ave is palpable.
“Since the Fall and Spring can usually be very busy for many students who play sports and do other activities at Malvern. CYO basketball provides the perfect break from everything and just have fun,” McKnight said.
Through this thick cloud of fierce banter, a stronger bond is formed between Malvern students. CYO basketball is one of the only times a year students are able to compete against each other in a fun yet often times aggressive way.
