A Farewell To The Seniors By Grayson McClure
This is a bittersweet to write. Sweet for the fact that we are able to celebrate 7 amazing seniors that have all played a major role in my life, as well as countless others. Bitter because we have watched all the seniors play their last basketball game as a Sulphur Springs Wildcat.
I’ve had the privilege to know each of the seniors personally for many years. I remember Branson Lynn being 4-5 years old running around Coleman Park intrigued with all sports and then becoming one of the best three-point shooters to come through Sulphur Springs and be the player I wish I could’ve been in high school. I watched Kordrick Turner as elementary kid play his heart on the court and growing into one of the most dominant bigs in the state of Texas. I watched Parker Whisenhunt be the new, fast kid on the court in Sulphur Springs to one of the most thrilling players to watch in the Sulphur Springs Gymnasium. I watched Cole Theofiledes be a B-Team player in middle school to an extremely valuable role player for a Regional Semifinalist and one of the hardest workers I know. I witnessed Gavin White be the goofy young kid who lit up a room everywhere he went to being one of the best teammates any coach could ask for. I observed Malachi Myles be a player who rarely took any shots to one of the scariest players on the court on both ends of the floor. Finally, I witnessed Sam Kopal make an impact on my life and then make an impact on the town of Sulphur Springs.
As Wildcat fans, we witnessed history throughout the season. The Wildcats broke the record for most points in a game with 104 on November 18th, 2023. The 2022-2023 SS Wildcats also now hold the records for most wins in a season with 31 including an undefeated district season. They reached regionals for the second time in 5 years. And of course, several players broke school records which we’ll get into later.
For this article, I decided to write a segment on each of the seniors with not only my own thoughts, but Coach Shaver’s as well. Coach Shaver, who is in second season as the Sulphur Springs Wildcats Head Basketball Coach, expressed his thoughts, pride, and gratitude for each of the seniors. After Shaver had his most successful as a head coach, he gives all the credit to his players, especially this group of seniors.
Branson Lynn
Branson Lynn cemented himself this season as one of the greatest shooters and point guards in Sulphur Springs history. Lynn not only finished with 20 games of 10+ points in the regular season, he finished 2nd in most three-pointers in the regular season at 82.
When talking to Coach Shaver, he expressed to me that Lynn was the definition of a leader. He was the team’s leader on and off the floor because of how he carried himself. His IQ and understanding of the game was on another level. So much so, that Shaver stated, “He’s the type of guy that you can trust him with the ball no matter what.”
When most players go home after practice or games, Branson kept working on his shot. Whether it was a good game or bad game. He desires to get better. That’s what is leading him to being a collegiate athlete. His confidence was admirable. His work ethic is inspiring. His will to win was like no other. His game was incredible. “He’s a reflection of our team” stated Shaver, “Resilient, hard-working, determined, he’s all you can ask for. He’s a kid you don’t need to worry about because you know no matter the situation, he’s going to work hard on the court and in life.”
Cole Theofiledes
Many high school players struggle with not being a “lead scorer” or a guy with the ball in his hands at all times. Not Cole Theofiledes. Theofiledes was satisfied whether he scored 0 points or 20 points. All Cole wanted to do was help the Wildcats win games. That he did. After a rough start to the season, Cole consistently improved at all aspects in his game. Coach Shaver confidently believes Theofiledes was the “most improved player throughout the duration of the season.”
He spoke to us at Chad’s Media after the round 2 playoff game about how going into the season, he knew he had to excel in his role. He took charges. He got rebounds. He played defense. He kept the offense in motion. Coach Shaver could not agree more. Shaver expressed to me that “he not only understood his role, but he also exceled in his role.” He did what he was asked to do and much more. He surprisingly became the most vocal player on the team. When adversity hit, Theofiledes was there to encourage his teammates. On the defensive end, you could count on Cole to consistently communicate with his teammates. That’s what made he such a valuable starter. He truly bought into the senior/leadership role.
Gavin White
Gavin White is certainly one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. While saying that, he’s one of the lovable people as well. He stays true to who he is no matter the cost. He does not let outside factors effect who he is. He walks like he wants to. He talks like he wants to. He dresses like he wants to. He carries himself the way he wants to. That’s why he’s such a great guy to have on your team.
Gavin was unable to see many minutes on the court this season, but he was okay with that. Before the season, Gavin White told Coach Shaver, “I don’t care if I play, just always put me up against Kordrick in practice. If I can make him better, I want to guard him”. Shaver claims that “Gavin just wanted to help make the team better no matter the cost.”
During the playoffs, many teams will watch film while the practice squad stays on the court to learn the other team’s plays to prepare the Varsity team. Gavin White expressed to Shaver that he wanted to learn the other team’s plays so he could effectively run their plays against Kordrick. He wanted to push Kordrick rather than replace him.
When a block happened, he was the first one off the bench. When a three-pointer was shot, he was the first one to hold up a three. When a dunk, he was the first one up going wild. When a timeout was called, he was the first one high-fiving his teammates. When something was asked of him, he did it. That’s what made Gavin White a special senior on this team and one of the best teammates any coach or player could ask for.
Kordrick Turner
The Shaq of high school basketball. Kordrick found himself doing what he wanted on the court in such an efficient manner. “He’s a beast” coach Shaver stated “He has big body, light on his footwork, incredible feet work, great vision, he has it all.”
He broke the all-time regular season points record with 555 with ease. He broke the record for the most games with 10+ points doing it 30 times this season. He finished 2nd behind SFA’s Sadadriene Hall with 337 total rebounds on the season. Turner was a double-double machine finish 4th in double-doubles in a regular season.
Not only was he a great player, he was a great leader in practice Shaver claimed. “He knows when it’s time to lock in and he knows when it’s time to have fun and that’s what makes him so fun to coach.” After playing with Kordrick for a year and covering him for two years, I couldn’t agree more. Not only were you going to witness domination night in and night out from Kordrick Turner, you were going to see it happen with a smile on his face as well.
Malachi Myles
If you watched any of Chad’s Media live broadcasts of the Sulphur Springs Wildcats this season, you know how much Tyler and I loved watching Malachi Myles. He’s 6’2 but plays like 6’8. “He’s a silent assassin,” Shaver stated, “He doesn’t say two word but he’s a beast on the floor.”
During the season, Theofiledes and Lynn were both injured for a few games which led Shaver to some worry about how to replace those guys. Malachi stepped up and unleashed another side of them. He was usually the guy to all the dirty work for the team but not show up much on the box score. However, he started game logs with 15 points, 22 points, 18 points, etc. He did it all in an efficient manner as well. Nothing forced. Shaver stated that “Over these past two years, I haven’t seen anyone improve as much as Malachi has.” His scoring ability got better. His defense got even better than it was. His rebounding ability took another jump. His decision-making improved drastically. He’s just got better at the game of basketball.
Malachi’s biggest role of the past couple of years was that he was going to guard the best player whether he 5’8 or 6’8. He was fine with that. In fact, he loved it. Shaver confidently stated that Malachi is “He’s one of most unselfish people I’ve ever met” due to his willingness to do whatever was asked of him for the betterment of others.
Parker Whisenhunt
Whisenhunt was one of the most exciting players I’ve watched because of his aggressive defense. Yeah, he could score with the best of them, as he finished second in school history with most points in the regular season. Yeah, he could jump out of the gym. However, I loved him because he tried hard as hell on the defensive end to get steals and deflections to enable himself to get out in the open court.
The kid averaged 2 steals a game in the regular season which is spectacular. His speed with the ball was unlike any other. He would effortlessly score 16 points in a game just off fast break points alone. That’s what made him so hard to game plan against for other teams. He was just different. And if he was hitting the 3-point shot, well, Shaver said it best. “He’s unstoppable.”
Best of all, he’s a great person. If you’ve met Parker, you were introduced to his humility, kindness, and grace. He’s the type of player every coach and fanbase desire to have due to his attitude.
Sam Kopal
Before the regular season started, the Sulphur Springs Wildcats had a scrimmage in Mansfield. When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was the players’ warmup jerseys. On the back of the jerseys, it read, “#ForSam.” It brought tears to my eyes. I recognized this season as bigger than wins and losses. It was more than a trophy. It was for Sam.
Every year since I’ve graduated, I’ve cheered on specific players to break my record for most threes in a game. Sam Kopal would have been that player. Sam was the epitome of work ethic and determination. During my senior year and his freshman year, Sam asked me countless times to stay after school to work out with him, show him drills, shooting tips, etc. His curiosity and wonder are what made him such a special player. When he was asked to do something, he did it. When he was open, he shot it. And you knew it was going in. When his teammates did something worth celebrating, you bet he was celebrating. Most of all, he did it with a smile.
When Sam tragically passed away about 3 years ago, a quote of his spiraled around Sulphur Springs. “Today is great, and tomorrow will be even better.” If you knew Sam, you know that was him in a nutshell. A couple of years ago, my father and I were talking, and he was expressing how work, like many others, can get very stressful and hard some days. However, when he heard of Sam’s quote, it brought new perspective to his life. My dad is an HVAC Technician in which he meets new people every day. When his customers would ask the traditional question, “How are you?”, my father would give a not so traditional answer. He would reply, “Today is great, and tomorrow will be even better.” Each time he said it, he was met with a smile. Time goes on and he had returned to a customer that he serviced a few months prior. He walks in the door and asks the lady, “Hi, how are you?” She responded, “Today is great, and tomorrow will be even better.” In that moment, I realized Sam was not only inspiring a small town or basketball team, but he was impacting an entire region.
Although Shaver never coached Sam, he wanted him on this team. Before the season, Shaver sat down with all of the seniors to brainstorm as many ideas as possible to help recognize Sam and the impact he made on all of their lives. Some of these ideas included the name on the back up the warmup jerseys, including him on senior night, and no one wearing number 11 because that is the number he wore. Shaver explained to me that “As a dad looking at it, it’s awesome to see the impact someone’s son has had on so many lives so there was no question we were going to make this season for Sam.
A message to the seniors
While we are no longer be able to see the guys play with a Wildcat jersey on, the future is extremely bright for each of these young men. Some will be moving on to play at the next level in college and others will be pursuing their career in college. Their legacy will live on for many years as people are still talking about former teams and players. This is one of those teams we’ll continue to talk about.
As you get older, there’s going to be rough day. Some worse than others. That’s okay. Because at the end of the day, I’ve learned one thing to be true that I hope you carry with you as you go through college and your career. And that is, “Tomorrow will be even better.”
Submitted by: Grayson McClure