Troy Athens basketball turning corner toward success, finishes 11-10

TROY — Troy Athens has been the master of consistency with an 11-10 record the last two seasons, including this season, but the 2023 year also showcased improvement toward the future of the program.

After a league-deciding, one-point loss to Birmingham Seaholm March 2 dropped Troy Athens to third in the Oakland Activities Association-Blue, Athens dropped a crushing 61-60 loss to Sterling Heights Stevenson March 8 in the opening round of the state tournament.

“We were right there in it,” Athens coach David Scott said. “(Sterling Heights) Stevenson has a nice team, but we just waited a little too long to get going there; these things happen.”

Athens’ record doesn’t indicate improvement, but a deep dive into their season shows a team that tested their strengths and weaknesses every step of the way.

Opening the season 3-6 with losses to Okemos, Berkley, Royal Oak, South Lyon East and Troy, who combined for a record of 81-37, Athens had an early self-reflection for what kind of team they were going to be this season.

Winning seven straight following the drought, Athens was exactly the team they needed to be.

“Every team that starts off with a slow start, they start to get down on themselves a little bit; it’s human nature,” junior guard Emmanuel Robinson said. “I’m proud of our guys for not giving up. Our coach (David Scott), he set us up to play really good teams so we could be ready for league play.”

Robinson, who earned OAA-Blue all-League honors, was a bright spot for Athens this season as both a leader and offensive difference maker, and will look to be a key senior leader for Athens next season.

While Robinson will forefront the 2024 Athens squad, senior forward Brogan Withun, senior guard Kyree Harper, and senior guard Evan Colquhoun earned OAA-Blue all-League honors this season.

Withun, a 6-foot-7 mismatch in the frontcourt, was the offensive leader this season for Athens and will be a tough loss for Athens to retool.

“I think this year more than others, Brogan started to take on that responsibility of being a better player,” Scott said. “He wanted the ball more, and I think it was more important to him for our team to succeed, and I think he realized that if we were going to succeed, he was going to be a big part of it.”

Sophomore Sam Link, a 6-foot-4 forward, is slated to take over the starting center spot while junior Brayden Downey will look to continue from his successful 2023 campaign.

As Athens battled injuries all year, Downey was called on to man the starting lineup.

Scott said his improvement this season will be something to watch moving forward.

“Right when we got into that winning streak, he (Downey) started some games for us,” Scott said. “We had some guys out with injuries, and he stepped up and never really gave that job back.”

Continuity may have been an issue for Athens with injuries constantly on the doorstep, but the team chemistry persevered through every obstacle.

Junior guard Griffin Labay was the only Athens player to compete in every game this season, and Athens carries 15 players on a roster.

Regardless, Withun said the team chemistry was Athens’ biggest strength.

“The way that we were able to share the court together and play like we play together, I don’t think it’s something I’ve had in my time playing basketball,” Withun said.

As Athens readies themselves to lose six impact seniors in Withun, Harper, Colquhoun, Alex Proefke, Brock Thornton and Douglas Mersier, a core of eight seniors next season will look to continue the progress Athens made this season.

Robinson, Labay, Downey, Hayden Crum, Shane Stedman, Luke DiGiovanni, Eli Garvin and Dylan Colussi will handle the leadership roles next season, and Robinson said he’s already up for the challenge.

“I’m ready,” Robinson said. “I’ve been taking on the leadership role. I think the seniors taught me how to carry on that role now. I want the challenge, and I’m so excited to be that leader for the team. I have no fear, and I’m ecstatic to show the younger guys how Troy Athens basketball is done.”