MaxPreps honored the Eleanor Roosevelt basketball team as part of the MaxPreps Tour of Champions.
Photo by Army National Guard
On April 24, the seventh-annual MaxPreps Boys Basketball Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard made its way to Greenbelt, Md., just north of Washington, D.C. The trophy presentation was to honor the
Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) boys basketball team for its state championship and national ranking.
The day began with the local Maryland Army National Guard setting up shop in the cafeteria to engage students, display the coveted and soon-to-be presented Army National Guard national ranking trophy and showcasing a camouflage Humvee which was set up right outside the cafeteria doors for all students to see. The Maryland Army National Guard, led by Sgt. Womack, was very friendly and engaging with all the students. There was a genuine sense of camaraderie among the servicemen and women and the students.
The trophy presentation began at 1:30 p.m. Approximately 700 students began filing into the gymnasium for the celebration. The Tour of Champions was now set to take center stage and bring great honor to a well-deserved team. This senior-laden team defeated Magruder of Rockville, 61-56, on March 16 to capture the Maryland 4A state championship en route to posting the best record in school history, 27-1. Eleanor Roosevelt was also ranked No. 89 nationally in the
MaxPreps Freeman Rankings, quite an accomplishment when you consider there are 20,000 boys basketball teams in the country.
To tip-off our ceremony, Eleanor Roosevelt's ROTC & Honor Guard performed a brief, yet precise routine. Shortly thereafter, the Tour of Champions congratulatory video was played to a rousing applause. Anticipation of the award grew after each act. The school's cheerleaders also pepped up the crowd by performing a few dance numbers. Finally Tour stop No. 12 was set to begin. Principal McNeil introduced Andy Beal, MaxPreps President, who had traveled all the way from California to speak at the ceremony. Beal motivated the crowd with an electrifying speech emphasizing the key points throughout the season that helped to refine this immensely focused team – such as the 3-point shot at the buzzer or the slam dunk to win a game.
Beal then introduced Lieutenant Colonel Amy Bennett from the Maryland Army National Guard. LTC Bennett was just as riveting in her speech. She spoke of shared qualities between a championship team and the Army National Guard such as excellence, leadership, integrity and unselfishness. As Coach O'Connell explained, "This year's team is the epitome of what a team should be – unselfish. Nobody cared who got the credit. They played as a group."
LTC Bennett congratulated coach O'Connell and the team and then presented the Minuteman Trophy.
All in all, the ceremony was simply dynamic and we were honored to present this team award to such a fine team. The Raiders exemplified all that is good about a team. They cared deeply for each other and worked for one common goal – to thrive towards excellence together. Well done Raiders!
