Georgia Bulletin

The Newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

  • The Blessed Trinity Titans are minutes away from taking the court as they break the huddle at Druids Hills’ gymnasium on Jan. 29, a place where Blessed Trinity is winless. They had to use three different zone defenses to keep a quick, 3-point shooting Druid Hills team off balance. It also took clutch free throw shooting from senior forward Ryan Aquino with 7.8 seconds left in the game to seal a 52-48 victory, and the team’s 21st consecutive win. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Four and half hours prior to the Feb. 1 game against Grady High School, the team gathers for a Mass in the school chapel. Theology instructor Father Augustine Tran was the main celebrant for the Mass. Kneeling on the outside are (l-r) senior guards Jordan Callahan and Sean Cunningham and head coach Brian Marks. Blessed Trinity went on to a 97-71 victory, but the consecutive win streak ended the next night at 22 after a 61-55 loss at Marist School. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • The team listens to a pre-game talk by Coach Marks before the Feb. 5 home game against Dunwoody. He said, “Be smart with the ball and take high percentage shots.” In a road game earlier in the season, Blessed Trinity defeated Dunwoody by five points. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Coach Marks expects his players’ undivided attention and their best effort in practice. In its Feb. 14 game against Towers, Blessed Trinity was playing for a trip to the state playoffs, a team goal at the beginning of the season. During Feb. 13 practice junior forward Arris Brundidge goes up for a running jump shot in the lane as (l-r) assistant coach Jamie Wagner, Austin Cremins and Kohl Hegetschweiler watch from courtside. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Coach Marks, squatting center, listed three keys to victory in the Feb. 14 game against Towers: stop transition baskets, attack the offensive boards and crisp passing. Guard Jordan Callahan hit 19 of his 23 points in the second half and forward Ryan Aquino finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Blessed Trinity also shot 78% from the free throw line as they won the game 66-50. The victory marked Blessed Trinity’s first state playoff appearance as a region 5B-AAA team. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • With a national ranking and one loss to the country’s top-ranked high school team at the time, St. Benedict of Newark, N.J., South Atlanta took the court as the odds-on favorite in the region semifinal game. In a great display of team ball, Blessed Trinity pulled off an incredible upset (67-66) over South Atlanta. The players share their unbridled jubilation with assistant coach Jamie Wagner. When Coach Marks appeared, both coaches received a victory dousing with water. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Senior guard Jordan Callahan holds the region runner-up trophy. He is joined by teammates (l-r) Tyler Cerone, Ben Kopacka, Sean Cunningham, Kohl Hegetschweiler, Vinny Cuviello and Sean Rouse. It was Blessed Trinity's first trip to the region finals. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • In 2007 Carol Cuviello, far right, initiated a prayer effort, known as “Spiritual Adoption of BT Athletes,” among the parents of Blessed Trinity basketball players. Since then the idea has spread to other sports and schools. Each parent takes a prayer card with a player’s name and they pray for that athlete throughout the season. On Feb. 19 basketball parents, including Cheryl McCarrey, Cindy Feldman, Jessica O'Brien, Carol Aquino, Jen Cerone, and Jeanne and Gary Kopacka, recite the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary in the Blessed Trinity chapel, three days prior to the team’s first round state playoff game. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • The end of their championship quest and playoff run weighs heavy on the team and coaches following the Fe. 26 game. The loss to a good team in a tough environment came on a night when Blessed Trinity had a season low 23 rebounds and 19 turnovers. Coach Marks, foreground left, was proud of the team's second half effort as they fought to the end. Blessed Trinity finished the season at 27-4, the most wins and best record in school history. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Blessed Trinity fans show their support with a round of applause, as the team leaves the Hart County gym Feb. 26, and returns to the bus for the 104-mile drive back to the Blessed Trinity campus in Roswell. Photo By Michael Alexander

The Blessed Trinity Titans are minutes away from taking the court as they break the huddle at Druids Hills’ gymnasium on Jan. 29, a place where Blessed Trinity is winless. They had to use three different zone defenses to keep a quick, 3-point shooting Druid Hills team off balance. It also took clutch free throw shooting from senior forward Ryan Aquino with 7.8 seconds left in the game to seal a 52-48 victory, and the team’s 21st consecutive win. Photo By Michael Alexander

Roswell

A Championship Deferred: Tale Of The BT Titans

By MICHAEL ALEXANDER, Staff Photographer | Published March 13, 2008

The Blessed Trinity High School varsity boys basketball team won 22 consecutive games during their 2007-2008 season before they lost their first game. It’s the basketball program’s longest winning streak and the second longest in school history behind softball. In the photos that follow, The Georgia Bulletin chronicles the team in its final month of the season from the end of the regular season to the region tournament and finally the state playoffs. Blessed Trinity took on the likes of Dunwoody, Clarkston, Towers, South Atlanta, Chestatee and Hart County. They were two games away from the Final Four when their quest for the state championship ended Feb. 26 in Hartwell during the second-round Sweet 16 game at the Hart County High School gymnasium. While the team fell short of the state title for Class AAA, it did not tarnish this special season that took the program to new heights and rallied a community behind it in the process. Blessed Trinity finished the season with the most wins and best record in school history at 27-4.

‘Extremely hard work, unity and prayer will take you a long way in basketball, but more importantly in life.’ – Head Coach Brian Marks