(New Buffalo, MI) - Memories of last year’s spectacular boys’ high school basketball season in New Buffalo were stirred during the presentation of a banner reflecting the team’s district championship.

 

New Buffalo High School Principal Tracy Ripley presented the banner along with trophies for the 2022 conference and district titles to Head Coach Nate Tripp and three players from the squad.

 

The brief ceremony was held on the home court prior to the start of Tuesday night’s game against Marcellus.

 

One of the players showing up for the presentation was Kaden Parmley, who graduated last year after becoming the all-time leading scorer for boys in the New Buffalo High School basketball program.

 

Zack Forker and Austin Semenchuk were the other former players showing up from a team with just one loss until defeated in the Class D regional championship game.

 

The team going into the post season was also ranked No. 1 in the state for Class D and in the top 10 for all schools nationwide in scoring by averaging more than 80 points a game.

 

“It was such a memorable season with that team.  It was such a high scoring offense and those kids had been playing together for a while,” said New Buffalo High School Athletic Director Matt Johnson

 

Tripp and each of his former players shared a warm hug during the ceremony.

 

Johnson said he hung the banner reflecting other district and conference titles for boys’ basketball in recent years in the gymnasium shortly after the presentation.

 

He said the trophies will be placed into a larger trophy case being made for the athletic program once it’s delivered.

 

“We’ve run out of room,” he said.

 

Johnson said the new trophy case will be used for holding awards earned at the district, regional and state levels of competition while the current trophy case will be reserved for conference honors.

 

It was the third district title in four years for the team under Tripp.

 

Johnson said last year’s team and the squads making it to the regionals in Class C in 2014 and 2015 “were probably the best ones I had ever seen.”

 

The core of the team from last year was Parmley, Forker, Mark Shaw, Anthony Lijewski, Jeremiah Mitchell and Anthony Anderson. 

 

The top players on the squad from nearly a decade ago included Marques Artz, Jarek Hotwagner, Elijah Dryden, Zack Workman and Travis Maddux.

 

Johnson wouldn’t predict which team would win, though, if they happened to play each other.

 

“That’s a tough one.  That’s like asking who’s better? Kobe or Michael or Michael or Lebron,” he said.