Classical Basketball to Move Forward Without Two Stars

Classical Basketball to Move Forward Without Two Stars

Classical Purple boys basketball head coach John Kavanagh had the luxury last season of having not only one, but two career 1,000 point scorers to put on the court with First Team All-State selection and junior point guard Kealen Ives, resulting in the Purple winning their first Division I boys basketball state title since the early 1980's. However, Kavanagh won't have that luxury next season. Batista and Toe will graduate in just a couple of weeks, leaving behind a program that they essentially built over their last four years at Classical.

There wasn't a better three-point shooter in the state last year than Toe. As a main contributor to Classical finishing 24-6, Toe drained 82 shots from behind the arch, more than anyone in RI high school basketball. Toe hit the 1,000 point plateau in an odd four overtime loss on January 15 to Mount Pleasant, in which he scored 30 points in a 100-93 loss. For his efforts on the court, Toe was named First Team All-State alongside Ives.

Batista scored his 1,000th point just three days after Toe, netting 21 points in a 71-59 win over Woonsocket High School. He earned Second team All-State honors last season, averaging 18.2 points per game in addition to pulling down 5.6 rebounds per game.

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“My entire program has been based around those two,” Kavanagh said. “They're both tremendous kids. They've done absolutely everything I've asked of them over the last four years.”

Classical will say farewell to not only two basketball stars, but two fantastic students as well. Batista will attend Providence College in the Fall for academics, while Toe will attend Bryant University and will tryout as a walk-on for Bryant's basketball team.

“They've been leaders for me on the court, in the locker room, and in the classroom as well,” Kavanagh said. “It was nice having them as leaders and as primary ball-handlers. Next year's going to be strange for me because it'll be the first year that I won't have them.”

Classical will bring back Ives next year who has plenty of experience, earning Most Valuable Player in last season's championship game and averaging 21.7 points per game on the season. He'll look to lead the Purple to back-to-back Division I state titles for the first time in program history.