Just a few weeks ago, the Bishop Feehan Boys Basketball team did something that was never done before in school history: winning the MIAA Division I State Championship.

On the “big stage” at the Tsongas Center of UMass Lowell, as soon as the buzzer rang, the Feehan Fanatics and the student section erupted into screams and roars. This win marked the significance of the team’s talent, coming from the number 14 seed and rising from the ground to beat the number 1 seed, Central Catholic High School.

Boys Basketball Head Coach Dean O’Connor was asked about the mindset that the team had going into the season. “Our mindset was that we were good enough to beat anyone”. He explains how the team knew they could perform at an elite level when they had the right mindset, so he worked to instill this.

When asked about the individuality of the team’s culture, O’Connor responded, “Our team culture is built on putting the team first. Everyone has a role, they may be different, all roles are important to the team’s success. Do your best to be a star in your role”. This idea was heavily prevalent through seeing the talents of the team, some notable players being seniors Brody Bumila, Jake Webster, Lucas McNally, and juniors Phelan Duffy and Egan Gill.

“This year was different from other years in that we had a generational talent,” O’Connor continues, referring to six-foot-nine senior Brody Bumila. Bumila averaged 40 points and 19 rebounds a game going into the championship game. O’Connor also mentions, “We also were healthy during the playoffs and played our best basketball of the season during the State Tournament”. O’Connor made it a priority to look after the team’s health to monitor whether they were prepared for the big game, which thankfully worked in the Shamrocks’ favor in their historic ‘Cinderella run’ of a season.