Dominic Rivera is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Peoria High School for AZPreps365.com

Through multiple team building exercises, including hikes, yoga, gaming tournaments and personal trivia games, the Peoria High School boys basketball team have created a bond more unique and unbreakable than chemistry-a brotherhood.

“We’ve come a long way; it wasn’t always easy getting our bond as tight as it is,” said junior guard Corey Perry. “We’ve had high moments and low ones; we’ve won big games and lost some too but whatever it was we went through it together. Over the years we have learned a lot about each other. We learned that we were all a different puzzle piece but together we could create the bigger picture. To me, brotherhood means to play for one another, rather than to play for yourself. It means to have each other’s back through tough times. If you fall, your brother will be there to pick you up.”

The mantra “Brotherhood” became the team’s official motto in 2019 and is now written on the sleeves of their warm-up shirts. But to the Panthers, wearing the shirts is more than just representing a word, it’s representing a lifestyle.

“When you wear that, it resembles more than just a word or a phrase or a fad,” said head coach Patrick Battillo. “It represents a true bond, a commitment to one another, selflessness, putting others first and representing something bigger other than yourself. That is what brotherhood means to us and our program and any individual wearing that shirt.”

Brotherhood was originally used to describe the culture of the team in previous years but now characterizes the relationship between the players and the coaches.

It also has resulted into two successful seasons, including Peoria’s run to the state championship last February.

“Brotherhood is all about self-sacrifice,” said Battillo. “Being there for one another. Putting others before yourself. Understanding trust, transparency and communication. Knowing that we are there for each other no matter what situation we face or what we are going through and that’s really the essence of creating that culture of a true brotherhood for the team.”

The brotherhood mantra not only creates a closer bond within the team but allows incoming freshman and transfer players to transition into the program with ease and comfort.

“New players coming into the program, particularly freshman, are coming from other programs or their elementary schools so they are making a lot of transitions at that point,” said Battillo. “I think the biggest piece that speaks to that is leading by example and they see that tone set with all returning athletes to the program as well as our varsity team and that is what really sets the tone and models a way for the younger student-athletes as well as transfers that came in externally. They have spoken to that, specifically this year we had one transfer that came in that was a junior come in from another program and another high school and he can really feel the difference. He really spoke to myself specifically about how that truly is a brotherhood that we have compared to what they are used to.”

With a rapid influx of new players each year, a system was established to ensure the brotherhood mantra would last for years to come.

To create and maintain such a strong sense of brotherhood, the Panthers plan multiple events throughout the course of the year centered around team building.

Gaming days and tournaments on either Xbox or PlayStation are set up to keep the competitive and team spirits alive, team yoga to relieve stress and mountain hikes to bring a new focus once they get back on the court.

But most importantly, the Panthers have a personal trivia game where each student-athlete and coach bring in information about themselves that others may not know about them which may not necessarily be related to basketball.  The information is then shared with the team and it is up to the others to guess whom the information belongs to. When the guessing concludes, the individual to whom the information is about elaborates about who they are as a person.

“We learn a lot about each other during that activity,” said Perry. “This tightened our bond and allowed us to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is another key component in building a brotherhood. Vulnerability shows potential flows.”

For the team, the activity allows them the opportunity to discover more about one another outside the world of basketball.

“The purpose is to get to know each other outside just the sport of basketball,” said Battillo. “It is about who each of us are as individuals, where we come from, what we like to do and our background. It is really open to what the individual wants to share. That opens deeper bonds with one another which builds a deeper chemistry between individuals and our brotherhood.”

This brotherhood between the players extends beyond the world of basketball, and into their lives off the court as well.

“We hang out together, go to the movies together, eat together, play 2k and text in group chats,” said Perry. “Basically, in order to keep our circle tight, we did everything together almost mimicking a college team and how they operate off the court.”

Whether it’s helping each other with personal issues, homework or giving up certain opportunities for another, there is always someone there to offer guidance.

“Off the court you can count on anybody a part of the brotherhood to have one another’s back no matter the cause,” said senior guard Deandre Petty.

These relationships have proven to be particularly beneficial during this unprecedented time in history dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The brotherhood plays an essential role in the mental health and motivation of the team during these challenges while facing an unpredictable future.

“It’s definitely helped. I have a group message with the team, and I reach out personally, multiple times, to each individual including the seniors on the team just checking in on their mental health and wellbeing first and foremost,” said Battillo. “Then providing workouts that can be done in their homes so their bodies can stay in shape as well as checking in on the school side of things for each of them as obviously this is unprecedented times. Being there is a resource for them, and they are there for each other. That has helped greatly I would say for each of them throughout this time and me as well as a coach and our staff. Just being able to stay close to them while making sure everyone is maintaining safe protocol and social distancing during this crucial time for our country.”

In the end, when the players and coaches move on from the program, they will not leave empty handed but instead will have gained a lifelong bond.

“In the end I would learn that a brotherhood can overcome all distractions and overcome any and all enemies,” said Perry. “I would learn that as long as we are linked together as a brotherhood, we can walk through hell and back and not have a scratch.”