Daniel Maher is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saint Mary's Catholic for AZPreps365.com

The shoes were unlaced, the balls were re-racked, and the court fell silent at St. Mary’s after the AIA came to the decision to suspend all winter sports in Arizona last December.

After a 24-4 record in the 2019-2020 season, which saw the Knights fall short in the playoffs, they were not going to get the chance to make another run at the trophy.

In a season with all the pieces in place, coach Damin Lopez and his team were not going to get a shot to play the game they all loved. As the lights were shut off, it looked as if the 2020-2021 winter sports season was going to be wiped from the history books entirely. 

But the AIA reversed its decision in January. The season was back on and the championship aspirations were still alive. 

After possibly the most challenging season ever, Saint Mary’s Catholic were the last ones remaining. As they won the 4A Skyline division and the state championship. It was no simple task either. The Knights battled adversity on and off the court every step of the way. 

“There's no question this was the hardest season; I mean anybody who navigated through this season, I tip my hat to them,” said Lopez. 

“I can’t really describe how excited everyone’s been,” said Lopez. “Everybody has been just so complimentary about our boys and how hard they played and the type of year that they had.”

The AIA made a  multitude of rules and regulations which required all athletes to wear face coverings during games, 

“We have been lucky we haven’t had to shut anything down, but a few of the teams that we played did,” said Athletic Director Matt Mayo. “We were very close to not having a season at all.”

The team never shut down, but it didn’t make the season any easier. 

“I mean, it just was so different in terms of the dynamics and in terms of the protocols. Just mentally, everyday was different. There was never a smooth moment. It seemed like there was always something coming up, whether it was this, or we had to do that or had to watch for this or watch for that,” Lopez said.

“And then we finally got a chance to play the games. So it was almost like, Basketball wasn't secondary, but it was not in the driver's seat. It was just a very difficult year.” 

 St. Mary kicked off the season with a win over the Thunderbird Chiefs but lost the next night to the Sunnyslope Vikings. From that point on, there was no looking back. The Knights won their next 15 straight games and cruised into the playoffs as the one seed. 

“It really boils down to a lot of focus,” said Lopez. “You know, because given the constraints that we were under, you know, it's like, they always had to focus in on staying healthy, staying safe, and then on the floor taking everybody's best shot that night.” 

The Knights managed to stay focused in spite of being on every team's radar, and used the foundations laid out at the beginning of the season to help them persevere and push through to the championship. 

“It's been a season unlike any other that we've been through,” said Lopez. “Everybody had a chance to take their best shot against us, and to be able to do that night in and night out and continue to compete hard and then be able to stay safe and healthy off the floor was a real challenge.” 

This is St. Mary’s first championship since 2009 when coach Lopez’s father, David Lopez, was still the head coach. He and his father have left a lasting impact on St. Mary’s. 

“You can talk to coach Lopez for two minutes, and you can see that he bleeds St. Mary’s. He lives, eats, and sleeps St. Mary’s and our boy's basketball program,” said Mayo. 

“I know it was a big deal to him, to make the school proud, to make his family proud in terms of what kind of program that he's been able to put together here. And I know nobody is a harsher critic of Lopez than he is for himself. More than anything, I'm just happy for coach. We're proud of him for some of the great work that he's done in his time here, obviously it's, really, really cool to be able to see him have the same level of success that his dad had here for so many years at St Mary's. So more than anything we are proud of coach Lopez and we are happy for him.”  

Not surprisingly Lopez always shifts the attention over to his team and all of the hard work they put into this season. 

“Every year we preach selfless basketball. We preach work ethic, discipline, toughness, and this year was a good test for them.” said Lopez. “You can’t go to these functions, you can’t go to parties, or family get togethers because of the chances of getting COVID and getting sick. In our minds, that's playing selfish basketball,” 

Selfless basketball led the Knights to a 21-1 overall record and winning every game they had on the road. 

“It's been over a decade since the school has won a state championship. And I know that the school has had some struggles over the past 10, 15 years in terms of the demographic changes in the area and the school has changed quite a bit,” said Mayo. “So this championship means a lot for Saint Mary’s. Obviously, we couldn't be more proud of our kids, for all the hard work that they've put in and our coaching staff and putting together the program, the way that they have over the past few years, but it means a lot to the school.” 

The Knights have now made the playoffs dating back to the 18-19 season, but something that was missing for a majority of this season was the student section. 

“I would say the biggest thing was the return of our student section.” Said Mayo

The “bleacher creatures” are a focal point for all St. Mary’s sports. While the season opened with minimal family in attendance, no students were allowed to watch the games. With no in-person fans, students used the team's live streams to watch the games. 

“Getting this championship win really meant that much more for the community, especially because of COVID and Alex and I, we were able to bring these games to the people's homes for them to watch when they weren't able to attend in person. So I thought that was a really great thing to set up with coach Lopez.” Said announcer Chris Fahrendorf.

 It was not until much later into the season that students were allowed to watch the games in person. With the backing of the student section, it was just an extra boost for the Knights when it came time for the playoffs. 

“Toward the end of the season, we were able to let a few more students in. So that was a big moment for me; I was able to see our kids kind of come back to some level of normalcy.” Said Mayo. “For those students watching the team win was huge; you know, there was very high expectations this year. I think everybody was hoping for a great season, and I know that our kids really want it to be a part of it. All of our students, not just our basketball team. And so, it was a great thing to see it really uplifted our kids quite a bit, to be able to start coming to the games, at least a small amount of them. And to be a part of it and experience some more of this great basketball season.” 

This championship was for the school, for the students, for the athletes, for the faculty, and for the whole St. Mary’s community. And when the smoke clears, and the banner is raised, Lopez and his team will look to do it all over again.