The 2012-2013 Hawthorne High School Bears varsity boys basketball team kicked off the season with a great start, but was unable to stay strong to the end. Although the 6-13 record was not what they expected to end with, the season was a good step to progressing to get better for next year’s season.

Despite having a rough season the team never felt discouraged. They created a bond and have stuck together through both the bad and good times. “There’s been games where we have played very well, but also games we’ve played really badly… The progression is there; we just need to play like we’ve progressed constantly,” says senior point guard, Phil Habib.

During the season key senior players Travis Peene, Joe Frascella and Phil Habib were injured, which made it extremely difficult for the team to reach its pre-season expectations. Travis Peene tore two ligaments in the Glen Rock game coming down from getting a rebound. Phil Habib was going up for a rebound and a kid took his legs out from under him and all his momentum took his head into the floor, requiring several stitches. Frascella pinched a muscle in his lower back during practice which lead to being out for one-and-a-half weeks.

Additionally disappointing for the team is the fact that it did not play in the state tournament.

The team loses a lot of their seniors this year: Phil Habib, Jimmy Contrini, Joe Frascella, Travis Peene, Kenny Tousignant, Chris Altemus, Kevin Branagh, and Mike Maybert. Losing many of the senior players, HHS will have to wait to see what is in store for the team next year.