[Note: Originally published on the St. Mary’s High School blog on April 19, 2021]
For St. Mary’s High School boys basketball coach Jim Masterson, basketball is more than a game—it’s a way to teach faith. The motto of the team is “win or lose, give glory to God.” That idea was tested this year as the team experienced an undefeated season that carried them to the state championship game only to lose in the title game. While the disappointment of the defeat still stings, Masterson and his team are grounded in faith and looking toward the future.
The 2021 season was extraordinary in several ways. The Pirates finished the season no. 1 in scoring in Colorado and no. 3 in scoring in the nation. Of course, their undefeated record going into the state title game was amazing. Add to that the fact that challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the accomplishments are even greater.
Sam Howery drives to the basket during a St. Mary’s home game this season. (photo: Diane Torrence)
“I’ve never had a season like this one in my life. We play a fast-paced game and having to wear masks during games and practices was challenging for our team,” Masterson said. “We had a delayed and shortened season that was experienced in person by only our players’ families. Usually the team gains energy from the crowd but this season, they had to create their own energy.”
The team’s motto and culture of faith has helped them move past the disappointment and look to the future. Junior Sam Howery, who along with Luke Stockelman was recently named to the 3A All-State team, said while the team is still hungry to accomplish its goal of winning a title, they are proud of what they have accomplished this season.
“Of course we’re sad we weren’t able to finish,” Howery said. “We’re proud, though, of getting to the title game and of all the accomplishments we had during the season. Coach Masterson’s approach has brought us closer to each other and to God.”
Masterson’s ultimate goal for the game aligns with the goal James Naismith had when he invented the game in 1891. While, as the famous story goes, he was charged with creating an indoor game that would bridge the winter gap between football and baseball, ultimately his desire for the game was bigger. Naismith said he hoped “to win men for the Master through the gym.”
For Masterson, basketball is the tool used to grow the faith of his players. In his fourth year at St. Mary’s and just finishing his 49th year of coaching, Masterson said he is happy to be back coaching in a Catholic environment where he said he can “openly and honestly live out my life of faith.” His job at St. Mary’s takes him back to his Catholic school roots, where he started coaching in California while he was in college.
Faith plays a big role in the life of Masterson’s teams. Each day at practice, Masterson shares a Thought of the Day, which includes the reading of the day from which he chooses one thing from the reading to talk about with the team. Once practice is over the team bundles in the Winner’s Meeting, where they talk about an idea from the Winner’s Manual that Masterson has for the team. Our Winner’s Manual is divided into two parts—Do Your Best and Do What’s Right—and contains instruction about how the players can be winners in life. Prayer starts and finishes both practices and games, with the opposing team’s players invited to join in the prayer circle after games.
“One of my fondest memories from my time coaching at St. Mary’s was from last year after we played Manitou Springs in their gym,” Masterson said. “Obviously this is a big rivalry game and between the two schools we had hundreds of students there supporting their teams. But once the game was over, both student bodies joined together for the prayer circle. There must have been 500 people in the prayer circle that night.”
This season the Pirates defeated the Mustangs during the regular season only to face them again in postseason play. Before the post-season game, one of Manitou Springs players was quoted in the local newspaper as saying the Mustangs were going to decisively beat the Pirates in the post-season game. When the game was over, and St. Mary’s again came out with a win, a photographer from the paper captured two St. Mary’s players—Sam Howery and Cyrus Hernandez—consoling the same Manitou player who had spoken out against them. While Masterson does use intentional avenues to build the faith of his team members, he said informal ways of living out faith are just as important.
“We talk with our players about what their purpose is on Earth,” Masterson said. “What passions and talents did God give you? How can you use those to always do your best and do what’s right? If Jesus Christ is the center of your life, everything you do emanates from that because it is at the core of who you are.”
Coach Pete Gvazdauskas, known as Coach Vaz, organizes a Bible study that the teams do when they travel to away games. He plans a reading of scripture accompanied by four or five questions and then has one of the players lead the study. Masterson said the players do a wonderful job leading the studies and stepping up to lead prayers.
“Our team is so accepting of each other,” he said. “I think that’s why the players don’t feel awkward leading the studies or saying prayers. Sam Howery is great at this because he uses a ‘popcorn’ method that gets everyone on the bus involved in answering the questions.”
Howery said that the coaches’ methods have certainly allowed him to grow in his faith. While leading Bible studies and prayers often moves the players out of their comfort zones, Howery said the focus on faith and prayer is like nothing he has experienced in many years of playing basketball.
“Coach Masterson pushes all of us to grow closer to God,” Howery said. “We’re a brotherhood and the focus on community helps us all as we lead prayer or Bible studies and become leaders ourselves. It really comes easy when you get to live out the faith with your best friends.”
While the season ended on a disappointing note, Masterson said he and the other coaches didn’t dwell on it. The team has a lot to be proud of this season, he said, having accomplished something no St. Mary’s team has in 60 years. As a coach, Masterson said a state title is always a goal and this year was the first time in his career that his team has played in the championship game.
“Of course, losing the championship game was painful,” Masterson said. “But we had a wonderful season and God has a purpose for everything. We have no idea how this disappointment could be an opportunity that helps us down the road.”
With COVID restrictions limiting spectators at each game, St. Mary’s committed to livestream every home game this season. Those streams allowed distant family and alumni to follow the season and connected the team with an alumnus—Will Gohl— who would continually uplift and encourage the team during the season.
Masterson said that Gohl, a 2006 graduate of St. Mary’s and a 2010 Rhodes Scholar, emailed him first to say he was a proud St. Mary’s graduate and was following the team’s season via the school’s YouTube channel. Gohl was a member of the last St. Mary’s boys basketball team to make it to the state quarterfinals. Then after each game Gohl would email and Masterson would share the letters with the team.
“He became like our own Sister Jean, who supports and encourages the Loyola men’s team through her faith,” Masterson said. “Will encouraged the team to always give the glory to God. He also told them that while the memories of this season would stay with them, it’s important to have other things, such as faith, that will sustain them.”
The last time St. Mary’s played in the state championship game was 1961. That year the Pirates were the underdog of the tournament, not expected to make it past the semi-finals. They played three solid games, including an overtime win against the pre-tournament favorite, to earn the state title, finishing the year with a record of 24-4. Joe Trujillo was a junior on the 1961 team, but understands the disappointment that the 2021 Pirates feel too. He watched this year’s state championship game and felt that Lutheran’s 6’11” player made a difference in the game.
“I know the disappointment,” Trujillo said. “After winning [the state title] in my junior year, we lost by two to Regis in the finals my senior year. I still think about that game almost 60 years later.”
Prior to 1961, the St. Mary’s boys basketball team had only been to the state title game one other time, when the 1933-1934 team brought home the league and state titles that season, both for the first time in the history of the school. Finishing that season with 26 wins and only 2 losses, the 1934 Pirates wrapped up the year with the most successful record in the history of St. Mary’s sports programs.
For Masterson, his relationship with players doesn’t end when the season ends or even when they graduate. He encourages his current players in their other pursuits, sending them notes of congratulations when they have success. When COVID and quarantine hit last year, he and the other coaches sent regular text messages checking on the players and encouraging them with scriptures.
Thus the St. Mary’s boys basketball family grows each year. In May, the team will graduate three from this year’s team, but they forever remain part of the family. Masterson regularly communicates with almost every player he has coached at St. Mary’s in the last four years and has a strong bond with teams both present and past.
“Every fall, I text all of my former players to see how they are doing and how I can pray for them,” Masterson said. “It goes beyond the current team and has helped me form a strong bond with the players. They reply; it’s how you build a culture that goes beyond the game.”
By Amy G. (Partain) Park
Director of Communications, St. Mary’s High School
Amy G. Park 