Belen History Made: First-Time Basketball State Champions

CJ Cristobal ‘16 | Communications Specialist
Vince Lombardi once said, “The man at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there.” The Belen Jesuit Varsity basketball team has reached the top of the mountain. 

Before the season started, the Wolverines had one goal, to repeat as District Champions for the first time in 17 years. One player even floated the lofty idea of making it to the Regional Championship game—a pipe dream. 

With a team comprised mostly of players under 6’2”, many outsiders wondered if the Wolverines would be too short to get on the ride. Basketball is a tough sport to win when your opponent can out-rebound, out-jump, and out-muscle you. The Wolverines may have been out-muscled in some games, but Coach Gastón Chachi Rodríguez would make sure the team was never out-hustled. “If you have horses, you’ll win a horse race,” said Rodríguez, “I got rats, we make it a rat race. We play that way every time.”

The Wolverines, led by seven Senior players, played a ferocious brand of basketball. In-your-face defense paired with aggressive ball movement led to tremendous regular season success, as they would be ranked as the top basketball team in Florida’s 5A Class by mid-December. The Wolverines took the top spot and never looked back.

After finishing the regular season as the best team in their class, the Wolverines shifted their focus to winning their District. Defeating Terra Environmental Research Institute allowed them to cross their first goal off their list. The Wolverines had reached the top of a mountain. They accomplished something that had not been done in 17 years. However, as said by Marianne Williamson, “the top of one mountain is always the bottom of another.”

The Wolverines made quick work of Rockledge High in the Regional Semi-Final and beat Miami Norland in a thrilling Regional Final match. They had entered unknown territory as they made history by becoming the first Belen basketball team to make it to the State Tournament.

The Wolverines faced Orlando’s Jones High in the State Semi-Final match. A team that plays very similar to the Wolverines. Fast, aggressive, exciting basketball. This game was reflective of the play style of the competitors as it came down to the wire. With the Wolverines down by one point, Senior Guard, Javi Rosell dribbled the ball down the court for the final play of the game. Each bounce of the ball was masked by the pounding heartbeats of those in the stands. As he made his way toward the top of the key, he sent up a shot. Tipped by the defender, the ball is falling way short of the rim. When the Wolverines season was crashing down, Senior Forward, Alejandro Lopez, collected the rebound and placed the ball in the hoop. What was a game-ending block, turned into a game-winning, buzzer-beating alley-oop. 

The Wolverines were headed to the State Championship game.

While staying with the team during their trip to Lakeland, FL, for the state championship, Coach AJ Consuegra ‘16, who coaches a Middle School basketball team at Belen, mentioned to me a chant that many Catholic Elementary Schools have which says, “little angel on the rim, please don’t let that ball go in.” It is evident to so many that the Wolverines had angels on the rim during their semi-final game on Thursday afternoon, Anthony Parodi ‘23, who passed away over a year ago, and Vince Fernandez, a former member of the basketball coaching staff who passed aways several years ago. 

Facing Daytona Beach Mainland High School in the State Final, the Wolverines prepared like they usually did, by watching film. Senior Guard, Kevin García said, “Coach Chachi coaches to his strengths. He [Rodríguez] knows what kind of team he has and puts them in the best position to win.” 

Belen finished the season as FHSAA Academic State Champions, so Coach Chachi knew he would always have the smartest guys on the floor. Rodríguez would digest hours and hours of film with his players. He wanted his players to know the opponent's plays better than the opponent. This strategy proved fruitful come game time. “I’ve got good kids that work really hard,” said Rodríguez, “Sometimes I call the right play, but it’s up to them to get to the right places.”

After the first quarter, the score was tied. It was clear that both teams were feeling each other out. Wolverines circled their prey searching for the perfect place to strike. The boys from Belen clamped down on defense, only allowing Mainland to score 2 points in the second quarter. The Wolverines were up and stayed up through the final buzzer. With a few minutes left in the game, Coach Chachi pulled the starters to the bench and the Wolverines faithful gave them the ovation they deserved. The celebrations had already begun. 

The final score was 49-30. The Belen Jesuit Wolverines had been crowned Class 5A State Champions. Coach Chachi led the Wolverines to achieve the ultimate accolade, which is, as he said, “super cool!”

Congratulations, Wolverines. Congratulations, Belen.

Click here to view more pictures from the Wolverines' historic run.
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BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain.  The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline.  In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty.  The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow.  Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.