Packed Garden Sees Titans Fall

On Saturday, January 16, 2010, the T.C. Williams boy’s basketball team played against the ninth nationally ranked basketball team, Montrose Christian. A sell out crowd from throughout Alexandria’s community came to show their Titan pride. “[Unfortunately] our guys didn’t come focused to play smart and weren’t willing to play as hard as they possibly could,” said T.C.’s Head Coach Julian King.

Montrose Christian, located in Rockville, Maryland, is well known for their exceptional basketball program. Montrose alumni include Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant and Miami’s Michael Beasley. This year’s all-star team includes Josh Hairston, a 6’9” senior who is committed to Duke University. Hairston transferred to Montrose from Courtland High School in southern Virginia. Terrence Ross, a 6’6” senior, and Hairston, are two of Montrose’s biggest recruits. Their coach, Stu Vetter, the twice named National Coach of the Year by USA Today, has coached over 100 Division I players and has been the Head Coach of Montrose for 11 years. Vetter holds the longest winning streak in the Metropolitan area consisting of 59 games.

The Titans trailed throughout the whole game, unable to grasp a lead, down almost 20 points at halftime. T.C. Seniors Billy Rowland and Ryan Yates had strong performances, with twelve and nine points respectively. Although T.C. didn’t triumph over the Mustangs, they still played to their best abilities. Hairston, with 14 points and Ross, with 10 points, led the Mustangs to victory. Sophomore Justin Anderson also showcased high caliber skills for the Mustangs and finished with 11 points. “[Montrose] has one fear, fear of losing and not living up to their potential,” said King. “That’s something our young team will have to learn if we want to continue our winning ways.”

A sold out event every year, the city of Alexandria comes to watch this riveting game of pure talent between two basketball powerhouses. “This game draws a lot of interest,” said Bob Evanson, assistant to the Athletic Director. “A lot of the Alexandria community is interested in basketball and comes out to support,” he said. Many T.C. students couldn’t handle their excitement before the big game. “I’m really excited because the Montrose game is always really fun,” said senior Kat Pearson before the game. “It’s a rival that we have even though it doesn’t count for the regular season.”

FINAL SCORE 67-46