The 2022-23 Urbana Hawks varsity basketball team was one of the best ones in recent memory. Led by seniors Jude Husbly and Yousfef Ali, they finished with a 15-9 record and made it all the way to the second round of the state playoffs. However, with over half the team graduating and star player Arron Shoffner leaving for a private school, the future seemed grim for the upcoming season. Rumblings of a losing record for next year were getting louder and louder, and incrementally, people were starting to lose hope in the 23-24 Hawks
Then, the season started and the Hawks were shining with impressive wins against Frederick (9-1) and South Hagerstown.( won by 20+ points!) Even with the games they lost, the Hawks looked impressive and only lost by a tight margin most of the time. As of February 22, 2024, the Hawks’ regular season ended with a record of 11-11, which is a far cry from the projected record people thought they were going to have. Senior Therry Patchu had this to say on the regular season: “I feel like we’re having a pretty good season and we’re better than a lot of people expected us to be, and for that, I’m happy we are exceeding expectations.”
With the Hawks gearing up for a heated postseason run, one thing’s for certain: These Hawks have no apprehension whatsoever as they are going to face whatever is ahead of them head-on with the gained respect and newfound confidence of the fans as well.
