Going into the final stretch of the regular season, the Foxes just advanced to the WPIAL 6A playoffs again and have their eyes set on another section title. Yet, it’s not always talent alone that leads to these rewards. Just as important are the intangibles of trust, camaraderie, and support that are born from friendships developed through sports. Sometimes those bonds can even make the difference between a win or a loss during the toughest of games.
Seniors Jake DeMotte and Colin Kwiatkowski have that kind of friendship. The two gifted athletes first met when they were youth basketball players battling each other on the court, each from a different school district – Jake from Fox Chapel Area and Colin from Hampton Township. They don’t recall a whole lot about each other because they weren’t friends back then, but as fate would have it, they did forge a friendship when they were sophomores and Colin’s family moved into the area, just down the street from Jake’s house. Both of them played football and loved sports, so they had a lot in common.
“We started hanging out together, and our friendship grew through sports because we were with each other all day, every day,” Jake says.
Interestingly, theirs is a friendship of contrasts. Colin’s presence and energy are as large as his 6’5” body frame, whereas 5’10” Jake has more of a quiet, intense confidence.
However, as it turned out, getting Colin to play basketball again this year was not an easy sell. The last time he had played competitively was as a ninth-grader at Kiski Prep.
“I talked to him many times about playing, and a lot of others told him to play, too. We knew he could be a big help to our team, but a lot of times, he just didn’t want to talk about it,” Jake recalls. “Plus, besides just winning, I wanted to share the court on the same team as him for a year.”
“I was missing playing the sport, and everyone around me was telling me to get back into it, so I decided to contact coach Skrinjar after the football season to try out,” explains Colin. “He told me how much of an asset I would be for the team, so I embraced that and dove in, full steam ahead.”
A New Vibe
While Colin brings a fresh vibe to the scene, Jake says there’s just a different feel to the season in other ways.
“We have five seniors who all play, and we know it’s ‘do or die’ this year,” acknowledges Jake, a pressure player whose contributions don’t always show up in the stats. “We also have a lot of young guys who can help us and can play, so I feel like practices and games are more intense.”
“Jake is able to focus on the present moment and has the total confidence of his teammates,” observes coach Zach Skrinjar. “An example was when the game was on the line against a strong Upper St. Clair team. Jake was able to sink a three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left in the game. Giving him the ball at that critical moment shows the confidence his teammates have in him. They trusted him down the stretch to make that shot.”
Jake recalls those highlight moments. “I was just standing there open to shoot when Eli (Yofan), threw me a great pass. After I made it, I was honestly thinking we need to get this last stop now, but after the game was over, it was definitely crazy to think about.”
Colin’s contributions have grown with every game.
“Colin works hard at getting better and he brings energy to the team,” says coach Skrinjar. “He is always cheering on his teammates and encouraging them when they need a pick-me-up and is very enthusiastic when they succeed. You could see how excited he was for Russell Fenton at the Central game when Colin had the assist that led to the first dunk of Russell’s career.”
“I feel like I contribute to the team most by getting defensive and offensive rebounds to give us another possession on offense,” says Colin.
Together, Jake and Colin are contributing to the Foxes 16-game winning streak (as of February 1). As of that date, Jake is averaging 9.2 points a game, 2.5 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. Colin’s top highlights include 6.3 points a game and 5.2 rebounds.
Other than his athletic abilities, Colin says there is another side to Jake that might surprise some people.
“One thing I think that people don’t know about Jake is how giving and caring he is,” Colin says. “Honestly, he is the type of person to give you the shirt off his back. I never thought we would be wearing the same colors on the court, but I couldn’t be happier to see it.”
“Colin knows a lot about basketball and a lot outside of the game, too,” Jake adds. “It makes you think he’s a lot older than he actually is. He’s definitely helped me become more mature myself and helped me handle situations in better ways than I would have done before.”
This year is probably the last hurrah for Jake and Colin to play competitive sports together. But down the road, they will still share many memories and, if nothing else, those recollections will provide plenty of stories to talk about at their high school reunions.