MARSHFIELD – The Twinfield-Cabot boys basketball team looks locked in and loaded to build off a dominating 2024-25 season that came up painfully short in the Division IV Final Four at the Barre Auditorium.
Head coach Kris Bador raked in Mountain League and Vermont Basketball Coaches Association (VBCA) Division IV Coach of the Year honors last season after leading his Trojan program back to the Barre Auditorium for the first time in nearly a decade with a 19-4 record. Twinfield-Cabot suffered a heartbreaking last second loss to Danville in the semifinals and to rub salt in the wound, watched their cross-town rivals cut down the nets five days later. Bador believes his team can learn much more from defeat and with his entire roster returning a year older, is ready to take the next step towards a championship this winter.
“There is a lot of excitement around this program and with 21 athletes coming out for basketball, it speaks well for the future of what we’re trying to build here. We have the same guys coming back but this is a different team. They are a motivated group and don’t believe they have accomplished anything. Most of these guys are coming off an amazing soccer season and I was so happy to see those kids have such a magical run under Peter. They are working incredibly hard in practice. We know what we want to do and where we want to go,” said Bador.
Bador has reason to be excited with the return of VBCA Outstanding Underclassmen selections Eli Russell and Tej Stewart. Russell scored a career high 360 points last season in a breakout junior campaign and was the engineer of a potent Trojan offense. Fellow senior Stewart played all five positions at a high level for Bador last season, earning his third straight Outstanding Underclassmen selection. A healthy Sam McLane and Sam Churchill gives Twinfield-Cabot a size advantage they didn’t have last season. Omar Miksic-Knibb was one of the best freshman in the state last winter and the sky is the limit as he embarks on his sophomore encore. Bador will also possess depth up and down his bench with veteran experience and talented underclassmen ready to contribute.
“We all felt so bad for Sam Churchill getting hurt so early on last season but he’s come back with a purpose. I don’t know what he’s eating for breakfast but he’s getting up and down the court with incredible intensity. Sam McLane never got fully healthy last year but coming off his incredible fall season, is looking fantastic. The maturity in Eli and Tej’s game is through the roof and Omar has brought a polish to his game so far in practices after starting 23 games as a freshman. The narrative will change this season and we will be the hunted. We have an immense amount of talent on this team and it’s my job to scheme guys open, get them to share the ball and put them in the best position to be successful,” said Bador.
Twinfield-Cabot tuned up for their Bob Abrahamson title defense in their season opener with a trip to defending division I champion Burlington over the weekend at Patrick Gymnasium. Bador will look to condition his team one last time as they ready for a rigorous schedule that has them on the road the first 6 games of the season.
“Can’t thank Burlington, UVM and Coach Robertson enough for giving our kids the opportunity to travel up there and experience that kind of competition on that court. This is a special group of kids who come to the gym early and stay late. We will continue to tackle the season one game at a time and remain and strive to be healthy, humble and hungry. Our goal is to give our fans and this great community a basketball product that they can cheer for and be proud of,” said Bador.
The Trojans will officially tip-off the season against Twin Valley on Friday night at the Bob Abe Tip-off Classic in Proctor. Championship and consolation games will be played on Saturday night.
