RACINE, Wis. — The Washington Park High School boys basketball team in Racine has made their community proud by going to state for the first time in decades and then returning home with a trophy.
Signing autographs and taking photos, Zareontae Gwinn and his teammates were quite the local celebrities at a community meet-and-greet in their honor Thursday night.
“It feels good knowing that everybody came out, like, the city of Racine just supporting us,” Gwinn said. “After we took the first loss of the season, we just knew we had to lock in.”
After “locking in,” the team headed to state for the first time since 1960. The Panthers returned home with a silver trophy, their first since 1943, in a close game against Wauwatosa West.
“It’s kind of surreal,” head coach Casey Robbins said. “Obviously we wanted the gold ball, but we just brought out so many people in the community.”
"When we looked in the crowd at the Kohl Center, it was just nothing but Orange,” Robbins recalled of the team’s color. “It gave me goosebumps.”
The impressive season was a return to glory for Washington High School that alumni, family and community members, like mom Regina Santoya-Rosales, couldn’t get enough of.
Watch: Racine Park boys basketball team makes community proud
“I cried because I was sad they didn’t get it, but I also cried because I was so, so proud of them,” she said. “They accomplished something amazing.”
It’s an accomplishment Gwinn told TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin he’s glad to share with his teammates, who have become more like brothers, and one Robbins said players will hold on to for years to come.
“They’re gonna be telling their kids, grandkids about this moment,” he said. “I think that’s the best part about it.”
At Thursday's meet-and-greet, the team also received proclamations for their success from Racine Mayor Cory Mason, a representative from the Racine County executive’s office and the local NAACP chapter.
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