The west wall of Catalina Foothills’ basketball gym is covered in state championship banners in golf, volleyball, soccer, softball, track, cross country, swimming and tennis.
The Falcons take pride in athletics. Look closer, however, and one notable sport is missing: boys basketball. Catalina Foothills has never won a state championship; they’ve never even made the finals.
That could change this year.
The Falcons entered Friday’s game against Canyon del Oro with a 22-5 mark, thanks in part to senior guard Spencer Lewis and forward Sam Beskind.
“Our team is a product of Sam and Spencer,” said fifth-year head coach Doug D’Amore.
Lewis and Beskind are D’Amore products, and it shows. Beskind scored 24 points in a loss to Salpointe Catholic on Thursday night. He was guarded all game by Majok Deng, the city’s top college prospect and a UA and Duke target. The Falcons blew a 12-point lead and suffered a rare loss.
“Hopefully this one puts a sour taste in their mouths going into playoffs,” D’Amore said.
Catalina Foothills is capable of hanging with elite teams not just in the state, but also in the country. In December, the Falcons beat Austin, Texas, power Westlake High School 54-52. Nick Foles’ alma mater is ranked as the No. 22 basketball team in the country, per MaxPreps.com.
“When we play together and we all are bought into the same system, we can be a very talented team, and I think that’s where we really thrive,” Lewis said. “Coach D’Amore has done a really great job at finding us as a team, bringing us all together and buying into the same system.”
Beskind said the coach is “really good at letting us have fun.”
“It’s not always wear and tear and ‘do this and do that.’ He gives us a lot of freedom and we have to earn that,” Beskind said. “We enjoy playing hard and going out there and doing our thing and he gives us the freedom to do that.”
Foothills will now turn its attention to the postseason. The Falcons’ record means they’ll likely host at least one game.
Beskind said a state crown would be the highlight of his accomplished career. Last year, he traveled to Israel to play for the U18 United States basketball team in the Maccabiah games. There, he won a gold medal.
“I wouldn’t say that would merely compare to the feeling I get winning a state championship with these guys just because I’ve grown up with them,” he said. “And overcoming all these odds, it would just be incredible.”
Why would he cherish a high school championship over a gold medal? Playing basketball for Team USA at any level is a hooper’s dream.
“It would mean the world to us. We’ve grown up together and played basketball together since we were in elementary school, so this is our last run at it with this group of friends that I’ve spent my entire life with,” Beskind said. “It would mean the world to me to bring home a trophy and make our mark at Foothills.”
