PUBLISHED 9:55 AM CST Mar. 05, 2023AUSTIN, Texas — Five years ago, Westlake High School had one of the most talented boys basketball teams in the state and even the country. The 2017-2018 Chaps roster featured four highly rated recruitsThey reached the state tournament for the first time in program historyAll five starters play in college, four play at the Division 1 level
“It’s really cool for me to watch them do so well and be like, ‘Yeah, we were all on the same team,’ and I’m rooting for them,” said Mayer. “It was really easy because we all complemented each other, we all played different positions,” said Kennedy. “We all had different skill sets and were able to mesh and come together as one.”
That core group first played together at Westlake during the 2016-2017 season. That year, they went 29-7 and in the regional finals lost on a last-second shot to San Antonio Wagner. The following season, they came back determined to go further — and they did. Late that year, the Chaps won 19 straight games and beat rival Lake Travis to reach the state tournament for the first time in Westlake history. In their state semifinal game, they saw their season come to an end with a 70-55 loss to Allen.
The lessons learned from that game and that team have helped these guys find success in college. Cunningham has been a big part of UT’s success this season as a force off the bench and has improved his shooting.