The Boston Herald | ESPN’s Jay Bilas praises Salem basketball culture after winning state title
ESPN analyst reflects on importance of high school basketball in sports changing landscape
By Justin Barrasso
“We’re in the age now where we have places like Oak Hill Academy (in Virginia) and all these different prep schools,” Bilas said. “We’ll hear about how one school produced multiple NBA draft picks and how it’s an amazing high school program. You don’t want to be disrespectful, but that’s not a high school. A high school is like Salem. They’re all from the same community. There is a history and a tradition with the parents, players, your neighbors, and coaches.”
“When I hear about a team like Salem winning the championship, that’s a title for the entire community,” Bilas said. “Players grew up together, parents know each other, you went to each other’s birthday parties growing up. It’s not players brought in from other areas and then calling it a high school. Maybe I’m overly sensitive to that. I grew up in an area of Los Angeles where I played on the same team with the same guys from fourth grade through high school. To me, those are the championships that are beyond special.”
