Denzel Brito, who helped lead St. Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., to a state basketball championship, has signed a letter of intent to play at Loyola University Chicago.
Here is the story, as it broke, on SouthCoastToday.com:
By Ed Collins
Denzel Brito has come a long way since getting cut from the Wareham Middle School basketball team.
Twice.
A 6-foot-1 guard who wound up starring at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Brito signed a national letter of intent to play Division 1 basketball at Loyola University of Chicago on Thursday, making the announcement on the court at the Gleason Family YMCA where he put in a lot of time developing his game.
“I started right here in this very gym and this is where I wanted to make my announcement,” Brito said. “Looking back, getting cut was a good thing. It made me work even harder and gave me the extra motivation I needed to show people what I could do.”
After playing his freshman year at Wareham High School, Brito transferred to Lawrence Academy, where he helped lead the Spartans to a 29-0 record and the Class C New England Championship this past season.
“It was tough leaving home, but it was the right decision,” Brito said. “The whole experience has been great. I’ve accomplished a lot in the classroom and on the court.”
Brito, who ended up choosing Loyola over Hofstra and Florida Atlantic, said his visit to Chicago made a big impression on him.
“It’s a great school, I like the coaches and my teammates, and it felt like a family environment,” said Brito, who also received interest as a football player from Connecticut, Syracuse, Boston College, and Penn State after playing wide receiver and defensive back on the Spartans’ 9-0 football team. “I come from a very close family, so that was important to me.”
Brito’s parents, Lu Brtto and Tanya Pina, were on hand for the signing along with his grandparents, some aunts and uncles, and his little sister. The announcement came as a big relief to everyone.
“It’s been stressful, because there are a whole lot of things you have to consider,” said Lu Britto, who works as the senior program director at the Gleason YMCA. “You have to look at things from every angle in an attempt to figure out what the best fit is going to be. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get here, but we’re all happy with Denzel’s choice.”
Brito will play for head coach Jim Whitesell at Loyola in the Horizon League, the conference that Butler came out of this past season to reach the NCAA finals before losing to Duke.
The Ramblers, who wrapped up a 14-16 season with an 80-66 loss to Cleveland State in the first round of the conference tournament, haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 1985, so Brito is hoping to help change that.
“That’s every player’s dream and I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s a very competitive conference and we’ll be playing a tough overall schedule, so we’re going to have our work cut out for us,” Brito said. “The big things for me will be building some confidence and working hard every day at practice to earn playing time.”
Brito, who plans to major in sports management, will graduate from Lawrence Academy on June 4. He’ll leave for Loyola on July 6 to start taking some summer courses and begin a workout and conditioning program, and he’s anxious to start a new chapter in his life.
“This is what I’ve been working so hard for and the time is now. It’s an opportunity that I want to make the most of,” Brito said. “A lot of people have supported me along the way and I don’t want to let them, or myself, down.”
Breaking News by email. Subscribe free at: www.loyolastudentdispatch.wordpress.com
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LoyolaDispatch
