MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – The St. Francis boys basketball team did not end its season the way it wanted to last year, falling by two to rival Serra in the CCS Open Division Final, and then by 21 in the first round of the Open Division State Playoffs to eventual state champion Bishop O’Dowd.
Not many remember those losses as well as rising senior guard Curtis Witt, who sparked a late comeback for the Lancers against Serra with a 7-0 run of his own, but watched as Jake Killingsworth knocked down late three free throws to give the Padres the title. Despite the sour memory, he uses the loss to fuel his fire.
“Falling just short in CCS motivates me and makes me want to do whatever I can for my team so that it doesn't happen again,” said Witt.
He also added that, “Not advancing in NorCal playoffs wasn't too bad because O’Dowd was obviously a stronger team than us, but it was a good learning experience for us because we got to see the level we need to play at to win the California state playoffs this coming season.”
The experience will certainly aid the Lancers this winter as they return their entire starting lineup, most notably featuring Witt (10 points, four assists, two and a half rebounds per game last season) and 6-9 center Peter Hewitt (11 points, eight rebounds, two blocks per game).
“My personal expectations for next year are to win Player of the Year of the WCAL, and to help my team everyday on and off the court,” said Witt. “My team’s expectations for next season are to win state.”
In order to reach those goals, Witt is focusing on basketball as much as possible. He plays AAU on a team that most notably features Leland’s first team all-CCS guard James Kelbert and spends a lot of time playing basketball at the park, noting that he has many friends that want to help him improve his game.
Witt also mentioned that team workouts started in June and that, “they are challenging, but fun to start preparing for next season.”
According to Curtis, he has been playing basketball since before he can remember, but recalls that his older brother and father influenced him to pick up the game. He also played baseball, soccer, golf, and a year of volleyball before entering high school. One of his favorite sports memories is from his 12-year-old season of Little League baseball when he knocked a grand slam off one of his best friends to advance in the playoffs.
Now, he exclusively plays basketball and occasionally golf for fun, and has dreams of playing basketball at the next level.
“I went to St. Francis with the intention that it would help me play college basketball, and so far I think it has helped me,” said Witt, who is without an offer but has interest from Santa Clara, Florida Gulf Coast, Oregon State, and Cal Poly Pomona, among others.
Witt looks up to two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash because he is both a good role model and player. Nash also played basketball for Santa Clara, making it very possible that Witt could follow in his footsteps.
As he approaches his final year as a Lancer, Witt said his favorite memory so far came in his sophomore year when Giusseppe Benedetti hit a buzzer beating game-winner on the road against Bellarmine. Hopefully for Witt and the rest of his fellow Lancers, the new favorite memory will be winning a state title in the coming season.
