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01/31/2023 10:00 AMLondon Sweeney has always been a natural athlete. He has produced a lot of success in the athletic world between the basketball court and the soccer field.
The Old Saybrook junior has been playing basketball since he was seven years old but did not play at the varsity level during his freshman and sophomore years of high school. Instead, London was focused on developing his game.
“In my freshman and sophomore year, I did online school and traveled more to go to a bunch of showcases,” says London. “This year, I came back to the high school at Old Saybrook.”
It has already been an exciting and successful start to the school year for London. This past fall, he was also a member of the Rams boys’ soccer team that won the Class S State Championship. As a goalie, London was the recipient of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the tournament.
During his first two years of high school, while London was traveling, he also played on an Athletic Amateurs Union (AAU) basketball team to keep his skills intact.
Rams Head Coach Chris Perras sees the dedication London has to the game and admires his team-oriented attitude.
“London is an extremely special kid; he’s loyal to his teammates, gives 100 percent effort every day,” says Perras. “He is a smart kid on and off the basketball court. He represents Old Saybrook well.”
London has been starting every varsity game since joining the Rams this season and has impacted his team in a variety of ways. Perras believes his versatility is a big reason for that.
“He has helped us in so many different ways, with his scoring, his athleticism, he’s a very fast kid, he handles the ball well, someone that can shoot, and rebounds,” says Perras. “We oftentimes will put him on the other teams’ best player. He has a tough job, but he steps up to the challenge and plays very hard and for the team.”
Since he was young, London hasn’t known life without hoops. Being a two-sport athlete, he values both soccer and basketball equally.
“Ever since I was a kid, I have always had some kind of ball in my hand,” says London. “Through elementary school into middle school, I tried every single sport, but I fell in love with soccer and basketball.”
London is averaging about nine points and six to seven rebounds a game on a team that recently qualified for states. He believes in being selfless on the court and not getting too caught up in individual stats.
“I try not to focus on the numbers because I do not want my drive to turn into wanting the ball to score a certain number of points,” says London. “Every game, I try to look for the best option pass besides me scoring; I put that as last most of the time.”
While being a leader on and off the court for the varsity squad, London is always looking for ways to improve his craft. Coach Perras looks forward to seeing him continue to grow as a basketball player.
“I want him to be a leader in more ways than one, which he has been. I want to continue to see him grow,” says Perras. “Getting him to dig deeper and finding that extra gear, I would like to see that for him. He is someone that the kids and the coaching staff depend on to help lead us to a win.”
In a recent game against the Cromwell Panthers, London, unfortunately, suffered an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for the rest of the season.
Despite facing a situation that will keep him away from the court for a little while, London still looks forward to providing his team with plenty of support and guidance from the sideline as the latter half of the season progresses.
“Coach always says to us, ‘the next game,’ that’s what matters most,” says London. “States and Shorelines are always a big deal; we have a good chance of winning both. We’ve worked hard this year, and all of the guys on the team have the vision of that happening.”