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In his first year back on the Hillside Coach Raphael “Coach Chills” Chillious revitalized South Kent School’s basketball program and has led the team to a dominant winning season! Along with the team’s success on the court, Coach Chillious has helped our student-athletes earn acceptance to many prestigious institutions, including four D1 schools, Cornell, Oakland University, the University of Portland, and the University of South Carolina Upstate. 

“It was an absolute honor and privilege to be back on the Hillside helping our young men work towards achieving their lifelong dream of playing college basketball - at every level. The goal for me is to serve as a conduit in helping our student-athletes develop their skills on the court, while finding the right “fit” at the collegiate level, whether that’s Division I, II, or III. However, the greatest strength of our program is the CULTURE. We spend a great deal of our time developing our guys character, toughness, accountability, social integration and every other core value that will enable them to be successful in life,” said Coach Chillious. 

Over the past year, while navigating the many challenges posed by COVID-19, SKS’ basketball team has racked up an impressive 18 wins with only 2 losses. This record of winning is even more impressive when considering that it is against many of the other top Prep Basketball programs in the country.

“This year Coach Chills has helped me in so many ways that I can’t even explain. Not only did he help me become a better basketball player on the court, he also encouraged me to become a better man off the court. I couldn’t thank Coach Chills enough on what he’s done for me,” shared student-athlete Jordan Gainey ’21. In reminiscing about the past year and how Raphael connected with his players, Jordan shared, “One of my best memories this year with coach is probably when we were having a birthday party for one of the players, and Coach started to get his groove on.”

As a fitting testament to their dedication and hard work throughout the year, at South Kent School’s 2021 graduation, all of the graduates on the basketball team were awarded the Paul and Terese Abbott Cup. This Cup is awarded to a one-year student who, in his time at South Kent School, most embodies the principles of the School. Led by Coach Chillious’ example, this group of student-athletes exemplified what it means to be a South Kent Man.
 
Thank you, Coach Raphael Chillious, for stewarding these young men through an extraordinarily difficult year, and ensuring their success as they head off to college!

Jordan Gainey - DI University of South Carolina Upstate Spartans

Coach Chills notes, "Jordan is an excellent three point shooter who is also capable of putting the ball on the floor to make plays for himself and others. He is a lockdown perimeter defender who relishes the opportunity to guard the opponents best scorer."

Jake Hlywiak - DII Adelphi University Panthers

Coach Chills notes, "Jake is an extremely focused and determined young man. Known for his three point shooting prowess, but is as versatile a scorer as there is. We are looking for him to have an immediate impact at Adelphi."

Chika Nduka - DI University of Portland Pilots as a "Preferred Walk-on"

Coach Chills notes, "Chika brings his lunch pail to practice every day. He is an absolute warrior on the court. Our team was highly successful largely because of our ability to utilize Chika's versatility to our advantage."

Osei Price - DI Oakland University Golden Grizzlies

Coach Chills notes, Osei is as physically tough and mentally mature as the come. He is a highly intelligent in the classroom and on the court. His game is best described as being a “Swiss Army Knife” type player as he is extremely versatile - quite often playing 4 different positions for the Cardinals. He’s developed into an excellent 3pt shooter as evidenced by him shooting nearly 52% from the 3pt on the year. 

Cameron Schainfeld - DIII Connecticut College Camels

Coach Chills notes, "Cam is an extremely competitive scoring point guard and high level on-ball defender. He will bring toughness and high character to Coach Sweeney's team."

Naz Williams - DI Cornell University Big Red

Coach Chills notes, "Cornell is getting an extremely mature young man who is also a high basketball IQ, crafty scorer and tremendous leader - both on and off of the court."

Thank you to all of the student-athletes for their hard work and commitment this past year. Even greater things are ahead for both them and the South Kent School basketball program!

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