St. Thomas More boys basketball coach Danny Broussard has coached some memorable teams over the years, but this year’s senior class is one he will always remember.
The Cougars have 10 seniors, almost all of whom see time on the court, and they are anchored by a true leader in Carter Domingue, who leads the Cougars in points, rebounds, assists and steals while serving as the team’s vocal leader on the floor.
Domingue and the second-seeded Cougars (31-4) have won 25 games in a row and will be taking on a familiar opponent in No. 1-seeded University High (28-4) for the Division II state championship at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Burton Coliseum.
“It’s going to be another great game,” Domingue said. “We’ve played (U-High) the past three years, so it’s going to be a dogfight. We just hope we’re better prepared. Our coaches have been great keeping us focused, and our 11 seniors have been locked in. We’ve been doing what we’ve been asked to, and wins have followed. That’s been our recipe the last four years, so hopefully it will continue on Saturday.”
Domingue’s leadership showed in the semifinals against Liberty, as he was able to keep his teammates calm after a slow start and help lead them to a 20-point victory.
“(Domingue’s) leadership has been immeasurable this year,” Broussard said. “I’ve coached great players, great leaders, but he’s just a special kid and has all the intangibles. His quality of leadership is great, and he gets our guys together both ways in that he knows how to pick them up when they’re down and knows when to get on them.”
Domingue is averaging 17.6 points per game, along with 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 3.3 steals, while serving as a coach on the floor.
“(Domingue) does it all for us,” Broussard said. “He’s either one or two for us in almost every stat category. He’s such a fierce competitor who doesn’t like to lose, kind of like me, and he’s a coach on the floor who knows what I want. He’s a director out there who makes sure everybody’s in the right spot.”
Domingue’s leadership will be key once again Saturday, as U-High also has a strong senior class, which is led by twins Brock and Bryce Brown and have the depth to match.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us against U-High,” Broussard said. “They’ve been to the finals seven of the past eight years and have a lot of experience. They play good team basketball. The Brown twins are really good, and they’ve got some guys on the inside with size. Size doesn’t really bother us, we’re used to it. You can’t really concentrate on one guy, so it’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be a chess match since we’re so familiar with each other and should make for a good matchup.”
Seniors complimenting Domingue are athletic players such as Jaden Shelvin, Jack Bech and Bryce Boullion in this senior class.
“We’re all brothers and have been battling for each other across different sports,” Domingue said. “We love each other and know each other well and are willing to go to war for each other. We have great chemistry, which has led to great success.”
“It would be surreal if we could accomplish that (four state championships). I’ve spent 1,000s of hours in the gym, and to cap it off with that would be amazing. We’ve never ended a season with a loss, so to hold off U-High and get the win would be special to take it all in, but we’re just going to treat it like another basketball game.”
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