BY BRIAN FEESSouthern Tier Sports Report
Years ago, before the sectional titles, and the trip to the final four Teigen Gill and Kyler Stevenson stood in Corning’s gym dream of what is coming on Friday.
At the time varsity basketball seemed like a lifetime away. But, both players imagined playing for a state championship.
Now, all these years later the two seniors will help guide the Hawks to their first ever state final four as a Hawks program as they take on Fairport at 1:30 p.m. on Friday at Visions Arena in Binghamton. The only other Final Four for Corning in boys’ basketball was Corning West playing Westhill in 1998.
“I remember my dad used to be the assistant principal here and he would open up the gym for us,” Gill said. “It would just be the two of us when were like 4-foot, 5 playing in the gym one-on-one thinking of the moves we would make in the final and what we would do to contribute. Just being here is amazing.”
This Corning basketball team is different than most. This group is filled with kids pretty close in age. Most have played together their whole life.
Coach Mike Johnston Jr. has a picture on his phone of seniors Gill, Stevenson and Johnston Jr’s son Brady along with the team’s other starters Kohl Hogue and Nolyn and Carter Proudfoot. The picture was taken years ago, and now the group are all heading to the state final four.
“This is my brother right here,” Gill said of Stevenson. “We have been playing together since first grade, kindergarten, YMCA basketball. Putting in many hours in the gym. Being here together means the world to all of us.”
The bond the players have just makes this experience so much more special.
“I can’t imagine another duo,” Gill said. “I can’t imagine another world where I am here with anyone else. I can’t wait to play the basketball game with my brother here.”
This entire roster of Corning players has been together since junior high, and that chemistry just makes the team that much more special.
“It was very important to us (to keep this season going together),” Stevenson said. “WE have been playing since 7th/8th grade, it’s very good that we have this chemistry.”
Ever since the Hawks players were little they watched past Corning teams, dreaming of being in this spot one day.
“We were in the stands watch the other varsity teams wanting to be in their position, and now we are here,” Stevenson said.
The regional final was the first time in their careers this group of Corning players got to play in the arena. Now, they’ll get a second straight game there.
For Stevenson and Gill they were in junior high watching the last time the Hawks played in the arena when they faced Mt. Vernon in regionals.
“It’s super exciting,” Stevenson said of being in the arena. When we were in eighth grade we went to the arena and watched the older varsity team. It’s really exciting to be there now.”
For the Hawks getting to the final four is a special moment.
“I’m excited for Friday,” Gill said. This is something you dream of. This is something we dedicated countless hours and blood, sweat and tears to get here. I’m going to have a lot of fun and I’m ready to win.”
“I am so excited,” Stevenson said. “We have been working on this all year. We have wanted to get here since the beginning of the season and we made it. I’m excited for Friday. Since the beginning of the season we were thinking about it, and we did it.”
This team has already made history by being the first Hawks team to make the final four.
“Only one team gets to get that mark of being the first team to make it to the final four,” Gill said. “It’s not enough for us, we are trying to be the first team to make it to the state championship, so there is a lot more work to do.”
For Gill he knows this is the last days of his basketball career and he plans to make the most of them. Making the title game, and winning a title, would just make things even more special.
“”It’s everything,” Gill said. “Being able to experience that with Kyler and my team would men everything to me. Being able to end my career, I’m not going to play college basketball, to be able to end my career on a win would be amazing.
“I just want to make the most of every moment. Take it all in be here with my teammates every practice. I know my days of basketball are numbered, I want to make the most of it.”
Stevenson will be playing in college, at SUNY Plattsburgh, but right now he’s having fun with this team.
“Im enjoying this,” he said. “I’m excited for next year and to see what the next four years will be.”
For the Corning players there are so many hours that have gone into this. They aren’t the biggest team around, but they always work hard.
It’s just grit and being physical,” Gill said. “We go in the Proudfoot’s gym to work out. We kill each other. Slam each other into walls. We bring that same energy and same fight against the big guys, none of us are scared.”
“We play defense all practice,” Stevenson said. “We work on it, me and Teigen, we play the big man roles. We play like we are big guys, like we are 6-6, 6-7, we are ready.”
The Corning players know they aren’t the biggest team around. But, they love to change people’s perception once the games begin.
“It’s a good feeling,” Gill said. “A lot of times people talk about an eye test. When we walk in the gy a lot of times people just see a bunch of hillbillies from Corning that stand 5-8, 5-10, then we go and win and prove them wrong and they can’t say anything to us.”
With the Proudfoot family having an indoor gym it’s been a place this group has spent many hours together.
“I’ve been so grateful,” Gill said. “They welcome me in their home. I walk in their front door like I’m part of their family. They offer me dinner, I go play basketball. It’s been everything. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today if it wasn’t for them. If I didn’t have access to their court and their support.”
Gill also has had plenty of support at home with a dad that’s a former basketball coach.
“I already surpassed him, as a coach he never won a sectional title and I have two of those and every win is one more thing I can hold over him,” Gill said with a smile.
Being right back at the arena is something the Hawks feel like is an advantage for them.
“Having that experience coming into our next game we are going to be more comfortable because it’s going to be a location we not only played at, but one close to home. So brining that energy to the next game will be huge.”
Corning knows they face a tough test in Fairport. The team is loaded with athletes, even if basketball isn’t the number one sport for all of them. Noah Meabon is 6-5 and a top 50 volleyball recruit in the nation, who earned a spot on the U19 World Championship team and is committed to USC. The team also has a soccer all-American and a pair of baseball standouts committed for college.
“They have got some really good guards,” Stevenson said. “They have two bigs, a 6-5 and a 6-4. We are going to be ready for them. One of them can jump really high, but we will be ready.”
The Hawks saw Fairport a couple years ago, but they know there will be differences now.
“They are a smart team,” Gill said. “They are really well coached. We played them before in the past, two years ago. It’s a different team, but we’ve seen what they do and we are going to be prepared for them.”
For Corning’s players this weekend is a chance to make history and do something that’s never happened for any Corning boys’ basketball team.
“It would be amazing (to win a state title),” Gill said. “We’d be up on the wall with the other state champions and it would be something you probably wouldn’t see for a long time after us either.”
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IN TOP PHOTO: Kyler Stevenson and Teigen Gill shoot in the Corning gym as kids. PROVIDED PHOTO AND STSR FILE PHOTOS.
