Sophomore center Reagan Aguas dribbles the ball upcourt. Bryan Berkowitz/Seabury Hall

The banners are already hanging, but the work has just begun for the defending Division II state champion Seabury Hall boys basketball team.

Players from the varsity and junior varsity teams finished practice Friday at the Erdman Athletic Center following their last day of school before winter break. While classes are on pause, the Spartans’ focus remains on training and building chemistry as they begin the Maui Interscholastic League season.

Senior guard Sebastian Peterson said the post-practice mood reflects how the team has adjusted and grown after graduating key contributors from last season’s team.

“It feels good that we’re working together as a group, a big step from last year losing a bunch of the seniors, and then finding our different spots on the team really helps us to see what we can do for the future and at states,” Peterson said. “I don’t know how to put it — I’m happy it’s my senior year, but I’m also sad because I won’t have another season to play with these guys, so we’re trying to make history to win this next one for Seabury.”

Seabury Hall senior Sebastian Peterson shoots from the free-throw line during a preseason game against Kohala. Photo courtesy Kyra Sidon

The 6-foot-1 point guard was a key player last season as the Spartans won the MIL DII title and their first-ever DII State Championship at the HHSAA basketball tournament.

“It’s going to take a 100% complete buy-in from everybody,” said Seabury head coach Scott Prather on Friday after practice. “I think everything that we do has to be intentional. Everything that we do has to have a purpose behind it and they have to buy into the mission and the dream and the goal in order to repeat.”

That progress has shown up early in the season.

As of Dec. 22, the Spartans are 4-0 in the MIL and 13-2 overall, including preseason games against both DI and DII teams across Hawaii.

Coach Prather said the team wrapped up their week of practice on a high note after the boys’ last day of final exams. While mentioning the “good energy” within the group, he added that there is still room for improvement and much work to do as the MIL season is just getting underway.

“I think we’re heading in the right direction,” he said. “There’s a lot of turnover from last year’s team, but there are also a lot of new opportunities for the younger guys coming up. We’re starting to show signs of the team we’re going to be in a few months.”

One of those younger athletes is Reagan Aguas, a 6-foot, 3-inch sophomore center who has averaged 10.4 points per game across 12 games, including one league game. He is 80% from the foul line, according to Scoringlive.

“It’s definitely been a big step-up in responsibility and I’m playing a way bigger role on the team. It’s kind of more pressure but more fun,” he said. “Since the very first game there’s been a lot of improvement in everyone across the whole team. Everyone is getting better chemistry playing with each other and making the right decisions in the game.”

Peterson has been a consistent offensive player, appearing in 11 games (one MIL game) and averaging 27.5 points per contest, according to stats available on Scoringlive. He scored 302 points total, including 40 from beyond the 3-point line, and shot 82.6% from the free-throw line.

Seabury has been tested early this season, with its only two losses against DI St. Louis and the 2024 DII state champions Kohala, a team they had to beat last year in the state semi-finals.

“Well for me, I just wanted to play my best against another top contending team,” Peterson said. “I could see a bunch of us were a little nervous before that game, but I could see in the future that if we play together like we can and have this whole season, we can match up against them really well.”

The Spartans gather around coach Scott Prather for game instruction. Bryan Berkowitz/Seabury Hall

Handling nerves and pressure is a familiar experience for most competitive players. For Aguas, it helps when the whole team is focused on the game and flowing together on the court.

“This is my first year getting valuable playing time on varsity, so when I first played those big games against Kohala and then St. Louis a couple weeks ago, I definitely had a lot of nerves,” he said. “But once I got going and the whole bench was cheering everyone on, it all just went away, I just started playing.”

The Spartans’ next MIL match-up is Jan. 2 and 3 against Molokai.

“What has stood out to me so far is their willingness to work hard,” Prather said. “This group is hungry. I think they are eager to prove themselves, that they are up to the challenge of defending the state championship and I think that they also, knowing that so many of the scorers and rebounders have left, are eager to carry the torch.”