Just before 7 a.m. on Sunday, December 28, the Chaminade Flyers shuffled into the Saragossa Retreat House on the school's campus. Waiting for them five hours south was the Governors Challenge, a premier high-school basketball tournament held annually in Salisbury, Maryland. 

The Flyers anticipated less than smooth sailing, as they would have to navigate meals, unconventional film sessions, and modified warmup routines on top of facing two challenging opponents. It was a test of how they would successfully handle both the calm and competitive environment of a travel tournament. 

Before any sneakers were laced up, the group celebrated Sunday Mass at Saragossa. After the quiet atmosphere of the Mass, the team transitioned into the loudness of the AAC for a 90-minute practice and walkthrough to set the tone for the tournament. The approach to the workout was summed up in one sentence by assistant coach Terrance Murchie: "We need attention to detail and laser-focus."

The coaches ran drills to prepare the team for the upcoming games. It was intense - crisp passes, countless shots, and loud voices. When the coaches weren't satisfied, players ran, creating an environment where nothing short of 100% effort was accepted. Again, Murchie could be heard above the rest: "We got to clean it up, guys!"

Once drills were completed, head coach Dan Feeney led a walkthrough focused on strategy for the tournament. When there was a mishap in the action, Feeney reset the play and had the group run it again, not stopping until they repeatedly had it right.  Ryan Fennelly and Emmett Nelson brought a lot of intensity, calling out assignments and communicating with teammates. Kyle Dillon and Michael Wede also provided energy, directing the offense and executing plays.

Before long, it was back to a calm, relaxing, and easygoing environment, as the team crammed into the tight quarters of a yellow Chaminade school bus. Some opted for naps with legs up on neighboring seats - including 6'8'' Jonathon Walsh - while others engaged in mobile games or the infamous "doomscroll." At times, as many as 10 Flyers partook in a single mobile game, filling the bus with laughs and playful jokes. 

As the sun set on the Delmarva Peninsula, the squad stopped at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center before making its way to LongHorn Steakhouse for dinner. Casual conversation filled the room, as players reminisced about previous road trips and debated whether LongHorn was better than last year's visit to Outback. Not long after dinner, it was lights out for the night.

While Sunday was mostly tranquil and relaxing, Monday was intense and competitive.  Film was viewed mid-morning. Everyone intently watched and listened as Feeney handed out defensive assignments, listed scouting reports, and cycled through clips of their first opponent, the Miller School. 

Despite the importance of the game ahead, the players still found ways to stay loose upon their arrival at the Civic Center. While waiting for the locker room to open, they sat and watched the game between the next day's two possible opponents, Virginia Academy and Lincoln Prep. Some had headphones on - including Dillon and Jake Ellwood - while the majority chose to enjoy the sounds of squeaking sneakers and shouting coaches. 

Finally, it was on to the locker room. Due to the circumstances of the tournament schedule - seven minutes to warm up on the floor before tip-off - all stretching had to be done in the locker room. Everyone had a different routine: Dillon, Fennelly, and Diego Dersch went through extensive dynamic movements, while Wede and Ellwood quietly worked through static lower-body stretches. 

When Feeney walked in and closed the door, everyone knew it was gametime. 

A quick recap of the scouting report and game plan by the staff was followed by a final confidence-boosting message from the head coach: "Whatever they throw, we'll be ready for. They can come at us and play a box-and-one, we'll be fine. They can play one-three-one and stick with it all game; they can play matchup one-two-two … all stuff you guys see in practice every day, so there's nothing here that's different, other than it's a different venue, and it's a different opponent on the shirt … Show up today, and go put on a show!" 

With the Flyers up just a point at the half, the vibe remained optimistic:

"They're tired; they're gassed," said Dillon.

"They can't hang with us," added Nelson. 

After the exhausting, yet rewarding overtime victory, Feeney entered the locker room with an emphatic yell, one quickly echoed by his enthusiastic players. Soon, the room quieted down as Feeney delivered his postgame speech - one which focused on the victory being a group effort and a "collection of parts."

That night, arguably the biggest crowd of the tournament packed the arena to enjoy a replica of the NBA's All-Star Saturday Night. Loud music and flashing lights indicated the start of the event's individual competitions.

The three-point contest - which included Chaminade's Daniel Doyle - kicked things off. When each player was introduced by the in-arena host, his fellow teammates cheered in support.

Doyle had been anxious at dinner just hours before, but he looked calm, cool, and collected on the big stage. Although his score of 10 was not enough to earn a berth in the finals, the Chaminade senior came off the court with a smile.

Shortly after, the skills challenge commenced, and it was fellow Flyer Ian Laurencin's time to shine.

With all eyes on him, he delivered. 

In the same event two years prior, Laurencin defeated current New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears, but he wasn't fast enough to advance to the finals. This time around, with some extra motivation, he took home the hardware.

In the final race, the senior guard was quickly ahead of his competitor after nailing the passing section on his first try. A missed elbow jumper made things interesting, but a make on his second attempt allowed him to hustle down the court unopposed and sink the winning layup with his friends just feet away.

The rest of the Flyers erupted in excitement and chased Laurencin around the court. Moments later - in the silence of an adjacent hallway - the champ was interviewed by a local news outlet with the whole squad behind him. 

"I had a blast. That was one of the best times of my life," reflected Laurencin. "Especially coming back from this ACL injury… I've been watching the boys play and get wins, and I can't be out there to help them and help impact winning, so if I was able to bring this skills challenge to the team and bring us another dub, that's all I wanted to do."

A fantastic day in Maryland was capped by an outstanding dunk contest, as 18-year old pro dunker and Minnesota native Dylan Haugen got the Civic Center crowd on its feet with four high-flying finishes. 

By Tuesday morning, there was a sense of unfinished business leading up to the Bracket 13 final against Canada's Lincoln Prep. Once again, the Flyers analyzed tape in the hotel and stretched in the locker room. However, not everything was the same as the day before -  especially Feeney's message:

"When you get out there today, give the normal warmup routine and energy level," he said. "Again, I'm going to put this back on those seniors - some of the guys play, some of the guys are injured and can't play, and we're in the middle everywhere else. You have to be loud during warmups."

It didn't stop there:

"Figure it out. There's no door that we look through going, 'Who's going to save us today?' … which is why we're able to survive the guys going down with injuries. It's because we'll figure it out. Down seven, we'll figure it out. We're up ten in the first half, we'll figure it out."

In spite of this message, the game plan, and a normal warmup routine, the Flyers couldn't figure out Lincoln Prep in the first half and faced an 11-point deficit at intermission. Still, the message remained supportive:

"Play harder and with a purpose," pressed Feeney.

"They're not going to get any better," stated assistant coach Kevin Spann.

"We have this," finished Murchie.

Things didn't get better in the second half, however, in what turned out to be a tough defeat. Nevertheless, it was a valuable experience for the Flyers.

"We came down here to compete and to learn," Feeney encouraged his team after the loss. 

That's exactly what they did. 

Nearly 64 hours after the trip began, the same yellow Chaminade school bus that pulled away at the start came to a stop outside Gold Star Stadium. The team slowly stepped out, carrying basketball bags, suitcases, and even foam rollers - but, more importantly, they brought home a profound appreciation for the strength in unity necessary to navigate a challenging second-half schedule.