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03/12/2024 11:28 AMGrowing up, the influence of his family weighed heavily on the eventual path that led to Ibby Davila sticking with basketball for his entire upbringing and athletic life. Yet with their motivation leaving an indelible impact on him, Ibby has been able to carve out his own prominent identity on the court.
The North Haven boys’ basketball junior shooting guard grew up watching the sport on television, along with seeing his older siblings play the game. This winter, he has helped lead the Nighthawks to another postseason berth with a 12-8 regular season–opening the door to a SCC Tournament quarterfinal berth and home game in the Division III State Tournament. He has averaged over 14 points, four assists, and three steals per game in the team’s last seven contests as the Nighthawks have reached the Division III State Tournament quarterfinals.
“The effect of my brothers playing basketball and myself looking up to them really drew me to basketball and kept me with it,” says Ibby. “My success with the game comes from wanting to be like my dad. He pushes me to do my best and be at my best. I also make sure to get in as much practice as I can.”
Ibby loves bringing up the rock in the backcourt and consistently acting as a traffic conductor for his teammates. He adds that the pressure can mount when serving as an on-court conduit between the coaches and players, but he rises to the challenge.
“My favorite part of being a guard is always having the ball in my hands every play, and directing people where to be on the floor and being a leader,” Ibby says. “It can be tough when the coaches put pressure on you, as they rely on you heavily to get things in order with the players.”
When faced with a seemingly insurmountable hill of adversity, Ibby harnesses the power of positivity by knowing that there is a downslope to every one of those hills at some point. He uses that mindset of optimism to groom the underclassmen to push themselves to greater heights.
“When I am dealing with adversity or anything that seems to be tough, I just think it will get better,” Ibby says. “I always think about the upside when I am dealing with hard things and times. It feels good being a leader as a junior, knowing that people listen to you and that you can inspire those younger guys to be better.”
North Haven’s successes in this campaign go well beyond Xs and Os and pick and rolls. The chemistry element away from the hardwood has forced concrete and tangible results and triumphs for the Nighthawks upon it.
“This team has been really good this year, and we grew really strong as a team as time went on,” says Ibby. “The coaches here take team bonding really seriously, so they organize events and activities to build that team bond off the court. It really has helped us a lot this year.”
One big step North Haven took this year actually came in a close defeat to a SCC powerhouse that was a good barometer contest for the Nighthawks. They then later used that to score an historic victory for the program against a nearby rival.
“The first event for me that signified we were a special team was actually when we lost to Hillhouse,” Ibby says. “We were up big in the game, and basically we only lost the game because of free throws. We knew we had a chance against any team if we came that close against a team like Hillhouse. A big win was when we defeated Hamden, because it was the first win North Haven had over Hamden in a long time; it was a good kick for us.”
His coaches have also served a major influential role in Ibby dominating more on a defensive front this year by noting his potential to him.
“At first, I was not a really defensive-minded player,” says Ibby. “Yet my coaches told me I could be so much better on defense, and so I picked up some new moves and techniques that helped me improve my defense.”
North Haven Head Coach Danny Oglesby explains that Ibby has come up clutch on the defensive end in all facets of the game when it matters most for the Nighthawks. He is also near money from the charity stripe.
“Ibby averaged 14 points, four assists, and three steals in a seven-game run that ran through the end of the regular season and SCC Tournament, while playing outstanding defense both on and off the ball,” says Oglesby. “He is also one of the best free throw shooters on the team. His quickness and great hands make him a great defender. His ability to get by any defender and finish at the rim with better decision-making have also made him a better player.”
No matter how much energy the court exacerbates from him, Ibby knows to always keep the books as his top priority in the grand scheme of things. Still, one big element in athletics that can help him get to another tier of proficiency is simply listening to his mentors and their instructions.
“I have learned from my teachers and coaches to just try hard in school, because it is the most important part in high school athletics,” Ibby says. “I also realized how important it is to listen to your coaches and to be coachable. It can really help make you a good player.”