Move over, March Madness there’s another spring basketball tournament you need to be aware of! The 2019 KIPP Cup took place April 5-6, and KIPPsters from middle schools across the east coast traveled to compete for national honors and bond with fellow KIPP team and family members. KIPP DC Northeast Academy went undefeated throughout defeating KIPP Washington Heights in the championship game. Valor and KEY Academy’s boys and girls basketball teams also represented KIPP DC during the two-day event.
Sharell Kyle, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Northeast Academy, coached the Northeast girls team to victory in her second trip to the KIPP Cup after coaching the boy’s team in last year’s tournament. “Overall, it was a huge experience for all of our students. Our girls’ team didn’t compete in last year’s tournament, but seeing the competition last year and what our girls did this year, I knew we could compete at a high-level and win this tournament.”
Northeast Academy was able to beat top-seeded KIPP Washington Heights through teamwork, grit, hustle, and contributions from students such as Dionne. Dionne, who is also student body president at Northeast Academy, shed light on the weekend experience and the competition throughout.
“It was a really good experience, and we saw a lot of good competition. It feels good to be champions and represent KIPP DC. Seeing the trophy after we won was a big accomplishment, and in the end, the weekend brought our team closer.”
Beyond taking home the KIPP Cup and the distinction of being national champions, there are off the court lessons that our students can take from the weekend and apply to other areas of life, explained Coach Kyle.
“Our girls made history and did something no other team has done before. To see our girls smile and feel proud of their accomplishment feels good. They can take the history made here and understand that they truly can do anything they put their mind to.”
