FENTON FEATURE: Massasoit teammates Mark Georges, Rollsky Edouard are former opponents
The starting forwards on the Warriors’ team that is 20-6 and headed to the national tourney played against each other in high school at Avon and Holbrook.
by Jim Fenton (Enterprise)
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BROCKTON – They were opponents on a regular basis several years ago, matching up during boys basketball games between Avon High and Holbrook High.
Mark Georges and Rollsky Edouard, who both now live in Brockton, had been friends prior to that and enjoyed going head-to-head in Mayflower League battles before they graduated in 2013.
"We developed a competitive nature and people were always saying that imagine if we played on the same team together to see what kind of things we could do together,″ said Edouard, a Holbrook High graduate. "We're both really competitive, we want to win. We both have the same mindset that defense wins championships.″
More than four years after graduating from high school, Georges, an Enterprise All-Scholastic at Avon High, and Edouard decided to reunite on the basketball court, this time as teammates. They enrolled at Massasoit Community College last fall and are starting forwards on a Warriors' team that has reached the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament for the first time in program history.
Seventh-seeded Massasoit (20-6) faces second-seeded Nassau Community College on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.
Georges, who appeared in five games for the Warriors as a freshman in the 2013-14 season, made the All-Region 21 third team this winter, averaging 15.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals.
Edouard, a freshman, is scoring 12.2 point to go with 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his first season since leaving Holbrook High.
"Honestly, me and Rollsky always wanted to play together,″ said Georges. "We played against each other in high school and we thought it would be fun together. Everybody always compared us in high school. We were kind of like the two best players on our teams in high school, so we were like let's come together and do this.″
While Georges played briefly for Massasoit four seasons ago, Edouard was at Cleveland State Community College, Arkansas Baptist College and UMass Boston, though he did not play basketball.
The two friends, who are both 23, decided during the summer it was time to be on the same team, so they enrolled at Massasoit.
"Right after I left UMass last year, I was thinking of places to go,″ said Edouard. "Mark actually played here a while ago and he was saying we should come together here. "He said, 'Jim (Stapleton) is a great coach. You can learn a lot for him and we can definitely win and it'll open the door for more opportunities in basketball.' ″
Edouard is having fun being back on the basketball court where he has helped the Warriors go 20-6.
"It was eating away at me not playing,″ he said. "I was ruining my own opportunities going from here to there and not taking care of what I needed to take care of. I knew whenever I was coming back on the court I just knew I wanted to get a championship.″
Georges left Massasoit a few years ago thinking his basketball playing days night be over. He went to work but stayed in shape, playing pickup games and in organized leagues in the Brockton area. Then he came back to the Warriors with Edouard along side.
"I'm definitely way better now,″ said Georges, who lived in Avon before moving to Brockton. "The time I was not here, I kept playing, kept my body right, went to the gym, lifted, did the little things, studied basketball more, tried to get a complete game.″
And instead of going head to head with Edouard, he is in the same frontcourt with his friend from Brockton.
"It's way better,″ said Georges. "We both know each other so well and we know where each other is at, where each other wants the ball. It's surreal. We don't even have to talk.″
Stapleton had Georges and Edouard in the starting lineup for all 26 games and they delivered.
"It is nice to have a perspective of guys who are a little bit older,″ said Stapleton. "They stay relatively calm. They're good practice players, good game players, mentally tough.
"They're very competitive and they've played a lot of minutes.″
Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.