Colin Quinn summoned everything within to try and extend his basketball career at South Hadley.

The Tigers trailed eventual MIAA Division 4 state champion Springfield International by 10 points entering the fourth quarter of their Sweet 16 matchup. Quinn erupted for 19 points in the final quarter and brought South Hadley within one possession in the final minute.

“I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to keep playing with the guys,” Quinn said. “I knew if we didn’t pick it up our season was done and our careers were over. We had to go.”

The 2022-23 Daily Hampshire Gazette Boys Basketball Player of the Year finished with 41 points in his final career game, as the Bulldogs made enough free throws late to hold on. Quinn hit nine 3s. It was his sixth 20-point game of his career and far and away a career high.

“If you have to go out, why not go down in a blaze of glory?” South Hadley coach Chris Gerber said. “He did everything in his power to give us one more day.”

He and the rest of South Hadley’s seven-strong senior class were making up for lost time. The COVID-19 pandemic limited their sophomore season to eight practices that were more like open gyms.

“That strengthened our relationship every day because we were together every day,” Quinn said. “We always talked about how we were gonna be a force to be reckoned with our senior year.”

Gerber took over the program that season, and already noticed Quinn. He could finish with both hands and was a plus shooter.

“He stood out to me a someone who was going to have a special career,” Gerber said.

He gave Quinn the keys to the Tigers offense and put him on the opponent’s best player every night. That caused growing pains for someone that hadn’t seen varsity action in more than a year.

“I had a similar role last year but didn’t do it as great,” Quinn said.

The repetitions helped both Quinn and South Hadley. The Tigers finished under .500 last season and lost their first Western Mass. and state tournament games. That experience aided them this season, which featured a sectional semifinal and state Sweet 16 appearance.

“My teammates and coach put a lot of trust in me to be a leader out there,” Quinn said.

South Hadley won its first seven games and earned the No. 14 seed in the state tourney. 

“He couldn’t have had more of an impact,” Gerber said. “He was vital to our success.”

Though Quinn’s 41-point outburst against Springfield International didn’t extend his South Hadley career, it furthered his time as a basketball player. Fitchburg State’s coaches saw him play against the Bulldogs and began recruiting him to play Division 3 ball.

Quinn won a state championship as a soccer player, and many encouraged him to pursue that sport collegiately instead. But he grew up in Holyoke before moving to South Hadley in elementary school, which stoked his love for basketball.

“I remember telling everyone I wanted to play basketball and I remember people telling me it wasn’t a good option and soccer would be way better,” Quinn said. “It was a prove people wrong type of thing.”

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS

Marcelo Aquino, junior, Amherst

Owen Babb, sophomore, Frontier Regional

Jayon Black, senior, Smith Vocational

Silas Coles, junior, Northampton

Teddy Cyr, freshman, Hopkins Academy

Kyle Dale, senior, Hampshire Regional

Riley Intrator, senior, Smith Academy

Chase Mathers, senior, South Hadley

Tyler McDonald, senior, Belchertown

Mateo Navarro, senior, Easthampton

Kelvin Perez, senior, Northampton

Shawn Rivera, junior, Holyoke

Jabari Sifrin, sophomore, Easthampton

Griffin Smiarowski, senior, Smith Academy

Colin Quinn, senior, South Hadley

Cody West, senior, Hopkins Academy

Carter White, senior, Granby

SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS

Henry Audette, senior, Belchertown

Ryan Belina, senior, Smith Academy

Myles Chinappa, junior, Smith Vocational

Jackson Couchon, junior, Belchertown

Davian Diaz, sophomore, Holyoke

Nico Fasulo, junior, Frontier Regional

James Fitzgibbons, junior, Hopkins Academy

Shea Healy, senior, Easthampton

Marshall Ingram, senior, Smith Vocational

Robert L’Abbee, senior, Granby

Christian Martin, sophomore, Amherst

Colin Murdock, junior, Granby

Jake Redmond, senior, Easthampton

Ryder Rietkerk, junior, Amherst

Ben Sledzieski, senior, Northampton

Caleb Steineger, senior, Northampton

Brandon Stewart, junior, Amherst

Greg Stone, junior, Smith Academy

Connor White, senior, Belchertown

HONORABLE MENTION

Matt Bacis, senior, Easthampton

Ty Bogdanovich, senior, Belchertown

Patrick Fitzgibbons, senior, Hopkins Academy

Adam Golasinski, senior, Hampshire Regional

Max Millette, freshman, Frontier Regional

Cal Orzech, junior, Belchertown

Benjamin Pierce, junior, Hampshire Regional

Trey Rios, senior, Northampton 

Dylan Rohan, junior, Holyoke 

Jayden Santiago-Lopez, senior, Gateway

Ian Waite, senior, Amherst

Traevon Williams, senior, Northampton 

Eddie Wykowski, senior, South Hadley

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