Sean Donovan tells his seventh-grade boys’ basketball team to work hard. If the kids don’t, they run.
Even though the Corona del Mar Middle School team is 4-0, Donovan, a senior at CdM High, continues to tell them to work hard, pushing them.
If the young boys need an example, they can look to their coach. He shows that the all-out efforts pay off.
Last year, Donovan was a different player — not one he is proud of — before becoming the Sea Kings’ leading scorer this year. As a junior, Donovan averaged just 5.9 points per game, finishing with 171 points. This year, the new-and-improved Donovan averages 20.9 points per game and has scored 356 points this season for CdM (9-8, 2-0 in the Pacific Coast League), which is on a five-game winning streak.
How did he do it? He says he worked hard.
Along the way, he overcame some adversity, too.
Two years ago, soon after the Sea Kings won the CIF Southern Section Division III-A championship, Donovan tore a ligament in his left thumb while playing club basketball during the spring. He was out for about four months. Less than a week after he returned, he tore the same ligament and was out another five months.
During that time, he didn’t do much of anything, except for gaining weight. The only thing he lost was confidence.
“I came into my junior season not confident, overweight, unmotivated and I wasn’t where I needed to be,” said Donovan, a 6-foot-4 guard. “It was a very hard junior year for me. There were times I just didn’t know what was going on. After the season, I started playing with Harry Wilson with [California Basketball Club]. From the spring to the fall I was in there every single day, lifting, conditioning and getting my confidence back up. So then coming into the fall I went from 215 pounds to 195. I had a ton of confidence and I was finally ready to step into the leadership role that I needed to step into for this year’s squad, for us to go where we needed to go.”
The Sea Kings are going for their third straight PCL title and second consecutive outright league championship. Their biggest test comes tonight at 7 at University.
Donovan wants CdM to stay undefeated in league, just like his team of seventh-graders, who are perfect so far this year. He pushed the right buttons Thursday as he coached his team to a 32-20 win over Sowers.
He’s coaching the team for his senior project. Who knew school work could be so much fun?
