“We’re one of the best teams ... in the nation": The Burlington School builds reputation

With high-level opponents having made for drag-em-out battles, it's fitting that TBS senior Kuluel Mading compares the elevation of the program to boxing.

“Last year, we had attention, we played big games, but it wasn't like compared to this year,” the 6-foot-10 forward said. “This year, we play the biggest games. It's like a boxing match. You have the main card and then you have the undercard. We’d be the undercard last year, but this year we have some people that have something to prove and we have the right people having hope and belief in us, and they put us on the main stage, so we’re like the center of the card.”

Hoping those battles have them prepared, the Spartans (21-7) continue their NCISAA Class 2-A playoff path Monday night, playing host to Gaston Day School (10-9) in a quarterfinal matchup for the state's independent schools.

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While Year One for Bernardi and the Spartans saw the team play high-profile opponents, they were often on the losing end of those outcomes. That continued for part of this season until the Spartans returned from Christmas break on a mission to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

“Up until Christmas, we had played in big games, but hadn't beaten good teams,” Bernardi said. “A big thing when we went off for Christmas break was, ‘All right, why don't we beat good teams?’ We got past Christmas and we had just a huge win over Winston-Salem Christian. That kind of got our confidence where it needed to be.”

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The Spartans then defeated High Point Christian, Greensboro Day School, a perennial power in the state that downed TBS by 18 points the season prior, Bull City Prep and Henderson Collegiate, last season’s NCHSAA Class 1-A co-state champion. 

“We definitely have a harder schedule this year and we beat some good teams, which has definitely helped us out being recognized,” TBS junior Ryan Roberts said. “We was recognized last year, but I think some of the guys we brought in drew attention and winning. That’s the only thing that’s really going to get us attention and we’ve done that for the most part.”

The hype was on from there, those in basketball circles across the state and the nation taking notice, including the Spartans gaining a ranking of 29th in The High School Circuit’s national poll.

“That has something to say about us,” Mading said of the national ranking. “We’re one of the best teams and best private schools in the nation. I feel like we can go out there every day and prove it.”

Following losses to powerhouses Moravian Prep, by eight, and Liberty Heights of Charlotte, in overtime, the Spartans returned to the win column in a roaring way with January victories on back-to-back nights against nationally ranked Word of God Christian Academy, where NBA veteran John Wall once stared, and John Marshall (Va.), a team that has won two Virginia state championships in the last seven seasons.

“When when people hear The Burlington School, I want them to think of the way we play, the way we act, but then also the stage that we're going to play on,” Bernardi said. “When you come to The Burlington School, you're going to play on a big stage, in front of people, coaches, scouts. That’s a big deal for us. But at the end of the day, our mission is banners and kids in college. Last year we were six for six (in sending seniors to college) and we have some guys playing really well in college. This year, we want to do the same thing, have our seniors advance to the next level.”

After monumental victories, the Spartans have often been the talk of social media this season. Brian Eimerich and Kendall Saulsby, two Elon students, have helped TBS pump out content such as videos and graphics for use on social media. It’s another piece to the branding puzzle that has helped elevate The Burlington School name.

“We’ve been really lucky,” Bernardi said. “We have two Elon students who are helping us with our content and they’ve been rock stars. I’m just following my gut here with how we promote our players.”

But with all the attention comes a standard to be upheld, and the reality that every opponent is gunning for the Spartans.

“What we've done on a national stage, to be able to be ranked 29th in the country, and to be able to play at a really high level has put a target on our back, and it’s been really tiring,” Bernardi said. “We felt, with the staff and our players, a mental fatigue at the end of our season. We had to take a little break. 

“Every night was a big game, with a big audience, in this in this case, online audience. But big game, big audience, high stakes, and that wears on you. So that's been a challenge of it. But that's just what we want to keep doing. We want to keep putting our players on a stage that more people than just this area know about our players in our program.”

In a pandemic season, the winning, the recognition, the social media efforts, all of it play an important role on the recruiting front, where the Spartans have a roster full of talented players hoping to one day play in college.

“Especially in a COVID year, where people can't come and see you in person,” Bernardi said. “You have to present yourself a certain way. And you have to play teams that if you beat, people will say, ‘Wow, that's a good win.’ Because with nobody in the stands, just posting the score on Twitter against an average team, it's not good enough.”

The proven ability to beat some of the top teams in the state has made The Burlington School a recognizable name, which certainly helps when college coaches are looking to find their next batch of players.

“You need to play the best teams, and that's something we've done this year,” Bernardi said. “Now don't get me wrong, we beat them for a long stretch, but we haven't ended the season great. We ended the (regular) season 4-5. We hope that the challenges and the teams that we played that were really good will prepare us for this state championship run.”

Mading called it “a blessing an a curse,” to reach this level of recognition.

“We’re held to a very high standard in the state and nationally,” he said. “It’s hard to maintain it because everyone just wants to come at our heads. … The whole team, it's like a brotherhood. So we would go to war to maintain that high standard, any day. It’s a blessing because everybody wants to be recognized like us. So, thank God that we got this opportunity and a great coaching staff that puts us out there, gets us the right schedule and gets us recognized.”

There’s a balancing act in knowing your team is good, while not letting that become detrimental, Roberts said.

“It can give you the big head and you always have a target on you at all times,” he said. “Every team you play, they’re going to be wanting to beat you, its going to make teams go even harder and you’ve got to be ready for it.”

Three victories away from claiming a NCISAA state championship, the Spartans believe they’re indeed ready for what comes their way.

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David Kehrli is a sports reporter at the Burlington Times-News and USA Today Network. You can reach him at david.kehrli@thetimesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidKehrliTN. Subscribe to the Burlington Times-News here.

This article originally appeared on Times-News: “We’re one of the best teams ... in the nation": The Burlington School builds reputation