Boyette finds success with Bulldogs

Published 9:47 pm Saturday, February 24, 2018

Keontae Boyette was voted Suffolk News-Herald Player of the Week after scoring a season-high 29 points against Lakeland High School.

During one of King’s Fork High School’s boys’ basketball team’s final games, Boyette had one of the top games of the season against rival Lakeland, his former school. The 29 he scored was a season high for the team, and it helped the Bulldogs win a close game 77-72.

When going up against a former team, it can bring out the best in people. That was the case with Boyette when he faced his former team. Beforehand, Boyette didn’t know he was going to have the game he had, but in warmups before the game, he was feeling it.

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“It was just one of those nights for me,” Boyette said. “I missed my first shot, and I thought it was going to be a long night, but I stayed in attack mode.”

Since his 29-point performance, the Bulldogs’ season has ended after a regional playoff loss to Heritage High School. Despite the season not ended like he wanted it to, Boyette enjoyed his first season as a Bulldog playing under coach Rick Hite.

“Honestly, I had the best season with my teammates and coaches this season thanks to Coach Hite,” he said. “Coach Hite along with Coach Tron and Coach Caple made me a better player not just on the court but off the court. I played with the best backcourt ever with James Hatton and Leontre Bailey. They all pushed me to have the best season.”

Boyette considers himself a two-way player who can defend and also score. He and his cousin, Leontre, have both spoken about how they motivate each other. Boyette’s older brother, Daquan Boyette, inspires him each and every day. Those two, along with his trainer, Frank White, all keep a word of motivation in the junior’s ear at all times.

“He just pushes me not to give and just to be better than he was,” Boyette said of his brother. “He is my role model.”

Coming to a new team and new school, Boyette had two simple goals for himself. He wanted to finish the school year strong and to receive an offer from a college. So far, he is on track to finish well in the classroom, and as of now, he has yet to receive an offer, though they may come in the future.

Because of the junior Bulldog’s strong season, he was selected to the All-Southeastern District second team. He has laid a good foundation for himself with his team and his coach, and he will use how the season ended this year as motivation for his offseason.

“The feeling I had after that game against Heritage is just going to motivate me not to have that feeling again,” he said. “Going through what I been through this season with the team is going to drive me to be the best every day.”

In his spare time, Boyette likes to draw. Allen Iverson is a player he looks up to and tries to model his game after. With the offseason here, the Bulldog is looking to come back even better for next season.