Kevin Beck might be a basketball player, but that doesn’t mean he’s not dynamic on the field.
In fact, all summer he’s been cleaning up.
Beck is a senior at Father Judge High School, and most people know him of being the engine off the bench that powers the Crusaders through tough minutes in key Catholic League basketball games.
But away from basketball, Beck and his friend have built quite the landscaping company. They’ve been doing it for five years now, and their customer list keeps growing and growing, just like the weeds they remove.
“I actually helped start a lawn care business,” Beck said of D and B lawn care, a product of him and his friend Matteo Dicicco, who attends Holy Ghost Prep. “I mow the lawns, he weedwacks. I would say we’re pretty good, we’ve been doing it since seventh grade. It’s hard work, but it’s good money, the hourly pay is very good when you break it down and it keeps me busy during the summer days.
“We usually do about 15 to 20 a week. It’s a lot, but when you break it down over seven days, do two or three a day, make sure it’s not too much. It started because my friend’s dad is a Realtor, he had a rental property and they needed work done. We walked there to mow it, people would see us and we put together a little business. We made ads and put them around the neighborhood, but now we just return to the same customers. We have a lot of people, same homes, it’s a great job.”
While the bulk of his summer has been spent cutting grass, he’s also spent a lot of time working on his basketball game. There, he has the ultimate goal of cutting down the nets sometime next winter.
Beck is a senior on the Crusaders basketball team that last year made its first trip to the Palestra since 1996 as Judge advanced to the Catholic League semifinals.
The run ended there, losing to Roman Catholic, which went on to win the Catholic League championship.
The Crusaders enjoyed a great season last year, and it only makes expectations for this year that much higher.
Last year was a great trial run, but this year the goal is the Catholic League championship.
“We have a really good team coming back,” Beck said. “I think last year we were kind of in between, we were kind of young, but we also had a lot of good players who had some experience. Then we get to the Palestra, that gave us even more experience. It was great to get there, that was kind of our goal.
“This year, the Palestra definitely isn’t the goal. Getting there is great and last year we hadn’t been there for a really long time, so everyone wanted to get there. But now, we have higher goals than that. Last year getting there was our goal, but this year, the only goals we have is winning championships.”
Beck is ready to do his part to get them there. And that includes doing whatever he can to make sure the Crusaders are in position to win.
The Chalfont native is mostly comfortable playing the wing. He’s also developed a great outside shot that can put pressure on opposing defenses.
But this year, he’s going to have to play a bigger role. And that involves his role on and off the court.
That means whenever his number is called, he’s going to give maximum effort for whatever minutes he’s asked to play. And when he’s not on the floor, he’ll be helping the team any way he can.
“I think I took on the leadership role my whole Judge career no matter where I was, so I’ll do that again this year,” Beck said. “When freshmen come in, I’m nice to them and try to help them. I like being the leader, I take on that role on my own. It helps us, I try to be vocal and let people know what we’re doing. Help them, get people up. Make sure they’re up.
“A big thing is to make sure they’re in the game and playing defense and the little things. Make sure you’re doing the right thing, body language. When you’re down, make sure the whole team is up. Make sure you’re into the game at all times.”
Beck is focused on the Catholic League season, but he is starting to think about what he’ll do beyond Judge.
He hopes to play college basketball, possibly at the Division III level, and head there with plenty of stories about Judge, which is kind of rare for someone who lives a stone’s throw away from Archbishop Ryan.
“My sisters went to Ryan, but my dad went to Judge, so I think I went there for the legacy and I’m really glad I did,” Beck said. “My sisters loved Ryan. When I was a freshman, my sister was a senior, she cheered for me (in the freshman game) and then Ryan for varsity. One of my goals is to beat Ryan next year because they beat us every year and they’re really good. Beating them would be big for us.
“Our goal is the championship. That’s what we want. We have gotten better every year. Last year we made the semifinals. This year, we have to win that game, get to the championship and then win it. Our alumni really wants to win one and we want to do it for them.”
