Kieran Favors fully understood the assignment.
And he was happy to tackle it.
Favors is a junior on the Samuel Fels High School boys basketball team, and he likes to be the kind of player who does whatever his team needs.
And he doesn’t care what that consists of.
Last year, when the Panthers were running their way to the Public League championship game, Favors had an extremely important role, and played a huge part in the team’s 11-game winning streak that ran from the middle of the regular season until the Public League championship.
But if you weren’t on the team or a basketball insider, you might not have noticed all of the contributions he made to the team.
For him, that didn’t matter at all.
“Really last year, I had a job to do and I just went out there and did my job, nothing more, I just did what I was asked and what I was told to do when I stepped on the floor,” said Favors, who primarily was one of the first guys in off the bench for Fels coach Mel Lindsey during his sophomore campaign. “Last year they asked me to go out, play hard, rebound and defend. If there was an open shot, take it and do what I can to help the team. But we had a lot of stars, my goal was to help.”
This year, he’s doing all of the things that made him so valuable to the Panthers, but also this year, he’s become one of the go-to guys on offense.
“This year, they ask me to do the same thing I did last year, but I also have to try to dominate on the offensive side,” Favors said. “This year I have to get it on the post, try to score, get to my spot and score when I get the ball. I’m not our top scorer, but I try to help Izaaz Kornegay. I will do whatever it takes to help the team. Scoring, rebounding, whatever.”
This year, Favors can light up the scoreboard, but he’s still doing the little things that lead to big things, and it’s one of the reasons the Panthers are again enjoying a lot of success in the Public League.
The Panthers are 9-6 overall, 7-1 against Public League foes. The nonleague record is by design, Fels loads up its schedule against top teams in the area to prepare for a postseason run.
Games against Reading, Friends Select and Pope John Paul II may not lead to victories during the regular season, but those losses can pay dividends when the Panthers see top-flight teams in the playoffs, both in the Public League and in the state tournament.
Favors, for his part, has really contributed to the cause, scoring nearly nine points per game, to go along with 6.3 rebounds per game, nearly one assist per contest and averaging exactly one block per contest.
He also mans multiple positions, usually shooting guard and small forward, whatever lineup Lindsey needs.
The way Favors sees it, he’s just doing his role to give Fels the best chance at winning.
“My most natural position is the three, I love playing small forward because you play out in the perimeter and you have more options,” said Favors, who lives in Olney. “All summer I worked, I kind of worked on doing everything. I definitely worked on my offensive game a lot, I spent a lot more time in gym, I was there a lot more. I worked with the team. We played Summer League, and I played for Bustleton Bengals. It was an AAU team, I did OK. It wasn’t about winning, it was about getting better and it was great for that.”
All of the work he put in was to better himself, but he did it more to help Fels improve.
Last year making the run to the Public League championship game was a great accomplishment, but Favors believes the team can take another step this year.
“So far, we’re doing good, ups and downs, we’re going in the right direction, we’re working hard and we want to keep prevailing,” Favors said. “It’s mostly because of the team. We’re close as a team. For sure, we play for each other. Just being in the gym, being around each other helped the chemistry going. We all love each other like brothers. It was like that last year and we just got closer this year.”
Favors continues to work on his game and he always tries to better himself.
But he’s thankful he doesn’t have to do it alone.
He celebrates the teammates who have his back, just like he has theirs, but he also gets help from others.
“My mom, she helps me a lot,” Favors said. “She’s always there, always there for me making sure I got my head on straight and doing things right. She likes basketball a little bit. I don’t know if she likes basketball, but I know she likes watching me.
“And Coach Mel means a lot. He’s the heart of the team, he keeps us all together, makes sure heads are on straight. Lead us to the right path. He cares about us and that means a lot.”
Just as Favors cares for his team.
And that’s why his goal is to make sure the Panthers have the perfect ending to the season.
“I just want to keep getting better and keep the team getting better,” Favors said. “I want to win a Public League championship and make a deep run in states, hopefully win another championship. I want everyone to do well. I’d love to get All-Public, too, but first I want a championship.”
