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For Massanet, Triumph Trumps Tragedy
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Some mountains are easier to climb than others, and no one discovered that more this year than Trenton Catholic guard Frantz Massanet.
The senior waited four years to get to the paramount of New Jersey high school basketball and he made the most of his final attempt.
“This was my best year,” said Massanet, who recorded 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the Iron Mikes’ 53-39 victory over Camden Catholic in the Tournament of Champions title game at IZOD Center on Tuesday.
That statement says a lot, considering just over two months ago his life was forever changed by the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. Both of Massanet’s parents were born in the ravaged country and they had several family members still living and visiting there at the time of the tragedy.
“It was sort of at the beginning of the season,” Massanet said in the tunnel several feet away from the door of the New Jersey Nets locker room while holding his Most Valuable Player trophy. “I was also coming off an injury, so things were a little shaky for me then.”
At the time, Massanet thought an ankle injury suffered in the preseason was his biggest concern. Things were put in perspective very quickly, though, according to the 6-foot-4 sharpshooter.
“At first when it happened, I was in a rush to get ready for school. I didn’t see anything,” Massanet said. “Then in school people were asking me if I was OK. I had no clue why people kept saying that, but then a teacher pulled me in a room and told me what happened.”
Shaken by the news hours after the earthquake struck, Massanet still composed himself enough to take his exams that day. But when he returned home, he sat in front of the television and cried while CNN broadcasted its coverage.
He soon learned two of his aunts had passed away and several of his other family members were affected by the earthquake that registered a 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale, which is used by seismologists to measure the size of the quake in terms of energy released.
The Haitian government reported between 217,000 and 230,000 victims that had been identified as dead; 300,000 injured, and 1,000,000 homeless.
“It’s a plus, kind of, because people were worrying about where their family members were and a lot of mine were able to get in touch with me on Facebook,” Massanet said. “That helped me begin to get in the right state of mind again.”
The road to mental and emotional recovery began by walking around the halls of Trenton Catholic collecting donations. Meanwhile, lacing up his sneakers and picking up a basketball became a soothing escape.
But thanks to a magical trip through the state playoffs that included a thrilling, triple-overtime victory over St. Anthony in the Non-Public B final, the Massanet family received an uplifting it so desperately needed.
“It uplifts the soul a lot,” Massanet said. “It shows that there is always going to be good that comes from bad. It just shows that I’m doing well.”
Massanet is doing more than just well, as he is set to attend Drexel University in the fall to play for the school’s basketball team. It’s no surprise a respected collegiate program coveted the defensive-minded player, which helped the Iron Mikes outscore the opposition, 33-21, in the second half of this contest.
Trenton Catholic won 22 of its final 23 games and couldn’t have penned this story without Massanet, who scored 20 points against legendary coach Bob Hurley’s Friars in the epic overtime affair last week. In fact, his efforts helped the Iron Mikes become the first Mercer-County school to reach the Tournament of Champions’ biggest game.
Though he is the MVP of the Garden State’s basketball kings, he is convinced his work is just beginning.
“I’m going to keep working. It doesn’t stop now,” Massanet said. “This is good, but next year I have to work my way up again as a freshman. I don’t mind that at all.”
Some mountains are easier to climb than others.
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