Xaverian students playing in the College basketball teams are now building on the success of last year’s teams. The Xaverian College Elite Basketball Academy One has topped the Basketball England CBL Tier 2 Group A League to be crowned champions for the 2025-26 season. The team has put in some remarkable and memorable performances over the year, finishing with a six-point lead and overall 39-point tally for the season, with their only defeat coming from a narrow six-point deficit in the first game of the season.
The team has had further success in the Colleges Basketball League (CBL) play-offs, where the top teams across all the conference leagues play knock-out matches to gain a place in the final. The Xaverian Elite team made it through to the final with a 74-60 win over Cardiff and the Vale in the Super 8s, and a 102-80 win over Sheffield in the Final Fours. The Xaverian team faced Milton Keynes in the final and, after close-fought match with the lead changing multiple times, Xaverian were narrowly beaten to the title by six-point margin in a 65-59 defeat.
Paul Cantwell, who has been awarded Coach of the Year in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons for his role as team coach and leading the Xaverian Elite Academy team to so much success, said: “The Elite Academy One team has had an exceptional season, and they fully deserve to be champions after putting in some convincing and dominant performances over the season. Each year, the team goes from strength to strength and will now be ranked number one for the start of the 2026-27 season. Their dedication to attend training sessions and their commitment to improve their skills to high-level professional standards has certainly paid off. All the players involved in the team have contributed hugely to a superb team effort and they should all be justifiably proud of themselves.”
Following the completion of the schedule of fixtures, Xaverian Elite player, Erminas Pelenis was awarded best Year 12 player in the league over the 2025-26 season. The CBL commented that: “Erminas impressed teams and coaches alike as he’s made an instant impact despite his young age.”
Xaverian Xtras basketball teams have also been hugely successful, where students have been taking part in a number of competitive leagues and competitions, including the Men’s and Women’s Under-17 teams who made it through to the Dynamik Schools Competition Cups finals. Both Under-17 teams won their respective finals to be crowned Dynamik Schools Under-17 champions, with the women’s team beating Sheffield, 89-77, and the men winning against City of London Academy with a score of 81-71.
Xaverian teams also competed at the AoC National Championship Finals in Nottingham, which is the UK’s largest further education sporting event. Taking place over the weekend of 17-19 April, it brought together nearly 1700 students from sixth forms and colleges across the country who qualified for the finals after coming through the regional heats in October/November 2025.
Xaverian had representation in the basketball competitions from both the men’s and women’s teams who put on impressive performances against talented opposition. The men’s team powered their way through the group stages to a strong semi-final win against Cardiff, and on to defeat New City College London in the final, crowning them 2026 National Champions. The women’s team came to the event as defending champions and played incredibly well to finish third overall after a three-way tie for first place. The final placings were decided on points difference with the eventual winners, Farnborough, and second-placed team, London. Teacher of sport and head coach of women’s basketball at Xaverian, Paul Brookes, said: “It is remarkable what the players on the women’s basketball programme have achieved in such a short space of time. I am so proud of all the players for their hard work and dedication, they are a true pleasure to coach.”
Both teams were also selected for the evening showcase games, highlighting the very best of college basketball at the competition, and an incredible recognition of the talent and reputation of the Xaverian basketball teams. Beyond the results, what stood out most was how the students represented Xaverian with professionalism, integrity and real pride. It was a special weekend and both teams put in excellent performances in every match they competed in.
Head of sport and teacher at Xaverian, Martin Kilroy, commented: “The commitment, teamwork and spirit shown by all our players this year has been outstanding and the support from staff, students, and the wider Xaverian community has played a huge part in their journey. The support they have received genuinely makes a difference to the players, whose timetables take account of their training sessions to ensure they can follow a full programme of teaching for their Xaverian subjects alongside their basketball commitments. They’ve created some fantastic memories and have been brilliant ambassadors for the college throughout a truly special season. I look forward to the coming season where I’m sure this success will be elevated to even greater heights.”