St. Paul's School

Our Program

The St. Paul's School basketball program emphasizes two core values: excellence and love. Excellence means that all players are expected to play incredibly hard, have a quick learning curve and never waste a rep. Love means pushing your teammates, respecting your teammates and celebrating your teammates. All of this is critical because the SPS basketball program aims to prepare young men to be college-ready — not just to earn a roster spot on a college team, but for the physical and mental demands of the college game.

The SPS basketball program values player development and team culture above all. We aim to develop versatile players who can play fast, play smart and play and defend multiple positions and who are also willing teammates who put the needs of the team first. This is what it takes to be college-ready! At St. Paul's you get a true sense of team, and you get coaches who work hard to make you better every day.

The SPS basketball program has grown into one of the top prep programs in New England. The team has had four consecutive winning seasons, including two playoff berths in the ultra-competitive NEPSAC Class A.

If you are interested in playing basketball at St. Paul's School, please fill out our questionnaire.



Coach Gordon has sent 20 graduates on to play college basketball at schools ranging from Indiana to Princeton to Johns Hopkins to the University of Chicago.

Coaching

Head Coach Max Gordon joined SPS in 2012 as a teaching fellow in the inaugural class of the Boarding School Teaching Residency program. He worked at SPS as a fellow for two years while earning an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2014, he joined the St. Paul's full-time faculty as a teacher in the Humanities Department and became the head varsity boys basketball coach in 2017. Coach Gordon has taken the program to new heights, recording its first winning record in 11 years during the 2021-22 season. In 2022-23, the program earned its first 15-win season since 1995, its first postseason appearance since 1998, and its first-ever Class A playoff berth.

Coach Gordon played college basketball at Carnegie Mellon University, and was a member of the varsity team for four years. In his freshman year, the team was ranked in the Division III Top 25 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Gordon earned University Athletic Association Academic All-Conference Honors during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he served as team captain.

Become Big Red. The color will suit you.

Sportsmanship, respect and kindness are at the core of our coaching and playing, whether at the club, junior varsity or varsity team level. On the field, court and ice, students step into leadership roles, taking as their role models the coaches who also serve as their classroom teachers and house advisers. Our 95,000-square-foot Athletic and Fitness Center serves the entire St. Paul's community, helping all students prioritize their physical well being — no matter their athletic interests or skill level.


Still have questions about the SPS basketball program? Send us an email: boysbasketball@sps.edu