'Hard work pays off:' Taunton's Troy Santos joins 1,000 point scorers club

WRENTHAM — Troy Santos has never been the self-celebratory type.

Heading into Friday's regular-season finale at King Philip, the Taunton senior captain knew he needed just four points to join older brother Trent Santos in the Taunton basketball 1,000 point scorers club. But, according to coach Colbey Santos (no relation), he didn't want too much fanfare.

"He begged me not to stop (the game) and I said ‘we can’t do that,’ and we settled on having his teammates high-five him and start as quick as possible," Colbey Santos said.

So when he hit his second 3-pointer from near the top of the arc to put his career scoring total into quadruple digits, that's exactly what his teammates and him did. A quick, simple congratulations, then right back to business.

"That’s who he is," said Colbey Santos. "He doesn’t care about the accolades, he just wants to compete."

For the University of Hartford commit, the goal isn't what he can accomplish on his own, but what he and his teammates can accomplish together.

"Honestly I really hadn’t been thinking about (reaching 1,000 points)," Troy Santos said. "I’ve mostly been focused on winning games and getting a good seed for the playoffs."

Troy Santos led the Tigers (14-6, 10-6 Hockomock League) with 31 points, though the Warriors, whose tournament qualification depended on winning, came out on top in a hard-fought, 81-75 win over their Hockomock Kelley-Rex foes. Still, Taunton is once again headed to the tournament with plenty of reasons to believe they can continue to surprise and impress their doubters.

"Our chemistry has been really good and we’re heating up going into the playoffs," Troy Santos said. "I believe in us, so I think we can go all the way."

He knows it'll take hard work and dedication to achieve that goal, but those are the cornerstones of Troy Santos' athletic prowess.

"He's married to this game"

One of the first things that struck Colbey Santos about Troy Santos after taking over the job last summer from legendary longtime coach Charlie Dacey was his work ethic.

"He’s in the gym every morning at 5:30 all summer long while most kids aren’t getting up until 9-10 a.m.," Colbey Santos said. "He just loves the game of basketball. You’ve got to literally kick him out of the gym and tell him he needs some rest days, but he genuinely likes it."

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While Troy Santos may not be the tallest or strongest player on the court, it's his competitiveness and drive for success that has gotten him to where he is now. It's that same work ethic and self-discipline he developed with his older brother Trent, who helped lead Taunton to its first ever outright Hockomock Kelley-Rex title his senior year and now plies his trade for Assumption University.

"I’m really proud of them.," Steve Santos, Troy and Trent's father and a former standout quarterback for both Taunton and Curry College, said. "They’re the greatest kids in the world and they work their butts off every day."

Steve said there was a time Troy wasn't as interested in waking up early to work in the gym with him and his brother, but while he was in the eighth grade, the COVID pandemic hit. With little to do, he began dedicating himself to honing his craft.

Tory joined his father, brother Trent and former Taunton and current UMass Dartmouth player Josh Lopes in daily workouts at the old Taunton Catholic Middle School CYO court. From there, his dedication only grew.

"He’s always finding something to do," Steve Santos said. "Some sort of workout to do or watching film, dribbling in the driveway. He’s married to this game."

"We push each other every day"

When Troy hit his 1,000th point in Wrentham Friday, he joined his brother Trent not only in the Tigers' 1,000 point scorers club, but also as the first sibling pair to reach the milestone. Not only that, like his brother, he also reached the milestone on the road in the final regular season game of his senior year.

To see where his brother has taken his game from the days they were playing against each other as young kids has been something Trent Santos has truly cherished.

"It was a really cool moment because we’ve played so many one-on-one games," Trent Santos said. "So many morning workouts have led to this. I’m really proud of him and he’s been doing a great job this year."

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For Trent, playing with and against his brother throughout their lives has helped sharpen both of their skillsets, aided with a little bit of friendly sibling rivlary.

"We both push each other every day and I think that has led to us being good players, especially him," Trent Santos said. "Being the younger brother, he always wanted to beat me and now as he’s getting older, he keeps getting better and better."

For Troy, its those moments he credits all of his success too.

"It’s been everything to me, (working with) my brother and my dad," Troy Santos said. "They’ve made me who I am as a player."

As for dad Steve, he may have given his sons the tools for success, but he credits them for taking it even further.

"Trent was at an unbelievable level of hard work and Troy has taken it to a whole other level," Steve Santos said. "It’s unimaginable how hard that kid works and he deserves every second of (praise)."

"They could be dangerous"

Troy Santos will be the first to admit none of this success would be possible without his teammates and the strong chemistry they've built.

After a year away from the team, senior Cyrus Morrisette has been a leader both on and off the court, as well as fellow senior Tyson Carter, with both often finding themselves among the top of the Taunton scoring chart. Senior Kenny Jeanmichel has been a difference maker since transferring from Avon, utilizing his height and wingspan to cause havoc on defense and slam down some serious dunks, with junior Travis Johnson also emerging as a serious threat in those same areas. Sophomore Dray Thielker has been a surprise to many, breaking through on the scoring charts with his sharpshooting from three point range, and certainly looks a leader for the future for the Tigers.

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With a new coaching staff and a plethora of new faces, Steve Santos said he wasn't sure how things would pan out this season, but he has been thoroughly impressed by the efforts of all.

"I think in the tournament they could be dangerous," Steve Santos said. "They cause havoc on defense, they force a ton of steals and they take a ton of shots, so they’re going to score a ton of points. That’s one thing Colbey has done: he’s let them to be free and it’s paid off."

As for Colbey and his coaching staff, having a captain like Troy has certainly been a big asset.

"It makes our jobs easier," Colbey Santos said. "He does all of the right things and the kids follow and he just leads by example. He’s not the most vocal but you just follow his actions and it’s been a blessing this year."

Winners of seven of their last 10 games, all around the team feel as if they've hit their stride at the right time and look forward to showing the rest of the state that the Tigers mean business.

"We’ve adjusted after a loss all year long so I’m excited for our next opportunity," Colbey Santos said.

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton's Troy Santos dedication to his craft, team leads to success