WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — There have been a lot of great high school basketball players in Ohio including LeBron James, but Cornerstone Christian Academy senior Quinn Kwasniak is celebrating something even "The King" couldn't pull off.
Kwasniak scored 53 points in Saturday's district championship win over Western Reserve to surpass Jon Diebler’s all-time state record of 3,208 career points.
"I never thought coming in as a freshman, this never even crossed my mind," Quinn Kwasniak said.
A feat made more unlikely because, growing up, Quinn didn't want to play basketball.
“When he was growing up he didn’t even want to play basketball, he wanted to be John Cena, he wanted to be a wrestler," Quinn's father and Cornerstone Christian Head Coach Babe Kwasniak said.
The first person to notice Quinn’s potential on the hardwood was his grandfather, Tedd Kwasniak, who was a longtime basketball coach in Northeast Ohio; including a head coaching tenure at Villa Angela St. Joseph’s.
"His grandfather, who we lost in October, he said from the start that he’s going to be as good as any player you’ve ever coached," Babe Kwasniak said.
Tedd Kwasniak passed away in October but still influences his grandson’s career today. Quinn wrote “Pops” on his shoes to honor his grandfather each time he takes the court. Babe has had Tedd’s cane with him throughout this season. They both say they felt Tedd with them during the record-breaking moment.
"It was definitely deep. Everything happens for a reason. I know he’s watching down from above," Quinn Kwasniak said.
"I did exactly what he would’ve done which is cry," Babe Kwasniak said. "My dad cried at everything. He found so much joy."
The state scoring record is just the latest accomplishment in Quinn’s high school career. He broke the state record for most career 3-pointers in February. Both he and his father agree that the records are a testament to the hard work behind the scenes.
“High expectations never survive low standards," Babe Kwasniak said.
“People see all the records and shots I make but they don’t see the work that goes into it," Quinn Kwasniak said. "Day in and day out. It’s just the mornings, in the summer, no one really knows what you go through.”
The hard work continues for the Cornerstone Christian Academy Patriots as they move one step closer to their dreams of a state championship. Babe Kwasniak thinks his team has what it takes to make a run.
“I’ve been a part of five state championship teams. We absolutely do. It’s just like what Quinn’s done. Working hard doesn’t guarantee success but without it you don’t have a chance," Babe Kwasniak said.
"The main goal is winning the state championship," Quinn Kwasniak said. "Motivation isn’t the word it’s on a whole other level; I’d almost do anything.”
Cornerstone Christian Academy will face John F. Kennedy Catholic in the Division VII Regional Championship at Barberton High School on Friday.
