The men's basketball team has made a big impact this season here at Westfield, primarily led by their strong core of seniors who carried the Owls to a MASCAC regular-season championship ahead of the MASCAC playoffs. Among the senior starters is shooting guard Kevawn (Vawn) Lord.
Lord has travelled coast-to-coast, playing in Santa Maria, California, before returning locally to his New England roots at Westfield State, being originally from West Springfield.
"Before I came here, I played out in California at Allan Hancock, which was a junior college. I was playing out there until my eligibility ran out, and ultimately decided it made sense to come back home to play in Western Mass," said Lord.
Lord adjusted quite well in his first year at Westfield, playing in 16 games with seven starts, averaging 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He has improved his level of play tremendously in the 2019-20 season, averaging 19.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game – numbers which will have him in the conversation for the conference's player of the year award.
He has started 24 of the Owls' 25 games this season, leading Westfield to an 18-7 overall record and a 10-2 mark in the league. He's had several explosive scoring games, most recently netting 31 in Saturday's senior day win over MCLA.
"If we were playing a team that had Vawn Lord or someone like him at guard, all I could do is pray," said Owls head coach Rich Sutter jokingly.
As a standout athlete for the Owls, it wasn't until Lord was in high school that he found his talent was more than just for recreational basketball.
"Seventh grade was when I started playing basketball all together," said Lord. "But I'd say it was around high school, like around tenth grade, that I realized my ability could allow me to play in college."
Vawn highlights a particular aspect of his game that he can give credit to in terms of his individual performance aside from working hard at practice.
"When I was in high school, I never wore the same shoes twice," he said. "I had a collection of shoes I could pick from to change up the styles, I guess. You could say I'm a little superstitious about my shoes since I've worn the Jordan 'Sport Blues 6s' when I scored 35 points against Bridgewater, and 44 against Salem, so I think I'm gonna roll with these for a while."
Coming in as a transfer junior, getting acclimated to a new school can be a bit uncomfortable, but Lord has made the best of his two years here academically, finding an outlet for his interest in shoes and fashion inside the classroom.
"I'm a business management major here, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do after I graduate but I really want to work in manufacturing or like at a high-end fashion company as a consultant. Somewhere like a Saks Fifth, I can see myself in like a busy, metro area doing that stuff," said Lord.
He highlighted some of accomplishments that he's most proud of In his time as an Owl, and the relationships that he'll carry with him after this year.
"As a student, I would definitely say I'm proud of the 3.0 scholar-athlete award, I worked hard for that. I have a really close connection with the senior guys on this team, so I'll definitely make the effort to keep in touch with them. They know about my ups and downs … They're my brothers who I'll definitely stay in contact with after Westfield," said Lord.
Lord and the Owls have another big week in front of them with the MASCAC tournament looming. His play and leadership will go a long way in determining the Owls' outcome.
"I'm a pretty intense player, I get into the game 100% so I'd like to be remembered for my energy and the confidence I show up with on gameday. I don't like to lose, that mentality translates to my attitude in the locker room and on the court. I go out and lead by example, to put it that way," said Lord.
Lord has worked with some of the younger members of the team in developing their talent to help the Owls in the coming seasons.
"We have a really good freshman class, I love working with and helping the younger guys like [Joey] Cammarata and Brendan Hamilton develop because they're gonna take up some of the spots when we're gone next season," said Lord.
"I would say he's similar to the other captains who take on that leadership role, and embodies the other qualities that go with it," said Sutter. "The one thing that stands out and really separates him from the other captains is the amount of respect his teammates have for him."
"I like to think they respect me," said Lord. "Most of them know what they're gonna get from me, and that's passion and intensity, and that's where the respect is earned."
"I think Westfield is a very transformational place; that change is definitely embodied in Vawn. Westfield changes people for the better very holistically," added Sutter.
Lord praises his team's talent, which includes fellow seniors Jauch Green, Jr., Sam Traicoff, Moody Bey and graduate student Marcus Collins who will be making a last run at the MASCAC playoffs, as they hope to have a successful run at the title.
"We can only take it one game at a time. Our ultimate goal is to win the MASCAC Championship. I think we have a really good chance at competing and potentially winning the title with the talent we have on our team. I'm very confident in my teammates and coaches that we'll work as a team to reach that goal; it's a team effort all around," said Lord with emphasis.
-- written by Jacob Solomons, sports information intern