On September 17, after Sunday sitdown, hundreds of Deerfield students streamed into the Hale Family Gym to watch the long-awaited Kwasi vs. Artie basketball game. The two students, Kwasi Adu-Gyamfi ’26 and Artie Liendo ’27, announced at multiple sit down meals a few days prior that they would be playing each other in a one-on-one basketball game.
The idea for the game came about at an informal gathering during the first weekend back on campus. Liendo and Adu-Gyamfi wanted to settle who was better at basketball. Thus,
Ephraim Tutu ’24 launched into action to create what he initially thought would be a small event where the two underclassmen could duke it out on the court. He made flyers and started to spread the word around campus, especially in the athletic center. “As an upperclassmen, I thought this would just be a chance to showcase underclassmen minority faces,” Tutu said.
As word spread, Liendo trained with both Tyler Christopher Long ’26 and Teddy Hamadeh ’26, while Tutu trained with Adu-Gyamfi for about a week. Both coaches wanted to ensure their players were ready for the big match-up.
When the day came, the basketball game was not the small event Tutu had anticipated. Hundreds of Deerfield students of all grades and social groups circled the basketball court. Team Liendo was on one side, and Team Adu-Gyamfi on the other. As Adu-Gyamfi and Liendo paraded out, students screamed and jumped in support of their players.
“It really was a part of Deerfield culture I never saw before,” Tutu said. Noting the large quantity of students united around this one event, he added, “It became a bonding experience.”
Whenever Adu-Gyamfi or Liendo made a shot, the whole student body stormed the court to hug them.
The tight game added to the excitement, with the players going back and forth in the lead. Liendo came out victorious, but Gyamfi only lost by one point: 7–6. As the final shot went in—a low-arcing mid-ranged shot, over Adu-Gyamfi’s outstretched arm—everyone rushed the court in a swarm. Liendo was lifted into the air as people shoved to get closer to him.
Liendo recounted this moment of celebration, saying, “I felt like I had proved a lot of people wrong who had been downplaying me and thought I would lose.”
Slowly, people left the gym, but the game’s energy lingered in the community. “It’s the most united and exhilarated I’ve seen the Deerfield community in a long time,” said HD Lee ’24.
Reflecting on the game, Adu-Gyamfi said, “Me and Artie go pretty far back, so it was fun to get to play.”
Even weeks later, the game still lingers in people’s minds. Liendo said, “There might be a rematch in the spring, but that’s all I can say.” Tutu also could neither confirm nor deny this rumor. He simply said that he “knows Kwasi would love to make a comeback.”