In high school basketball, the most significant individual accolade a player can achieve may be reaching the 1,000-point plateau. It’s a remarkable milestone that requires years of dedication and success to achieve.

However, for Moravia High School senior Abram Wasileski, 1,000 career points was just the beginning of the celebration.

Prior to Friday’s home game against Marathon, a special ceremony was held to honor Abram’s achievement of scoring 1,000 career points, as well as becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer. By hitting the 1,160-point mark against Union Springs on February 6, Abram also etched his name atop the scoring list.

“I knew I was approaching it, but I didn’t know how many points I was away. Or how many games it would take,” Wasileski said. “But I didn’t really think about it too much. I knew it was going to happen, so I kept playing my game and didn’t worry about it.”

Hitting the 1,000-point mark – just the seventh player in program history to do so – has been a goal of Abram’s for as long as he can remember.

“It is pretty surreal. It’s something I dreamed about for a long time,” he said. “I’ve played my whole life, and I was always getting moved up to play with the older kids. And I looked up to a lot of the guys on the all-time scoring list. So, I just always wanted to be a 1,000-point scorer.”

After playing well in his sophomore and junior years, Abram knew 1,000 points was within reach. He just didn’t anticipate how fast it would happen.

“I knew if I played well, I could hit the mark. But I didn’t think I’d hit it so early in the season. It’s just something that is so cool.”

According to Coach Todd Mulvaney, Abram’s achievements are a direct reflection of the hard work he puts into his game, as well as the person he is off the court.

“I am incredibly happy for Abram. He is a special player who means a lot to our program,” Mulvaney said. “Abram has dedicated a lot of time and worked extremely hard to achieve these goals. Not only is Abram a great player, but he is also a great person. We are all so proud of him.”

High School Principal Jeff Green echoed those thoughts.

“We are all thrilled that Abram was able to achieve such an amazing milestone. Setting these records is a testament to his commitment to basketball and our program. Even more importantly, Abram is a model of amazing character on and off the court and a tremendous asset to our school community. We are all so proud of him,” said Green.

While scoring 1,000 points and being a program’s all-time leading scorer is certainly reserved for a select few, it isn’t something new to the Wasileski family. Abram’s older sister, Grace, holds the all-time scoring record for the girl’s program. According to Abram, watching his older sister provided him with plenty of inspiration.

Abram admitted to mimicking the moves Grace would do at home and always trying to keep up with her. Despite some normal sibling rivalries, and the occasional trash talk, Abram said she was the perfect role model both on and off the court.

“I definitely looked up to my older sister. She was such a good basketball player, and her teams always did well. So, it was always cool to watch her play and see her score all those points,” he said. “I really just wanted to follow in her footsteps. It’s really cool to see how we’re both at the top now.”

Now having his turn to be the older sibling for his sister, Caroline, Abram said it’s important to him to support his younger sister in any way that he can.

“I like to support her and it’s great to watch her grow. I hope she keeps climbing and maybe even break Grace’s records. Who knows,” Abram said with a smile. “I wish her all the best. I’m here to help her if she needs me.”

After Abram hit his 1,000^th career point, the focus drifted towards the all-time scoring record. Needing just 160 more points, Abram remained focused on playing team basketball and not pushing for points.

“I knew the record was close, but I didn’t want to look ahead to that. I wanted to make sure I played my game and didn’t get into my head,” he said.

Abram said reaching these milestones would not have been possible without the support of his teammates, who he noted are like “family.”

“I have wonderful teammates. I couldn’t thank them enough for always helping me and pushing me,” he said. “This team is just awesome. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

Abram said he looks forward to watching the program grow over the next few years, and provided a special shout out to junior Joe Baylor, who was unfortunately unable to play this year due to an injury.

“He’s a great player, and it will be cool to see him reach 1,000 points next year,” Abram said. “It would be great to see him pass me, too.”

So, after hitting the 1,000-point mark and breaking the all-time scoring record, it would be easy for Abram to hope his legacy would be that of a prolific scorer.

That, according to Abram, could not be further from the truth.

“The scoring doesn’t matter. I hope my legacy will be as a good teammate who helped the team and was a good role model,” he said. “That I was a controlled player who played for his team and just wanted to succeed.”