Take it from Bo Bassett to teach you all about championship mentality. The 17-year-old, who’s turned into the biggest and brightest high school wrestling star has turned heads for an entirely different reason this time. While he’s riding high on his recent triumphs, other Bishop McCort Catholic High School were not as lucky. But that doesn’t mean Bassett is going to let them wallow in self pity—he’s there every step of the way!

For Bishop McCort’s rising sophomore wrestler and Bassett’s adoptive brother Melvin Miller, the Ironman Wrestling Tournament was a chance to prove himself. However, the 17-year-old, who’s a 2024 State Champion, fell a tad bit short as he lost 10-1 to Stillwater High School’s U17 World Champ (2023) and U20 World Silver Medalist (2024) LaDarion Lockett in the 165 lbs category. For the unversed, Miller was adopted by Bo’s parents Karissa and Bill two years ago.

Bassett, on the other hand, who’s currently ranked No. 1 by FloWrestling, defeated Sunnyside’s Carlos Stanton, ranked 12th, with a 22-4 technical fall in 2:23 for gold in the 144 lbs category. No. 2 Forrest also clinched an Ironman title after winning 10-7 over Union County’s Jayden Raney in the 132 lbs division.

However, akin to Miller, there were some other hearts broken, too…The school’s junior and Penn State commit Sam Herring finished fourth in 138, after a defeat by Sunnyside’s Sergio Vega in 4:48. Devon Magro, who’s a senior and Brown University commit won by medical forfeit over Brooke Point’s Chase Van Hoven at 157.

But despite three wins, the school was only able to clinch the second rank in the team standings at 177.5—a good 35.5 points behind first-placed Faith Christian Academy. But if you thought this would dampen the young team’s spirit, you’re wrong. They are here for more, which was amply evident from Miller’s recent Instagram post.

The youngster took to the social media platform on December 11 to share a short but heartfelt message that encapsulated his current state of mind perfectly. “Ironman Runner Up—always grateful, never satisfied, & I will be back,” he wrote in a promise to himself and the world. And before you know it, the whole wrestling community gathered in the comments section to shower appreciation on the youngster—including his own family. 

“Proud of you ❤️,” his mother Karissa commented in an endearing expression of her love. And then there was Keegan who wrote, “Respect 🫡,” while Bo doubled down, writing, “Beast.” Even Miller’s Ironman opponent LaDarion Lockett, commented, “My brotha❤️.” 

Having said that, the Bassett family’s camaraderie is hardly contained within endearment and social media. Notably, the three brothers even achieved an iconic feat just a few months earlier!

The three brothers etched their names in history books in May this year when they became the first trio from one family to earn spots on Team USA after winning the U.S. Open, helping them qualify for the Pan-American Games. “It might not ever get done again,” Miller had said.

For Bo, the achievement was all about family. “I couldn’t do it without any of them. They mean so much (to me),” he had said, while Melvin stated, “We’re all a family, so we all push each other to try to be the greatest on the mat and even off the mat.” 

But let’s not forget the one person, perhaps whose contributions were far more than anybody else: The boys’ father, Bill Bassett. He was present at the Ironman Wrestling event, and while celebrating Bo’s accolades, also revealed how his son expertly juggles wrestling and social media fame.

Bill is a proud father

The way Bo Bassett has been getting a ton of attention this season isn’t something that has gone under the radar of his father, Bill. He is enthusiastic about his son’s wrestling career and monitors every activity that he does on and off the sport. At the recent Ironman Wrestling Tournament, Bo’s father expressed pride in not only his son but the whole team’s overall performance, recognizing the effort and growth shown by the other wrestlers.

During the post-race interview, featured on WIN Magazine’s YouTube channel, he also opened up about his thoughts on his son’s recent rise to fame, stating, “Bo does a really good job with time management. I mean, he does a good job of setting time aside for it, and I mean, you guys saw. I mean, he’s still wrestling pretty darn good, so, you know, if his wrestling is not dropping, I think it’s a great thing.”

“I think he’s changing a sport; I think, you know, a lot of little kids, a lot of new parents are looking up to him and learning a lot from him, and I know what if he was a little kid, and, you know, somebody was doing that when he was younger, he would’ve been locked into it.”

For Bill, Bo has been phenomenal with his talent. He’s using his time well and juggling between his career and fame in a good way, which isn’t affecting his skills. For which, his father isn’t bothered with whatever he did outside of the sport, until he’s bringing the results, and keeping up his collegiate dreams alive. Bill is also proud of whatever his son is doing, as it is bringing a change in the wrestling scene.