‘Destined for greatness,’ Weston athletics honors Jared Groff

Director of Athletics Michael McGrath speaks at a Jan. 6 halftime ceremony retiring Jared Groff’s jersey while Groff’s former coach, David First, stands in the background. (Chris Larabee/Weston Observer)

For those who knew him, played with him or coached him, there was only one Jared Groff.

In a halftime ceremony at Weston’s Jan. 6 game versus Wayland High School, the boys basketball team retired Jared Groff’s number 33 jersey, honoring the prolific basketball player who was killed in an April 12, 2025 plane crash alongside his mother, Dr. Joy Saini; father, Dr. Michael Groff; sister, Karenna Groff; his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte; and sister’s boyfriend, James Santoro.

“Last April, we suffered an unthinkable loss when Jared and three of his beloved family members passed away tragically,” Director of Athletics Michael McGrath said. “It left a void in our community that we still feel every single day. Tonight, we ensure that his presence is never forgotten.”

The school honored Groff, who graduated in 2017, with a plaque of his jersey and face, along with his numerous accomplishments on the court, which included scoring 1,000 points, earning four Dual County League All-Star selections and winning a conference championship. He continued his basketball career at Swarthmore College, where he helped the team reach the NCAA Division III national championship game.

“He was an excellent student and fierce competitor on the court,” the plaque reads. “Jared did not want to just win games; he wanted to win every play. He was a good friend and great teammate.”

*The plaque honoring Jared Groff (Chris Larabee/Weston Observer)*

David First, who coached all four years of Groff’s high school career, flew to Massachusetts from Florida to honor his former player.

First said Groff was a “tenacious player with an insatiable drive, a student, a great friend and a catalyst for enjoying life and working for success.”

“He was destined for greatness in any way we would define it before leaving us at a young age,” First continued. “When current students, athletes and the rest of us enter this gym and look up to the plaque, whether during an assembly, a free period or before a championship game, may we all be inspired by number 33.”

*Former Weston High School boys basketball coach David First gives remarks honoring Jared Groff, who died in an April 2025 plane crash alongside five others. (Chris Larabee/Weston Observer)*

Despite being a “titan of Weston High School basketball,” McGrath said Jared Groff’s “excellence wasn’t confined to just the basketball court,” as he was an excellent student and community member.

“Perhaps most tellingly, even after his playing days were done,” McGrath said, “he chose to come back to these sidelines to mentor our freshman boys basketball team – sharing his passion and wisdom with the next generation of Wildcat basketball players.”

Karenna Groff, who played soccer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year, will have her jersey retired at halftime of a girls soccer match this fall, according to McGrath.