The Griffin Conway Memorial Scholarship was established in 2014 to honor and celebrate the life of Griffin Conway. On behalf of the Conway family, the New Canaan YMCA is honored to offer this scholarship to one graduating New Canaan High School Senior that has demonstrated leadership and passion for the New Canaan YMCA Basketball League. The Y is thrilled to announce this year’s scholarship recipient is Luca Brillo.

Luca not only participated in the Y Ball league, but also embodies the YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. He will be continuing his education at University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences where he will study advertising with a focus on digital media. Looking to the future beyond college, Luca’s career goal is to become a significant figure in digital advertising and marketing. Luca credits his mother, Ekatherine, for recognizing his aptitude for absorbing visual information at an early age as well as for the major part her guidance has played in his academic and social successes. Luca also acknowledges his positive experience as a New Canaan YMCA Basketball League participant as having inspired his outlook to never quit and to chase his dreams.

Fellow basketball teammate, Kyle Demayo, shared, “One of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, Bobby Knight, said, ‘Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one.’ Luca embodied mental toughness and passed it on to all of his teammates, never letting us get down while the game was still going, always encouraging us to never give up until the buzzer sounds. If someone were to ask me who was the hardest worker on my Y-ball team this season, I would not hesitate to say, Luca Brillo.”

The New Canaan YMCA offers its congratulations to Luca Brillo, and wishes him the best of luck as he continues his educational career in Alabama.

Griffin Conway was a long-time Y-Ball participant who promoted sportsmanship and teamwork not only with his teams, but in the overall league as well. As a Y-Ball volunteer coach, Griffin mentored younger players, promoting sportsmanship, teamwork, and self-confidence, along with helping to foster a love for the game.