With the season finally here, the freshmen boys basketball team has begun practice and preparing for scrimmages before district open against Decatur High School Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1:15 p.m. in Decatur.
Learning how to navigate a new team takes time to build relationships on and off the court, and freshman John Stodola said building relationships will strengthen these skills.
“If we are not getting so mad at each other all the time and work together, we will most likely win more just because we feel more confident,” freshman John Stodola said. “Winning makes you feel like all the practice we’ve been doing every day from eighth period to after school just works out and is worth it.”
While earning a winning season is the goal, freshman Nathan Sanders said he values the time with his teammates and friends to continue to grow a passion for the game.
“It feels good knowing that you and your friends can work together, do something fun, and keep it fun,” Sanders said. “Basketball is a passionate sport for me because it takes a lot of dedication and practice to get good because you don’t just get good overnight. Someone who helped show me this was my dad because he played in high school and went to college with it. I want to do the same because he’s a person I want to be the same as.”
Because the sport requires strong communication between players, athletes must not only strengthen their physical skills, but they have to reinforce mental skills as well, and varsity assistant basketball coach Alex Groff said his players must demonstrate their commitment to growing.
“Five words to sum up the team would be: pushing through adversity, constantly, together,” Groff said. “The mental is what makes some players better than others. If you ask any of my players at this point, it’s basketball is an honors class. You can’t be dumb and play basketball. Every guy wants to play basketball; for the most part, they got the physicals, they can jump, and they are obviously truly gifted, but the players that are better than the average player can push through and care more than everyone else.”
Teaching the students the skills and stamina to continue throughout a game is a large portion of practice, but Groff said the impact of the sport off the court is also a priority for the team.
“Something that motivates me to coach basketball is impacting people, not just kids, but the people around me,” Groff said. “Basketball is a game, after all. It’s what I love to do, still what I love to be around, but it’s the kids I enjoy being around, leaving an impression on who they are as men.”
