This year, the Varsity Basketball team has put a large amount of their focus toward building camaraderie. Basketball is a sport that requires a whole group to be engaged. Not only the 5 players on the court, but the bench and even the coaches. This year, the team has done a commendable job of executing our vision, but will look to continue building on our togetherness. Our vision has allowed us to jump out to a 7-2 start. Despite the great start, the team is not satisfied with their early-season success because the ultimate goal is to win the Rising Stars Tournament at the end of February.
Despite a late practice time, players show up an hour early, ready to work. Some players work out, some stretch, and some chill, but regardless of what individuals are doing, we are together building strong bonds. Varsity basketball players come to every practice with enthusiasm and a hunger to improve. One of the ways they spark competition is by splitting up players into two separate teams for the week. This means that during practice, these two teams will go head-tohead in every drill in order to be able to choose where the team will eat after their next away game. This adds an incentive to work extra hard every day and leave the excuses at the door.
In the first section of the season, while the team found success, we had a tendency to complain and worry about things that didn’t matter. As we move deeper into the season, we look to focus on performance, and performance alone. This will allow us to move on from things more quickly and stay focused on doing whatever we can to win the game.
This team will face a challenging schedule, with a majority of the remaining games are expected to be very competitive. The team is focused on staying resilient and using adversity as fuel to learn and grow into a stronger unit. There is obvious improvement with this team every day; players are starting to find their roles and give up their desires for individual success in favor of the team’s success. This team recognizes that all 15 members, including players and coaches, play a crucial role in our ability to accomplish our goals, and this is evident in every practice and game.
Our roster includes Cole Systo ’29, David Hu ’28, Malaki Veras ’27, Duncan Bedell ’27, JJ Bones ’27, Andy Duan ’27, Riggins Kopcza ’27, Jaden Godette ’27, Drew Moore ’26, Reid Harrison ’26, Marcus Fraser ’26, and Caden Nuñez ’26. Our coaches, Mr. Andy Bedell, Mr. Sol Lakey, and Mr. David Goodrow, lead the way.
