As the winter sports season begins, the boys’ basketball team is looking to turn things around this year with the introduction of new head coach Arron Boone
“Last year it was a very defeating feeling knowing that we had a big fat zero on that record [for in league games],” senior captain Artimus Hebbe said. “The entire team’s goal is to stack some wins on that board this year.”
Team bonding is a big aspect for any team, and the squad has bonded throughout the off-season.
“Playing fall ball and summer ball..that just gives guys opportunities to gel and really build chemistry together,” Hebbe said.
Recent junior transfer Cooper Dolezal-Sweeney emphasized that the vibe of the program is really uplifting.
“We got nothing to lose, so we’re just giving it our all,” Dolezal-Sweeney said.
Boone is excited to watch his team grow and develop this season. He talked about the importance of growth in a player and as a team.
“When they grow you can see the difference in their play, they are a little bit more excited, and if that leads to wins, that leads to wins but the biggest thing is that we want to see: them play excited, play loose, and enjoy the game again,” Boone said.
Boone also discussed how the group is still learning to play together and that is their biggest biggest growing pain right now.
A game that is going to stand out for Hebbe and the team is against Franklin. The past matchups between the two have been close.
“It has a lot of personal history for us cause we know a lot of those guys on that roster, and we want to be able to have that bragging rights of being like, ‘Hey, senior year we beat you guys,’” Hebbe said.
State is also a goal that Hebbe and the team have been working towards this season.
“Playoffs is the plan that we’ve been preaching before the season started. That’s what we’ve been saying before the school year even started,” Hebbe said. “Our main goal this year is playoffs and we’re trying to work our a** off for it.”
To give a phrase or a saying that describes the team, the coaches and players said:
Gritty, Dolezal-Sweeney;
Motivated, Boone;
Don’t count us out just yet, Hebbe.
