As the end of fall sports season has arrived, winter sports season is coming to a start. Many winter sports athletes are starting to prepare for their sport. Basketball players have started with conditioning.
The players have a strict schedule that they follow which consists of working out and then playing in the gym. The conditioning is every Monday through Thursday after school but on Wednesdays, they practice in the mornings. They either play before weightlifting and working out or after. This conditioning gets them ready for playing and it also improves their game a lot more.
“We lift after and before school like three times a week,” senior Jordan Gassen said. “We also do conditioning like running outside. We also scrimmage 5v5. Just yesterday we had had to run suicides. We ran in groups of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 with a set time that increased by 12 seconds with each one. It was very tiring. After that, we played against each other.”
The conditioning isn’t based on position or any other factor. Everyone has to do the same drills and workouts. This is used to help connect the players with each other and create a bond with the players. With a bond created between the players, they are able to have better communication and better teamwork with each other. Communication is really important when playing basketball. With communication, you are able to defend and score really easily. The whole team is aware of what’s going on on the court. Due to that being an important feature of the team, the teammates you are going to have are going to really affect the communication.
“I’m just looking forward to playing with new guys, and also just being around the team,” senior Isaiah Jones said. “ Getting closer with teammates is what I’m looking forward to most through the season. Competing with my friends and probably the team dinners will most likely get me closer to my teammates and form a bond between them.”
The varsity players all have certain intentions for playing this season. Winning games is the biggest priority for these players. The more games they win, the closer they will be to getting the championship this year. These intentions are able to motivate them throughout the season so the season is able to go really well and get a lot of wins. Some of the players’ intentions are not that high. A lot of the players just want to make state this year and then go on from there.
“I just want to make it to state and then we will go from there,” senior Tag Carmichael said. “ We didn’t make State last year so this year, I want the team to make state. It is my biggest goal this year while playing.”
Playing basketball requires a lot of physicality from you. The amount of practice and conditioning you have to do just to be prepared for the season is a lot. You have to be able to play on offense and the moment the possession is changed, you have to run back down the court on defense. You have to be able to do that for a few quarters straight. Because of that, the coaches push the players as much as they can. They make the players run, lift weights, and condition a lot throughout the week and the season. The coaches make the players do this so they can be physically fit while playing.
“To play basketball you have to be able to play both offense and defense,” coach Bill Morrison said. There are a lot of offensive skills you need to have. You have to be able to play well on both ends to be a good player. And you have to be in shape. If you aren’t in shape, you won’t be able to do what is required to win the game.”
Coaches and players from the varsity basketball team are all looking forward to the season. The court is one of the only places where they can show their dominance and what they have done throughout the season. They want to show that they are better than all of the other teams. Because of that, the coaches select only the best of the best players during tryouts. Tryouts are on the week of Nov. 13.
