By Barrett Roberson.
Varsity boys basketball season starts November 12th against Del Rio in San Angelo.
After not making the playoffs last season, the team hopes to rebound this year.
“It’s a bounce-back season for us,” head coach Justin Reese said. “We’re used to making the playoffs, but last year we didn’t. So I think our guys are excited about the challenge of seeing if we can be a playoff team again.”
The start of a new season brings excitement and hope for everyone.
“I’m looking forward to getting on the court and competing with my teammates,” senior Jake Breckenridge said. “I think we can really play together and win a lot of games this year.”
While the players obviously look forward to playing, that’s not the only fun part about being in sports.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to travel to different games and go to the tournaments,” junior Josh Melson said. “It’s probably the most fun part.”
There is much excitement surrounding the start of the season, but the team has to remain focused on the task at hand.
“We may not be the most athletic team, but I think we can play really hard and well together,” Reese said. “The kids know that if we’re playing well together, offensively and defensively, we can do a lot of good things on both ends of the court.”
There has been a big turnover for the team’s players from last year, with many new faces seeing varsity for the first time.
“We’re really young and inexperienced,” Reese said. “We’re going to have a lot of guys who will be playing on varsity for the first time, but our young guys are ready to contribute right away. Our expectations are that we’re gonna play really hard, play together, and play really well every time we step on the court.”
The inexperience isn’t the only thing that distinguishes this team from last year’s.
“This team is a lot different than last year,” Breckenridge said. “We are a lot more together and we share the ball and fly around on defense a lot better than last year.”
The team has a long season ahead of them, and are doing all they can to succeed.
“They’re working hard right now to be the best they can be,” Reese said. “We’ll see where the chips fall, but we’re excited about the opportunity to get back in there, and we think we have the chance to be a playoff team again.”
