With the basketball team’s current record at 8-5, and players Anthony Davis and Jaden Wright taking the lead in scoring, the squad has had a strong start to the season.
Considering the fact that this year’s team consists of mainly new players, and that coach Gary Collier is only in his second season of head coaching at the school, the team seems to be adjusting to the change of conditions quite well.
“[The changing of players] from last season to this season is one of those things that is just a work in progress,” Collier said. “I’m really pleased with the direction we’re going, and the success we’ve had so far. Now we have to gain the experience, the confidence, and the understanding that we have to play good night-in and night-out.”
Collier stresses that this year’s team is not where they should be in terms of in-game experience compared to the team from last year, however, they are nearing that mark through time and patience.
“I have to be real patient with the team, probably a little more than I was last year,” Collier said. “It’s just because they’re young, and it’s going to take some time to gain the experience they need to get where we need to be. We’re getting to that point, though.”
Aside from having an all-around excellent set of athletes, a team also needs a certain balance of respect and teamwork to function as a unit. This group of players surpasses expectations with their supportive team chemistry.
“These guys really get along well, and are doing a good job of respecting each other,” Collier said. “That’s very important at the high school level. We do some things to try to help build that team chemistry. We played out of town in Wichita Falls after Thanksgiving, and that was a wonderful time for the guys and I to bond and get to know each other better.”
The team faces off against Roosevelt tonight at 7:30 p.m. Collier stresses that his team needs to use a much more physical approach towards tonight’s game.
“We could be a little more aggressive,” Collier said. “We tend to have problems against teams that are real physical with us. This game will be a good chance for us to step up our aggressiveness.”
