Photo by Ginny Houston.
The season was a battle for the varsity boy’s basketball team. In the last four years the team has made playoffs every year, but this year the team fights for a spot against four other strong teams in the district. Every game is important, but for the rest of the season each game is a momentum changer. The team practices more intensely on the goal of making the playoffs, studying the opposition, and adjusting to their abilities. With a mindset of taking everyday a step at a time: first playoffs, then district, and finally state.
Jamal Monroe Interview:
Q: How is the team doing this year?
A: The team is doing great, [we are] going for third in the district, and so if we win the remainder of the games, if we beat Reagan, [then] we’ll have a 3-way tournament between us Churchill and Reagan. So we still have a possibility of being first and that’s what we want, to be first in district so we can beat all the other teams in other districts. But if we win third or second it’ll still be good because we’ll play Judson or Wagner. We lost to Wagner actually by two in a really close tournament. I believe the team is actually doing really well this year.
Q: How is the team accomplishing the goals they have set?
A: [We have] harder practices and the coach will not let us give up at all. This is why Coach Murphy is a dedicated coach. One might say he is a mean coach, but he is a type of coach determined to win a game.
Q: How do you fell the team is doing so far in meeting the expectations.
A: [Beating] Churchill was one expectation that we had that we didn’t get, but other than that we are actually achieving our goals. People doubted us so much saying we’ll be 6th out of 7th in the district and right now we are holding our position at fourth.
Q: Who’s ahead of you in district?
A: Churchill, Madison, and Reagan.
Q: Have those teams beat you this year?
A: All three of them beat us. The toughest game that we had was the Madison game, we were actually winning. We got back up then they had a buzzer beater shot that hit us right in the heart.
Q: Do you feel that you guys deserve to go to district with all that you’re doing?
A: I feel that that even though I don’t see other teams practice, I’m gonna say yes. Just because I only know my team. Other than that I feel that we deserve to win 1st in district.
Q: As a team, how prepared are you guys?
A: Right now, we have so much time and we are getting prepared in all that time. Right now I’d say that we are 75% ready for playoffs. We still have a lot of time till playoffs and if all goes well we will win 1st.
Nick Garcia Interview:
Q: What have you guys done so far to prepare the team?
A: We’ve worked really hard at practices and we’ve prepared watching film of other teams and just basically coming together as one to accomplish what we have so far.
Q: What battles have you guys gone through this year?
A: A couple of injuries, having to go against some really good teams, some big teams and that’s about it.
Q: How hard do you think it might be to beat the other teams assuming they have the same desires as you guys?
A: It’ll be pretty good competition, pretty hard. [We] just have to go out there and play harder than anybody else.
