Hoops, they did it again
The whistle blows, shoes squeak and athletes race to send the ball flying through the net. Newbury Park High School’s boys’ basketball team has been hard at work since fall with practices six days a week, and has proved their dedication over their many successes this season.
Though their season is just beginning, the group has set several strategies into play that will work to ensure their success. Miles Montero, senior and co-captain, recognizes that the sport is not completely physical, as it also relies on the mentality of players, the game truly begins before stepping onto the court. Therefore, the group has taken to observing film to discover and then correct any weaknesses. “We watch a lot of film. I feel like the film is huge. When we are watching film, we can really pinpoint the mistakes, you know, like, ‘someone didn’t cut there, someone didn’t take an open shot there,’ it’s easier to pinpoint on film when we are all watching it together,” Montero said.
Alex DePatie, senior, has noticed that the team has also been working to learn and employ different methods of playing, based on their rivals’ strengths and weaknesses, “It depends on the game, but mostly we want to take away their best player…we want to basically get out and run and shoot, as well as middle penetration,” DePatie said.
In addition to developing their mindsets, the basketball team has also been working hard to form a group that is close on and off court. “We’ll do team dinners before all home games, so that’s always good to build chemistry, and we do a lot of talking and communicating throughout practice… [The best part of playing basketball] is building all the relationships and friendships that I’ve had throughout high school like all four years. I feel like I’ve connected with people that I wouldn’t have probably connected with otherwise,” DePatie said.
Such positive relationships have created an environment where players feel that they can support each other, and as a team captain, Montero has become a team motivation whenever things go awry. “I’m a big energy guy on the team. [The best encouragement] is just picking up your teammates, [saying], ‘You’ll hit the next shot! You’ll make a better pass,’ never putting them down,” Montero said.
Some may fear that the companionship between players might sacrifice the integrity of the team, however, Peter Chen, senior and co-captain, has realized that such friendships have caused advice to be taken more seriously. “If someone makes a mistake, it is not only the coach who tells them that they’re doing something wrong. If someone notices and other players making that player like will help the other player get better, not just the coaches,” Chen said.
Despite the various efforts that the athletes have been practicing, they have still faced and overcome challenges that have overall made the team more determined than ever before. “Last year our team was almost all seniors, and [this year] we had two kids transfer out so it’s pretty much an entirely new team…We have got something to prove,” Montero said.
