Wakefield High School’s varsity basketball team is coming back from a 15-11 season. Starting the season with four consecutive wins, they are hoping to go undefeated this season. With a strong lineup and a strong spirit, they are planning for greatness and are shooting for some remarkable games.
Coaches and players expect a great season. Head Coach Garrett Stevens is not afraid and has faith that his team is headed for victory.
“They just want to win,” Stevens said. “They want to win the conference, they want to make a deep playoff run and try to make the state championship. All this group really cares about is winning and they don’t care how it gets done.”
Team morale and team chemistry are some of the most crucial factors heading into any game. The Wolverines are working hard to develop a close bond. Whether in the locker room, in the gym, or out in public these teammates remain close friends. Senior Jason Howard attests to this.
“We’ve played together since freshman and sophomore year so we have really good team chemistry and bond off the court too,” Howard said.
The best is yet to come as the varsity team starts with a win against Garner and Clayton. They are showing that they came ready to win this season and expect more great wins. Assistant Coach Trent Wilson Sr. shares his input.
“I think we are going to have a strong season,” Wilson said. “They’ve been playing together for quite a few years. They’ve grown together to become better and are pretty aggressive.”
Basketball is filled with great games, like the JV team’s win against Garner and loss against Clayton. Sometimes the team will win and sometimes they will lose but what matters is what happens after.
“Sometimes, the type of loss can help,” Stevens said. “We want to watch films, we want to point out things that we did well, we want to look for areas that we struggled with because those are learning opportunities. We don’t want to lose but there will be times when we do and I want to be able to take something positive out of it. ”
Being good at dribbling and shooting the ball doesn’t necessarily make one a good basketball player, it takes a keen mentality. Everything can change while on the court so you must be adaptable. Contrary to sports like football where players are either on the offensive side or the defensive side of the team, in basketball, one has to be ready to switch at any moment and plan for it like sophomore Jaylin McNeill.
“I’ve been training overall, but I realize I need to work a lot harder than what I’ve been doing,” McNeill said. “So I get in the rotation, but it’s just a mentality. I‘ve been focused on my mentality so I can be more confident in my game.”
No matter what the future holds, you can count on one thing. The Wolverines are coming with one goal in mind: to win.
“The goal always is to win a conference,” Wilson said. “Once you win the conference, you go to state.”
