As winter comes closer and closer to starting, so does the basketball season. The boys basketball team began official tryouts on Nov 4. They had a two and a half hour practice before the football game.

The tryouts are composed of all grades, freshman through seniors, but they are split up into the three different teams: freshman, junior varsity (jv), and varsity. Coach Boyle is in charge of coaching the freshman, Coach O’Keefe is with the jv, and Coach Close and Coach Culp run the varsity tryouts. Each coach is in charge of choosing their teams and picking who they are going to cut and keep. The teams usually consist of about 12 players, but sometimes a couple more or less.

During the tryouts, all the athletes participating go through a bunch of skill work and concept work. At the beginning of each tryout everyone is together doing dribbling and passing drills to get warmed up. Then the players break off to their assigned team and work on more dribbling drills as well as some shooting drills.

Next the coaches run their players through some defensive concepts. Everyone then shoots free throws and takes a water break. Free throws are very  important during a game so they are practiced a lot. Following the break, coaches run their players through some offensive concepts and let their teams play up and down the court five on five. At the end of tryouts, coaches line their players up and he gives them a certain number of free throws the team has to make, and if the team gets it they are done, but if they do not, then they have to run a line drill and try again.
Coaches can make cuts as they feel they are apparent to them at anytime during the tryout. When the coaches have picked a final team, the official practices begin. When the football season ends all of those kids on the team wanting to play will have a fair and equal chance to tryout for the team. This means that some kids that make the team now, might not be on the team after the football players tryout. Before the season starts the team will have many practices and also a few scrimmages to get ready for their first game on Dec 2 against Kent Roosevelt. Everyone who makes the team will get the opportunity to play in a total of 22 season games plus however far they make it in the playoffs.