As of Feb. 5, the current Varsity boys basketball team’s record is 3-11, according to MaxPrep. The team lost three seniors this year and has had difficulties making up for that loss. 

“We lost a point guard, Luke Metcalf, and we kind of ran our offense through Luke Metcalf a lot. Especially with it being Coach Bechard’s first year, I think he used Luke Metcalf’s ability while he could, so now we are trying  to figure out how to be a team, instead of relying on one player,” Ezra Baker, 12, said. 

While the new strategy may affect the player’s dynamic on the court, the close games the team lost directly affected the winning record. 

“Some games were really close, like there were a few toss up games that just didn’t go our way, so it makes the record look worse than it was. I think we could end the season with a winning record,” Baker said.

The games they lost by only two or three points, so a couple of shots could have turned the game around. Ryan Jackson, 11, thinks that if they made most of the free throws they missed, the outcome of the games would have turned out differently. 

“Free throws would have probably pushed us to win the close scoring games because we haven’t shot the ball very well from the free throw line. I think if we shot the ball better, especially from the free throw line, we would have won most of those games,” Jackson said. 

Confidence plays a big role in basketball, and a good mindset could affect a game and cause other members of the team to play better. 

“Confidence definitely plays into it. Personally, I haven’t been shooting with very much confidence or making many shots this year, but that’s something I’m trying to work on, and I’m trying to be better mentally. It definitely plays a part, especially on offense,” Jackson said. 

While one member of the team could contribute to the win, basketball is a team sport, and requires effort and skill from everyone in the team.

“I think the team wins games, not players. There’s individual plays every now and then that happen, like Chase. Chase had a good lay up the other day, but it wouldn’t get there without a steal, it wouldn’t get there without a pass, and it wouldn’t get there without a rebound. There’s five guys vs. five guys. Not one person is doing better,” Baker said.