Credit to Austin Griffin

In the 2022-2023 basketball season, the varsity boys team consisted completely of senior athletes, aside from Elijah and Isaac Bollinger, a freshman and junior at the time. As the only two returning varsity players, they have gone under extensive coverage over the course of the 23-24 season, but there is more to the story of the season than just them. Many players competed for their first varsity minutes, including freshman Cohen Oster, all the way up to seniors who have played JV for their past three years such as Austin Vollmer. This was a huge opportunity for so many players within the Knights basketball program, since there was no longstanding roster, which allowed for a lot of fluidity between the varsity and junior varsity teams. Sophomore Ethan Scott stepped on the varsity court about halfway through this season, along with many other junior varsity players.

“My first game was very exciting for me, especially realizing varsity plays with a much faster pace and a higher level of intensity on defense,” Scott said. “I felt confident making the change, but soon after learned I still had a lot to work on and I am constantly attempting to make improvements in my game.”. 

The varsity team ended the season with a final record of 4-22, after losing their first playoff game against Chaminade with a score of 75-25. While this season may have not had the best look on paper, some statistics can’t be put on a spreadsheet. Although the team only won 4 games, the teams overall has improved by a considerable amount, especially this years upperclassmen including Jackson Calhoun. There is always a high standard begging to be met by varsity athletes at the highschool level, but it is just as important to show improvement throughout the season as well as building those relationships among teammates.

“We faced a lot of adversity this year since we are such a young team,” Andre Stith (10) said. “We have a lot of room to grow and I feel like this season was a great start and learning experience going into next season.”