This basketball season, the boys varsity basketball team features players from all four grade levels, creating a well-diverse and balanced roster and a season of wins. Freshmen are eager to prove themselves, and seniors are giving it their all for one last ride together. Senior Andre Stith has been in the program all four years of high school – three of those years on varsity. Stith has taken away valuable lessons from the program, but the most important is that including everyone, despite their age, is the top priority for a successful season and strong team chemistry.

“We try to do everything as a team, if one person can’t go, we all can’t go,” Stith said. “So we try to make sure everybody’s there. We make sure the younger guys have rides, take them to all the games and practices, and just things like that.”

“We try to just make sure everybody talks to each other,” Stith said. “You could catch, like, all the seniors talking to each other, so just make sure that seniors that’s talking to the freshman too, even though they’re probably three, four years apart. It’s just good for everybody to talk to each other, not just divide in age groups.”

For underclassmen, having older mentors on the team is a blessing. Sophomore Isaac Butler knows who he can go to for guidance and advice when he needs support.

“I feel like they know what the coaches expect and so instead of the coaches yelling at us, the older guys can just talk to us, and that comes across a little bit better,” Butler said.

Upperclassmen have been around long enough to know routines and what coaches want and accept from their players. The mix of experience helps hold each other accountable and strengthens the overall chemistry of the team.

“It helps having them because most of us don’t know what to do, but the seniors know what to do, so just them talking to us is really helpful,” Butler said.

For freshman Beckett Oster, the change from middle school ball to high school ball was quite the adjustment. Meeting new people was one of the biggest challenges as he had to adapt to a larger team and a faster-paced environment. Oster quickly warmed up to his team and was given useful advice.

“Don’t be an idiot in class. Just focus and keep up with your stuff,” Oster said.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Credit to Kylie Ramirez

Senior Andre Stith and junior Trace Hunter lift teammate freshman Beckett Oster up for an assisted dunk.

Oster has the opportunity to not only play with those older than him, he also plays with his older brother. Due to his brother’s seniority, Oster leans on him as a brother but also a mentor and leader on the team.

“Having my upperclassmen brother is a huge help…he shows me the ropes and makes me confident out there,” Oster said.

Junior Trace Hunter is an upperclassman, this is his first year at the varsity level. Since playing with varsity, Hunter has learned that everyone on the team plays a specific role, and equally important. Hunter relies on the seniors just as much as the underclassmen do, as they have more experience and exposure to varsity.

“Whenever we don’t know what to do in a drill or something they can tell us what to do. And even just talking to us about other things they have more knowledge about helps,” Hunter said.

“Everyone has a place. No matter what grade, it’s about winning and if a younger player is outplaying an upperclassman, they are going to play over them,” Hunter said.

With such a wide range of ages and experiences, it’s easy for comparison or competition to creep in. Freshmen are gunning to prove themselves, upperclassmen wanting to lead, and everyone feeling pressure to get minutes on the court. However, when the team commits to encouragement over jealousy, the team unites rather than divides.

“Telling them they’re fine and talking them up if they do something wrong just so they know we got their back,” Hunter said.

The team is at various stages. Some are just beginning their high school career and others are ending it. All have one goal to accomplish this season.

“Having a winning record that takes us all the way to the end,” Stith said.