After a number of players quit at the start of the season, the boys basketball team has lost height and numbers. Because of this, the team has developed a whole new strategy for the season. Having a more fast paced team will bring about more openings.

“We have a great opportunity at hand,” head coach Justin Bogart said. “With our quickness, we plan on having a more disciplined offense and taking more shots.”

The loss of some seniors after last season has caused the team to play harder and give more effort.

“Losing the seniors from last year and having people quit have impacted our team talent-wise because we lost some varsity contributors,” junior forward Nathan Stacy said. “I don’t think it will affect how hard we work and overall how good our team will be this year.”

After starting the season with a loss, the team earned its first win on Tuesday, Dec. 6 against the Gardner-Edgerton High School Trailblazers.

“We played well because we were still embarrassed from our first game,” junior forward Brett Hamilton said. “We wanted to show we had something to prove.”

Hamilton thinks the underclassmen have contributed to the team’s early success.

“The underclassmen are doing well,” Hamilton said. “They are pushing us older players and making us compete at practice, which is making us better.”

Bogart attributes the team’s early win to the players’ common attitudes.

“We rely on effort this year. Other teams rely on talent,” Bogart said. “We lost players with basketball ‘savvy,’ but this year’s team works hard. The team constantly gives major effort.”

Along with emphasizing effort, Bogart plans on teaching all the players to take the initiative and show more responsibility. As a majority of the players are underclassmen, many of the younger players will have more authority.

“The players learn a leadership role starting through my example,” Bogart said. “The players hold each other accountable and learn leadership through example.”

With leadership and effort being a large part of this year’s team, the players have begun to work well together.

“[The players] have a common passion for playing basketball and competing,” Bogart said. “When effort is shared, bonds are formed.”