Stretching. Weightlifting. Running. Scrimmages. The boys’ varsity basketball team has a lot of work to do if they want to get ready for the new season this year.

“We usually meet, talk about what we got to accomplish that day, any reminders for the week,” says Mr. Maietta, the teams coach. “We do stretches and agilities, and then we get into skill work, and then usually offensive and defensive fundamentals, and then any specials that we need to work on, and then we usually scrimmage towards the end of practice.”

Not only are the boy required to train during their practice, but they’re also encouraged to practice on their own time. Its important to practice outside of school as well to build stamina.

“Yea I practice on my own time. I really enjoy basketball and I think it’s really important I that I grind when I have the time so I can get better and improve my skills,” says Kassam Saleh, a basketball player at Argo.

A good way to get students exercising on their own is having weightlifting as one of their P.E classes. They also have a summer camp in June before the school year.

The training and the practicing the team is required to do is very beneficial. Basketball is a sport that requires a lot of running and jumping in different directions. It’s important for the team to build up their strength, speed, and agility to reduce the risk injuries on and off the court.

“Strength training is a fundamental element for the physical conditioning of basketball players. Its purpose is to improve explosive power and acceleration/speed around the court and to reduce the risk of joint and tendon injuries,” says Technogym’s newsroom.

Not only does the training prepare the players physically, but it also prepares them mentally. There’s a lot of stress on the court and sometimes players don’t feel like they can do they’re best. Some effective ways the team deals with this is through SSG’s (Small Sided Games), that they usually play against each other (3 v. 3, 5 v. 5).

“During practice, we scrimmage which makes me feel like I’m playing in an actual game just without all the pressure,” says an anonymous player on the team.

With practices 6 days a week that range from 2 – 3 hours, the workouts start to get repetitive. Most of the players said they usually do “stretches, suicides, and scrimmages.”

The practices haven’t always been this way. The coaches have had a lot of trial and error and they know what works and what doesn’t.

“We shoot the ball a lot more,” says Coach Maietta. “You teach a skill, you practice it, and you see it live. We do a lot of that: break it down, teach it, break it down live, and then put it into a game situation.”

With all the practicing that the team is doing, the team feels ready for the season to start, and they can’t wait to get on the court and play.

“My teammates and I have been training hard, and I want the see the chemistry that we have built in the last 2 months. I really think we’ve been working hard. I’m excited to see how the season plays out. I can’t wait to play on the court and dominate against the other schools,” says Victor Dyer Jr, a player on the team.