With the roar of the crowd still echoing from last year’s triumphs, the boys’ varsity basketball team steps onto this year’s court with renewed energy.
With only three returning players this season, compared to 11 in the previous year, the team faces a significant adjustment, Phil Ralston, Head Coach of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team, said. Despite the shift to a younger lineup, senior Aldin Habibovic, forward and center captain, remains optimistic about the team’s potential. The focus is less on “rebuilding” the team, but more about improving every day, Ralston added.
“Starting from the first day of tryouts all the way to the end of our season, our goal is to try to build up to that point where we’re going to be the best possible product that we can be,” Ralston said. We want to be a better team in February and March than we are right now.”
Older athletes play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the basketball program by guiding the younger teammates, ensuring the continuation of the core values that have driven the team’s success, Ralston said.
“It’s returning varsity players [job] to help mentor the younger athletes,” Ralston said. “It’s important for them to kind of carry on that tradition and pride.”
Titans Win State (TWS) is an acronym the team carries on their shirts during each game, reflecting their ultimate goal of each season, Ralston explained. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to ensure the newer players have the mindset that each game counts, Ralston said.
“The main difference with this year is that with all these young players, [we are] trying to learn their way of maintaining our culture, but also trying to maintain a very high level of basketball play,” Ralston said.
For senior Anestis Hadistamoulou, captain and point guard, keeping the blue and gold culture is paramount, he explained. As a freshman, he was taken under the wing of the graduating seniors, and now he is doing the same for the younger players, Hadjistamoulou said.
“At first it was a little sibling kind of relationship, but then, as [the team] grew older, fought on the court, and had so many experiences together, we became equals, and they were my closest friends,” Hadjistamoulou said.
Being prepared both mentally and physically is vital to having a successful game, Hadjistamoulou said. Watching film and preparing off the court is a huge step to being prepared.
“Being prepared means warming up correctly, knowing what plays the other team’s are doing, what their tendencies are, and then just playing relaxed freely,” Hadjistamoulou said.
Habibovic’s primary advice to younger players is to stay confident and composed, emphasizing the importance of trusting their own abilities.
“Just play your game, don’t overthink it,” Habibovic said. “Do what you do best and stay in your comfort zone.”
This season, the team continues many traditions and continues to bond by going to Dengeos after every game or having pasta parties to carb-load before, Hadjistamoulou said. Getting to know each other has been a big step in building the team’s chemistry, creating a solid foundation for the season ahead, Hadjistamoulou explained.
“A lot of the younger guys, although they’re newer to this team, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to learn and get better,” Hadjistamoulou said.
