The basketball season starts in winter, but what are the freshman boys doing now to prepare? There has been a camp for the boys who are going to be on the freshman basketball team, and they have been practicing before the season starts. I interviewed a member of the team named Andrew Rubenstein who plays the position of small forward. I interviewed him in order to get his personal experience from the camp, to learn more about how they are preparing for the season, and how they think it is going to go.

Their practices are just like any other practice. Andrew states that they do a lot of footwork drills, as it is important to be able to maneuver around the court fluently in order to have more opportunities to score. Good footwork will also give them a defensive advantage against their opponents. They also work on their offense and defense during practice through drills. Andrew says that they also scrimmage a lot. Scrimmaging lets them simulate what a game will look like for them whether they are on offense or defense, and they will be able to point out flaws and notice things that they are good at. This will allow them to focus more on the things they could work on, rather than spending time doing drills on things they already have perfected. Even though it is beneficial to spend more time working on their weaknesses, it is still good to keep a balance of skills in practice. For one reason, this will keep them on top of their game, and keep their skills sharp. For another reason, it will help the players who may be worse at performing things that the overall team is better at. It is important for players to be able to do anything efficiently. You never know what you are going to be presented in a game. It is important to be able to play out any scenario, and to do that you have to have an array of skills.

Andrew was asked about the general performance of the team. When asked how he thought he would perform, Andrew said, “I think I’ll have a solid season averaging around 6 points per game and being a good team player.” Confidence is key when it comes to performing in sports. On a team, it is important for everybody to put in all their effort and do the best they can at every game in order to win. When Andrew was asked how he thought the team would perform together overall, he stated, “I think the team will perform pretty well. We have good players but how we perform will depend on how we work together.” Andrew expressed his concern about the communication on the team, and how their individual performances would mean nothing if they didn’t work together well.

Andrew says that the biggest weakness of the team is communication. He claimed, “Most of us don’t really know each other so we are nervous around each other which causes a lot of mistakes which could have been avoided if we talked to each other.” Most of the guys aren’t too familiar with each other, which makes it harder to be able to communicate. This could greatly affect them during games if they are not all on the same page. This is why the pre-season camp is important for them, it allows them to warm up to each other and build a connection before the season starts. When it comes to the team’s strengths, Andrew stated, “Our team’s biggest strength is finishing through contact. Most of our team’s points are scored inside the key” This shows that the team will rely on cutting into the key to go for a layup or a closer shot. They will use this to their advantage by creating a route and splitting up the defense in order to drive in and make that shot. This requires communication all around the team to be able to split up the defense and drive them away from the hoop. Especially with passing, the easiest way to score in the paint is to pass the ball to a teammate that is cutting in, this requires good communication throughout the team. The camp will allow them to get used to each other before the season so that communication is better when game time rolls around. Once they can communicate well, who knows what kind of plays they can run to manipulate the defense into certain spots that make it easier to pass the ball around and work together. With all of their assets combined, they are sure to have a good season on their hands.