Whether it’s a freshman playing for the first time in the gymnasium in D-hall, or a senior on varsity playing for the fourth year in the NISD gym, the 2020-2021 basketball season draws to an close after a season like no other.
Not only did THE NEST’S basketball team have to follow the regular COVID protocols of practicing with masks and staying socially distanced on the court, but they had to deal with a number of team quarantines.
“We had to self-quarantine in December for two weeks because of positive cases within the team, and, before that, I was out for about three weeks after suffering from a concussion. I wasn’t able to run, work out, read, watch TV, etc.,” varsity player Corey Brown Jr. said. After the three week rest, he was able to get on the court and get back in the game.
With COVID-19 cases on the rise in San Antonio, this season had all its players on their toes. The season could be discontinued at any minute if it is decided that it’s too unsafe to keep scheduling games across the district.
Due to a delayed start for football season, it overlapped more than in ordinary years, with football extending into early December. Some freshman athletes that played football wanted to be in basketball as well, but couldn’t play both sports at the same time. After the football season ended, many new students wanted to play basketball so the freshman team ended up splitting into A-team and B-team.
Freshman year is full of chances and growth. Freshman center Jordan McBryde took a chance for the team. He started off on JV, but soon enough he continued the rest of the season on freshman A-team.
“Coach Taylor offered more playing time if I played for freshman, so I took it. I felt as if it was a way to build up more confidence while playing more time in the game, so I wasn’t nervous to make a certain move. I could use the freshman games as practice to do things I wouldn’t normally do in games,” McBryde said.
As of now, the freshman team is currently on a two-week quarantine due to viral exposure from other teams. As the season is coming to a close very soon, they’ll only be able to play one more time, which is the last game of the season on February 12 against the Warren Warriors.
“With the quarantines going on and causing me to miss many games, my family and I decided for me to not play the rest of the season. It’s too high of a risk and unsafe to continue playing with many different people,” McBryde said. “I will play next year because this is my home and this is my family. Basketball is something I love to do.”
This year is the very first year where the Hawks play in the 6A division. THE NEST is growing rapidly and so is the love and teamwork in athletics. For senior varsity player Imani Jarrett, she knew she and her teammates showed real companionship and teamwork.
“In our first game in 6A, we had so many people doubting us and that game was giving teams a glimpse of what we can do on the court,” Imani said. “My biggest challenge this season has been learning how to react in high pressure situations. We were undefeated last season, so it’s been a real eye opener at how competitive everyone is now.”
With the coaching of Coach Barton and the hard work of the team, they took home a win on their first game in the 6A division.
“One of the biggest parts of our motivation is Coach Barton. It had been a long time since we’ve lost a game, but he always pointed out the positive aspects about the game rather than dwell on the loss,” Imani said.
She also shared a piece of advice for freshman girls aspiring to be on varsity someday: “Have fun and never lose love for the game. We get so wrapped up with wanting to be the best that we forget the best part is having fun with our teammates and that’s how we win games.”
For the freshman Lady Hawks, their first time playing in a high school basketball team faced difficulties presented by COVID-19, but they still manage to put their everything into the games. So far, they were extremely close to being undefeated.
For freshman Inaya Jarrett, this season is like no other. “The season has been different compared to what we’re used to due to COVID-19. Other than that, we’ve been doing well with our season minus the one loss. But we definitely are a great team!” Inaya said.
Freshman team member Alexa Romero recounts how the team produced results by coming together.
“When we first played Stevens, it was one of those blowout games. we beat them by at least 20. We all worked together and pushed through as a team. Even out coaches noticed that game was the one where it all clicked, our team chemistry came through and we all did amazing.” Romero shares. Photo taken by Bee Shalabi
As for the record, the freshman girls were undefeated in the first round until they played Brennan again and lost their first game.
When asked how she stayed motivated after losing the game and missing a few games due to a team quarantine, Romero responded, “I try to remember that these adversities we are facing are going to make us better in the long run. When it comes to losing, no one likes to lose so it pushes me and drives me to work harder.”
