Joseph Till
Sports Editor
The boy’s basketball team is off to their best start since the 2013-14 season. Currently sitting at 11-6 (2-1 in district), which is second best amongst district teams entering district play, has the team feeling good according to head coach Stefan Jewasko.
“We have really grown as a group since the start of the season,” Coach Jewasko said. “I feel our guys have done a good job of responding to both the highs and the lows that a season brings.”
The team is led by senior captain Brendan Wenzel. Wenzel, who is committed to play basketball at UTEP, has led the team in scoring the past two years with 20 points per game last season and currently leads the team this season with 22 points per game.
“I feel like this season started out great for us and we still got a lot of things to work on, but I feel like this year could be really good,”Wenzel said.
It has been four seasons since the team has made the playoffs, a streak this team is hoping to end.
“The first step is an undeniable belief within our group that we will be where we want to be at the end of the season, and then, a willingness to do whatever it takes to get there,” Coach Jewasko said.
One reason the team has been able to get off to such a quick start, according to Coach Jewasko, is that plenty of guys can play when called upon.
“One of the strengths of our team is the depth,” Jewasko said. “We have had a variety of guys play important roles in our wins this year.” Wenzel had similar views with his coach. “This team’s strength this year is definitely shooting. Almost everyone on this team can shoot the ball extremely well and we all get along, which I feel hasn’t been the case these last couple years,” Wenzel said.
Two guys who have caught some attention early on this season are sophomores Thomas Worrich and Issac Orozco. Although they are young and relatively inexperienced, they have brought a lot of energy to the team early on,
“[Worrich and Orozco] have really shown that they can bring a lot to the table,” Wenzel said. “They both have been playing really well and as long as they keep playing as they have been, they will do really good.”
Despite the quick start, the team still has room for improvement to get to where they want to be.
“Our biggest weakness at this point is simply being consistent in doing what we want to do and how we want to do it,” Coach Jewasko said.
Wenzel agreed that the team can improve with more attention to detail,
“Some weaknesses on the team is that we don’t talk and communicate on the court much and [in] practices,” Wenzel said. “If we start eliminating those weaknesses, we’ll be even better.”
A name that was brought up multiple times as being a leader was three-year letterman senior Brandon Jones.
“[Jones’] strength first is leadership by example,” Coach Jewasko said.Wenzel also had praise for his fellow team captain,
“I would say Brandon Jones is one of the bigger leaders along with me just be- cause we lead by example in practice and always try to make other people better,” Wenzel said.
With the Panthers hot start and district play now underway, there is a strong belief that the playoff drought may be coming to an end.
“To make playoffs I feel like we each gotta do what we’re individually good at and play as a team,” Wenzel said. “If we each play our role, we’ll make playoffs this year.”