The boys basketball season started 2 weeks ago and the boys are off to a great start. Basketball season is one of the most exciting seasons for the Bulldogs and the boys have shown great work already. 

When talking to a 4 year player and senior Collin Schrawyer, he had a few things to say about bulldog basketball. When asked about the dynamic this year vs. the dynamic from previous years throughout the team he said, “We only had 3 seniors last year, but this year we have 8. We are all ready to step up and lead the team to the state tournament. The last 2 years we’ve only had a few seniors so this year having 8 is a huge difference.” He continued to talk about his overall thoughts on being a senior, “being a senior is a huge part of the team, all the younger guys look up to us and follow what we do. This means we always have to be leading by example and doing the right thing on and off the court.” The season has been great and he talked about what he thinks of it so far by saying, “The season has been good we are 3-2. We are settling in with our new line up but we have lots of guys returning to the court with varsity experience. We also have a tall line up which isn’t common for Alliance.” With sports there always has to be goals set and met, for Collin he said that, “Our goals for the season are to win a district title and win a state championship, plain and simple. We were eliminated in the first round of the state tournament last year and we have had this sour feeling in our mouth since last season.” So, it is safe to say coming off a first round elimination from the state tournament last year, the Bulldogs are more than determined this year. Collin ended with some advice for underclassmen and added that “My advice for underclassmen is, take advantage of every opportunity you get, whether it is off season, summer ball, or camps. Go to everything you can, this will benefit you in the end.” Being Collin’s last year of basketball, it easy to say he has had good experience and really believes in what his team is capable of this year. 

Head Coach, Micheal Baker says, “The season has been very good, we had a good pre-season practice the first three weeks and we’ve had good games the first two weekends. Two of the three games were pretty decisive, and we were able to beat Columbus in a close game Friday night. We’re just looking to get better each week.” When asked about the overall leadership of the team and who has exemplified that he said, “Well you start with your seniors, certainly your most experienced players. Joel and Bradyn have had the most experience and they’re doing a lot of good things. Joel is a little more vocal leader. Trevor Dubray is an experienced player as well.” He continues to say that “All of our seniors do things to influence our younger guys the right direction and keep us steered toward our goal.” He said that the difference between last years dynamic and this year after losing three seniors would have to be “just the number of seniors, when you have eight seniors vs. three it’s a little different in terms of leading and so forth. Last year you would have some of those younger guys step into those roles as well, where as this year there’s enough seniors there that they’re usually doing the most.” There’s definitely more experienced players this year and Baker believes that is one of the biggest differences. When speaking about the potential of underclassmen he says that, “We’ve got a lot of good young players. Our junior class is strong, our sophomores are coming along, so there’s good things ahead, not just this year, but down the road as well.” When asked about his overall goals as a team and as a coach he replied with “Well as a coach you just want your players to get better each and every week, and to enjoy to play a game with their friends that they love to do. The team certainly wants to get better each week, they want to be in a position to compete for a position in the state tournament.” “That’s what we are building toward, but it is awful early yet. We just want to get better each week. We have some things that we need to correct from last weekend. Every week is just a new challenge with different opponents.” Coach Baker is definitely determined, just like the rest of the team is. 

The boys basketball team had a good start to the season, and after speaking to the head coach and a key player, it’s easy to say their mindsets are the same. The team is headed to do great things with the goals they have. The Bulldog fans should expect great things from the boys throughout the rest of their season!