Over the past month, we sat down with a few players and coaches from the boys’ basketball team, who have just finished their season. This article is transcribed from the interview.
Players
How long have you been playing basketball?
Nas Greenfield (10th): Since I was 5.
Spencer Sparrow(9th): 7 years, since kindergarten.
What is your favorite part about being on the team?
Nas: Being with the boys.
Spencer: Just being able to play the sport I love, with people I like being around.
How do you think the teamwork was this season?
Nas: I think it’s a rebuilding season for us.
Spencer: Well it [wasn’t] going great, we could have been doing better, if we were playing the way we are now we would have been doing better in the beginning.
Imagine you’re in an intense game against a rival school. Describe the atmosphere and the mindset.
Nas: It’s very loud, and we have to win.
Spencer: You have to be quick on your feet. Don’t turn the ball over, and get up a good shot, give your teammates the ball.
Do you practice in the off season?
Nas: We do a little bit, not as much as most schools, but we do.
Spencer: We don’t do much team practicing in the off-season.
Outside of school?
Nas: Yes, I practice almost every Saturday. At the gym.
Spencer: Yes.
(Interview was conducted during the season.)
Coaches
How long have you been coaching?
Coach Robinson (JV): I’ve coached 21 years altogether…basketball, football, girls’ soccer, baseball, softball, a little bit of everything.
Coach Jarman (Varsity): I’ve coached 8 years in total. This is my 4th year coaching here…I assisted in high school in [Charles B.] Aycock for 4 years also.
What is your favorite thing about coaching?
Robinson: It’s a chance to stay close to the sport, and to have competition.
Jarman: Being together with the team. I enjoy spending time and working with them
What are your core values in coaching?
Robinson: I like for kids to stay accountable.
Jarman: My core values are sportsmanship, and always doing your best.
What are your goals for this year/next year?
Robinson: To make sure kids are getting better…try to mentally, physically, skill-wise prep themselves for the varsity level.
Jarman: Improvement is always gonna happen, the record will come the more you improve and build as a team. We have a lot of players that have played together from middle school, through JV, and now varsity. As those players stay together, and become more of a team, it will affect the record and the win/losses as well.
How do you learn from losses?
Robinson: You learn as a team, you also learn individually. I think both of those go hand-in-hand. Coaches, we learn every time we stand on the floor or the field. So if we don’t do well, we have to improve, and we pass it on to our players.
Jarman: There’s always something you can take away from a game, even when you lose a close game, or you lose a game you thought you should win, or a hard game from beginning to end.
How do you motivate your team?
Robinson: It’s different each day, each game. Dealing with high school students, you never know what kind of mood they’re gonna be in, what kind of drama’s going on. It’s our job as coaches to figure out what buttons to push, each day.
Jarman: Finding little things to be positive of, like specific plays, or one particular player whose effort was greater than they had been. Finding positives, finding execution, not just giving up and quitting, but still trying and putting in a good effort.
