New coach sets high expectations for boys basketball

With a new coach, new members, and new goals, the varsity boys basketball team has nowhere to go but up.

Many team members feel that Brad Enright, their new coach, has contributed immensely to the team’s performance and heightens their chance of success.

“He’s keeping us in check all the time so I think we’re going to be pretty successful this year,” junior Brandon Ford said. “I can tell from his resume that he has a lot of coaching experience and knows what he’s doing.”

Senior Mike Nelson feels that Enright has not only helped them grow skill-wise, but also mentally.

“He’s helping us a lot and I think he’s doing a great job of teaching us not only to be basketball players but to be men,” he said.

With the new coach comes higher expectations.

“We try to run our program like a college team is operated so the players have to live up to the responsibilities that we held players to at the other institutions where I have worked,” Enright said.

The practices have also been kicked up a notch.

“They’re private and they’re long and they’re hard,” Nelson said. “They’re getting harder, especially after we won. Everyone’s doing a lot of talking so he’s making us work.”

The motivation behind all the work is, of course, rivalry.

“Our biggest competition is Westview because they don’t like us and we don’t like them,” sophomore Kyle McAtee said. “We have two really big games against them and we’ll probably come out with victory.

“Hopefully if we put in the time and effort that we’re capable of, they I think we can definitely get to our goals.”

Many teammates feel that they have become closer than last year.

“We’re more mature, more experienced,” junior Jack Ellis said. “We know how to work as a team better.” Nelson agrees.

“We were a lot younger and I think we’re way closer this year than last year,” Nelson said. “I like the brotherhood, always being together all the time.”

As of Dec 12, the team has played eight games with a record of 3-5.

The Holiday Hoops tournament will be held at MC on Dec 26 and 28-30. It is a 16 team tournament with eight games per day.

MC will play on Dec 26 at 8 p.m. Enright encourages all students to get involved.

“We would love to see as many students there as possible to support our guys,” he said. “The players have done an exceptional job of playing hard and giving themselves a chance to win.”

This year’s season has bright prospects.

“This coach is going to be different,” junior William Hou said. “We’re going to be a new, better team.”

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