By: Hayden O’Connor
March 6, 2024
Hamilton Michigan where fields are farmed and where the wildlife lies, going through the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. The polished wood floor and squeak of the basketball shoes is where the Boy’s Varsity Basketball shines on Friday nights.
Playing a high school sport with your close friends can greatly impact how you play individually and as a team. Being close to each other helps you communicate better and more clearly. Playing with your friends, you have trust, and you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to succeeding.
Playing on a basketball team with your close friends is what the boy’s basketball varsity team of Hamilton has, and it’s a big deal. Being close to each other helps them communicate but it also at times has them struggle. According to Junior Londin Cooper, a point guard on the varsity team says “We can get mad at each other without really being mad”. Meaning that them being friends they can still communicate well while still being frustrated at each other.
Being close friends on the Hamilton Boys Varsity basketball team has a key benefit and it’s trust. Trusting your teammates plays a big role in playing basketball together. They can trust each other with each next step of the game, knowing that their teammate knows the plays when in time of a back-and-forth game. A junior James Hoffman said, “Yeah I do think we have made improvements throughout the year building relationships between each other and it’s also helped that a lot of us are friends outside of basketball”.
Comfort is also essential in the game of basketball. The Hamilton Boys Varsity Basketball team being close to each other, causes them to be comfortable in the game. Not being comfortable in a game could lead to them being too stressed and making little mistakes that aren’t made usually.
The Boys Varsity Basketball team knows each other’s strengths and weaknesses which is good for them as a team. Interviewing Gabe Schrotenboer, a junior on the basketball team, he says “Knowing our strengths and weaknesses helps us grow as a team because it shows us the areas where we need to grow in order to move forward and take the next steps toward success”. As a team knowing the strengths and weaknesses is a key thing, they know not to do something that their teammate may be weak on and something they are strong on like knowing to pass the ball because they know that their teammate is a shooter or driver.
Being close friends undoubtedly affects how they play. The communication that takes place on the court, the trust and comfort they have, and lastly them knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Being close friends playing a sport makes not only the game more fun but also makes them happier individuals.