As the 2023-2024 North Atlanta basketball season is underway, a wave of excitement is filling the halls, as many students are very excited to see their beloved basketball team take the court for another year. However, not a soul is as excited as new young hoopers on campus, as they get the opportunity to gear up for the first time, repping the “NAHS” across their chest for the new year, Freshman Basketball Team. As many of these new freshmen were a part of last year’s Sutton Middle School Basketball Team, it will be interesting to see how these players adapt to the sudden change from playing for a middle school team, to playing in a high school environment under new coaching, new plays, and a new North Atlanta standard for winning.
One of the biggest things that is very necessary in the great sport of basketball is the presence of chemistry and brotherhood, and as the new freshman team gets ready to take the court for the first time, their bond is stronger than ever. Transitioning to the pressure of being a high school athlete can be a challenge for some players, so the presence of a strong bond on the court can make the transition as smooth as butter. “The chemistry our team has will make playing in high school much easier,” said freshman Dwayne Carter III, “We are all friends and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses because we have all played together.”
As these new players adjust to a new school, new coaches, and new goals as a team, one of the toughest things to adjust to is the new teams and they must be able to adjust to the overall increase of difficulty that comes with high school basketball. With this new challenge that lurks ahead, the new team must be able to find a way to adjust to the environment that being a high school basketball player introduces. “I’m excited to play high school basketball, especially because it means we are playing for more,” said freshman forward Graham Overby, “We can try to eventually make it to the varsity team one day if we prove ourselves on the freshman team.”
The end goal for any freshman basketball player is to eventually make it to the varsity team as they level up in their high school career. Being on the freshman team is the perfect opportunity for some of these players to set the tone of how the game will change in a more serious environment, so these freshmen must be able to display high levels of skill during big games to impress JV and Varsity coaches. “I see being on the freshman team as an opportunity to prove myself as someone who can play on the varsity team in the future when I get older and deeper into high school,” said freshman Will Balch.
North Atlanta’s freshman basketball team is new this year, and with a new team, comes new expectations and new challenges. If the team hopes to succeed on the court this year, the players need to bind together and use their chemistry from their middle school days to make their school proud in their first year of high school basketball.
