At the beginning of the season for the North Atlanta varsity men’s basketball team, there were plenty of Warrior fans in the school gymnasium. But as the early-season progressed and a strong of losses racked up the ranks of hoops fans started to thin. The team started off the year with a series of close losses to Lovett, South Atlanta, Cambridge, Forsyth Central and Grady. Seniors on the team pinpointed the reason behind the early-season losses. “We were playing as individuals and the team wasn’t a team,” said senior Adrienne Gaines.

Players were more concerned with being the highest scorer and having showcase plays. Team coaches stressed that true basketball greatness came from becoming a team of role players, athletes interested in collective and not individual glory. Another early-season problem was the fact that the team was not at full strength, as current starters Ronald Bell and Donavon Ham were not in the lineup during fall semester. The season started to turn around on December 16 with the season’s second match up against South Atlanta. In a hotly contested match, the Warriors won the game 61 to 59.

The Warriors have several seniors – players like Ethan Staes, Myles Jenkins, and John Lambert – who are talented enough to possibly gain scholarships at NCAA Division 1 basketball programs. Colleges like Georgia State University, the U.S. Naval Academy and Kennesaw State University are among the programs that have sent scouts to watch Warrior hoopsters.

After South Atlanta victory, the Warriors beat Pace Academy and Whitewater. There was a wide-margin loss to Westminster on Dec. 29 but the Warriors rebounded to defeat Kell, North Springs, Forsyth Central, Sprayberry, Washington and Cass. Many of the wins were by gapingly wide margins. Leading Warrior scorers have been point Lambert and Bell. The team is currently ranked third in the Region 7B 5A standings behind Riverwood and Kell.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, the Warriors won their first playoff game against Cass by the score of 52 to 44. The second round of the playoffs has the Warriors playing Dalton on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Creekview High School.