As the 2024 Boys District Basketball season rages on, the steadily growing hype surrounding it does too. Kilgore’s Varsity team currently ranks third in district with a score of 6-1, while the JV team is on a winning streak with a score of 7-0. District is the time of the year for the players to show off how much they’ve learned since the beginning of the year, and the new strategies coaches’ have up their sleeves.
“We lock in on our weaknesses and try to to improve them week-by-week while also continuing to develop our strengths,” Assistant coach Autin Hawley said.
Every basketball season offers something new. It’s a period of maturing. A time to not only fly high in basketball, but prepare to soar in life.
“(I look forward to) watching my kids grow throughout the season, not only on the basketball court, but in life,” Assistant coach Kaleb Brisendine said. “As a coach, we teach the game but most importantly, I like to teach my kids about life. Basketball will not last forever, so getting them prepared for the real world is my main goal.”
With that being said, we all have a favorite part of each and every season. One aspect that makes us form a smile everytime we think about it.
“(My favorite part is) seeing the improvement from the start of the season and winning enough to make it to playoffs,” Senior Brady Reeves said.
It’s easy to get lost in all the cheering that erupts from stands. It’s easy to forget the motivation behind each pass, swish, and slam dunk.
“Just knowing that we have fans that come support us and know that me and my teammates are relying on each other helps provide motivation,” Junior Cooper Shipman said
As always, being confident is key to winning anything. It’s important to have confidence in your team, and confidence in yourself.
“I’m very sure that if we beat Chapel Hill, district is ours for the taking,” Freshman Da’Kalynn Murphy said.
The Winter season isn’t quite over yet, though. The Kilgore Bulldogs eighth game will put them against Carthage on our home turf on February 2.
