The first week of September is a busy week for a basketball team. The guys resumed weight training this week, which we will do a minimum of 3 times per week from now until the end of November. They are coming in after school with Coach Shultz, the girls head coach and our resident "fitness guru", this week but starting next week, I will also bring some in for morning sessions with me. We also began open gym sessions this week, which will continue every Monday and Wed in Sept and Oct, 6-7:30p on Mondays and 6:30-8p on Wednesdays. All open gyms will be held at the Middle School. On Sundays, beginning Sept 18, the varsity guys will also be playing in the Vonnie Grimes Fall League. I will post schedules on this site...
Our main focus for this preseason is teaching our guys the TRUE meaning of competition and intensity. We need to learn how to compete at an ultra-high intensity level and be able to maintain our focus at the same time. This is not an easy task for a high school athlete, much less an entire team, but I believe it is paramount to our success for the upcoming season. It will be a "shock to the system" for the first few weeks of preseason, I am sure, but it  is necessary in order to squeeze every ounce of potential out of these young men. By teaching them to add intensity to everything they do - not just athletics, but academics also - we are teaching them a life lesson that will help them beyond the walls of West York. By teaching them how to compete, we are equipping them with the necessary skills to not just survive, but THRIVE in the hyper-competitive environment of the "real world". In a way, their high school basketball careers are simply practice for the REAL test when they leave these hallowed halls and set out on their own!