Defensive slides, running lines and crafting new plays all go into a basketball preseason. This being said, the regular high school basketball season commences in November. However, CHS boys basketball got a jump start by beginning their preseason training as early as June.

There were many opportunities for new players such as green days (conditioning and practice sessions) and weightlifting. These workouts allowed for plenty of potential to improve on a player’s game before the November tryout date.

Senior Daniel Purvis is a returning varsity player who has already gotten into his basketball mindset this year. This is his second year playing fall league and he has started to see progress in the new athletes.

“Fall league games really help our team’s chemistry build before the season even starts,” Purvis said. “The ability to get out on the court and test different players’ dynamics is amazing for chemistry.”

Fall league is a series of games played between CHS and other neighboring schools. It gives the team a chance to try out new plays and defensive positions and to discover which lineup of players works best on the court. The preseason also gives time for the team to study other schools’ strengths and weaknesses and allows for early access to their plays. With this intel about other schools and a sense of how their new team might operate, players hope to be prepared for their regular season.

Five season varsity coach Rodney Carmichael takes advantage of this three-month period because it allows him to get a sneak peak of new contenders for his team.

“Fall league helps me to better understand how the new guys respond and adapt to stressful situations, both mentally and physically,” Carmichael said. “We have a lot of new freshmen in the gym as well, which is refreshing to see.”

So far, the fall team has played in 24 games called “jamborees,” which are events hosted at institutions such as Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. Additionally, they played 20 games in June for a total of 44 games. Currently, the team currently has a record of 27 wins and 17 loses.

“Fall league is not a ticket straight to varsity. It is instead an opportunity for guys to be active and work on the sport they love,” Carmichael said.

Senior Kolaade Folorunsho is interested in playing for varsity this year, so he has attended many practices and weightlifting sessions. He believes his increase in engagement with the coach and team during this preseason time will help his chances of scoring a varsity spot in the winter.

“At the end of the day, a three-month period of gameplay is better for a coach to gauge your skills than just a three-day tryout of drills and conditioning,” Folorunsho said.

This story was originally published on The Purple Tide | The Knightly News on October 28, 2024.