You walk onto the basketball court, excited to practice and play. You’ve been practicing with your peers with the hope of making the team, making sure you got your layup down and your jump shot on lock. Then you get the news: you didn’t make the team. 

On Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. in the boys varsity locker room, freshman Gus Solitro had the unfortunate news that he had been cut from the basketball team.

“I think that personally, it’s because the freshman basketball coach quit right before tryouts, so the new coach didn’t get to see what I could do,” said Solitro.

Choosing and cutting players is not an easy task, but assistant varsity coach Javon Walker gave insight on some of the reasons.

“I got a few reasons: lack of discipline, lack of conditioning, lack of IQ, lack of basketball experience. There can be other factors, you know, favoritism plays a role. I’d even say lack of parental support, as far as preparing the athlete for the specific sport,” Walker said.

 Solitro never got to be on the official team. Due to it being his first year of high school, he doesn’t have the advantage of knowing any of the coaching staff, unlike the older kids. 

“I mean, I went to all the practice and conditioning before for the summer,”  said Solitro. 

Even though Solitro attempted to show his commitment, he still got cut. Getting cut seemed to have an affect on him, though it isn’t going to stop him. 

“It made me kind of disappointed,” Solitro said. “It made me lose motivation to play a little bit, but I’m working to get back again.”

Basketball has been a major part of his life since he was a kid, and it’s clear that he really cares about it.

 “I really love it, it’s my favorite thing to do,” said Solitro. 

Even though he was rejected, Solitro believes that giving up is not an option, and he plans to try to get on the team as a sophomore next year.