You’ve had a long, difficult basketball season, and finally, you’ve reached the end, the offseason.

Though the main course is over, your work is not quite over yet. During the offseason, you must train, eat well, stay active, and improve your skills based on your last term’s results.

Junior Matthew Kettmann plays basketball in his free time and plans to join the Loy Norrix team next season. To prepare for the tryouts in November, Kettmann practices basketball three days a week, both with and without friends. Kettmann began basketball at a very young age, just as many others did.

“I started playing basketball in middle school when my friends asked if I wanted to play,” Kettmann said. 

Kettmann believes starting basketball early can help develop important skills faster. Kettmann also believes that starting sports during middle school can help build interest in sports and grow friendships with others who share a passion for playing, even when not professionally. 

Many high school students who play on a team began practicing during middle school.

If someone starts growing their interest in sports during their early years, it makes building common interest and knowledge in the sport easier..

Kettmann plays with friends, and has for a long time. When he played basketball as a kid, he befriended many people while playing. He believes having other people to play with made him better overall during competitive play.

Kettmann believes that students and players coming in from middle school should know the steps to take during the offseason and before their freshman year tryouts, so they can prepare. 

“I think a lot of people from 8th grade who play basketball and are coming to their freshman year will play basketball, and they will need to know this stuff,” Kettmann said. “I play with friends – competition helps people get better.” 

A common belief in sports is that having friendly competition can improve skills faster than playing alone, especially when the opponent is a friend. Having a friend or two to play with can simulate the feeling of playing real games on a team, which helps prepare players for future competitive games.

During the offseason, Kettmann, along with other students, plans to attend the summer workout program for sports players. In this program, players train with coaches who volunteer to help students prepare for the upcoming season. Attending a program like this can help further improve skills by pushing friendly competition and training. This workout program also keeps students sharp and dedicated by increasing the effort they put into playing their respective sports. 

“We see kids come in scrawny, and they come out with a decent build, ready to play,” said Coach Richard Rashad. 

Rashad believes that building a connection that a team needs, along with the skills players need to perform well, can be achieved by going to the summer program. He feels that the better chemistry, connection, and general ability to critique each other are key to building a great team.

“Players need that chemistry to be able to perform well,” said Rashad. Kettmann believes having his own schedule for his offseason is important. He thinks that anything you don’t want to do, you shouldn’t have to do, although he believes that practice and exercise are still important. Kettmann enjoys having a free schedule with basketball, especially during the summertime. 

“I like that nothing you do during the offseason is mandatory. There is no schedule,” Kettmann said.

Many players are excited, or even nervous, about the tryouts that are coming up soon. Though some may feel otherwise, Kettmann feels nothing but enthusiasm to try out for the team.

“The next season starts in November. I’m pretty excited to show how much better I’ve gotten,” Kettmann said.

Kettmann also said he is looking forward to playing on the basketball team with his friends, and not just for the sake of competing. 

Most students play basketball competitively during the season, but Kettmann believes that even during the next season, he can fit some time in to play for fun with friends. Kettman believes that doing the difficult process of training for the upcoming tryouts will be beneficial.

“We hope to see some great players next season,” said Rashad.