Coach Laman leads new TJ boys Varsity Basketball team to success. photo by Macey Murray
The time has come for another great season of boys’ basketball.
The Thomas Jefferson hoop squad is back with plenty of newcomers, in hopes of having another great basketball season. CCT teacher and coach Grant Laman has only two returning players from last year’s lineup, senior Kieran Cecil and junior Jai Jackson, but the team as a whole has a lot of potential. With the energy and charisma of this youthful team, they are sure to draw a large fan section and put some wins on their record.
Coach Laman is excited to coach TJ basketball for his alma mater for the 15th consecutive year. Laman said, “I might smile the biggest on a game or two where we might not win but still have the love and support from the TJ fan section;” the crowd continues to come and support the team no matter the outcome. Laman is looking forward to the new faces on the team this season, and thinks that a non-experienced team could be just as good as an experienced one, depending on the passion and motivation the players bring to the court.
This winter, the new batch of varsity players will lace up their shoes and bring down the nets for another great season. “Hopefully I will be able to see some of the new players grow in their social lives along with on the court,” stated Laman. Newcomers to the varsity line up, junior Alex Regulski, senior Adrian Chambers, senior Deveon Carter, junior Kenny Pope, junior Dre Jackson, senior Tomas Salazar, junior Izaac Ruybal, sophomore Ryan Cecil, sophomore Logan Cecil, and sophomore Kedric Jackson, have all been a part of the TJ hoops program for two or more years and know what the challenges are ahead. Chambers explained, “Our team will do well because most of us played together on the junior varsity team last year so we have a good bond already.”
With the record of 10-14 from last year, a high bar is set and the team has to work together to accomplish their goals. How individuals work together in a team sport is critical, and the boys already had to prove themselves in the first game of the season by taking a win against Berthoud with the score of 35-25. Laman stated, “It was a great start, we played with a lot of energy and effort. This season we will have to make our mark on defense.” They continued to work hard in the Vista Peak tournament on December 2-3, but sadly could not beat Fort Morgan 37-44, and, unfortunately, they were unable to get the win against Cheyenne Mountain, losing 31-40. After the tournament, the team is averaging 34 points per game, along with 26 rebounds. With this is mind, the Vista Peak tournament was a good way to begin the season, and the boy look forward to improving as a team.
