By Ava DeSimone
For the Mashpee boys varsity basketball team, much has changed since the start of their season. They were 3-1 going into the holiday break. However, there was a COVID outbreak on the team coming off of the vacation, which negatively impacted the Falcons and since then they have struggled to get back on their feet.
The COVID pause led to much more challenging competition, and their losses had a lot to do with their stamina, according to Coach Justin Clark. Even after a few weeks of recovery, the team is experiencing frustrations and are not where they were in the beginning of the season.
It’s never easy getting back into something after some time off and even having to adjust due to player injuries and COVID. Junior forward Braden Fraser shared with the Falconer that, “The most challenging part has been team chemistry. Since we were hit with COVID we’ve had different injuries and different players in different roles so we haven’t really been able to find consistency."
Their current record is 5-8, and they are aiming for more success throughout the duration of this 2022 season.
For the Mashpee boys varsity basketball team, much has changed since the start of their season. They were 3-1 going into the holiday break. However, there was a COVID outbreak on the team coming off of the vacation, which negatively impacted the Falcons and since then they have struggled to get back on their feet.
The COVID pause led to much more challenging competition, and their losses had a lot to do with their stamina, according to Coach Justin Clark. Even after a few weeks of recovery, the team is experiencing frustrations and are not where they were in the beginning of the season.
It’s never easy getting back into something after some time off and even having to adjust due to player injuries and COVID. Junior forward Braden Fraser shared with the Falconer that, “The most challenging part has been team chemistry. Since we were hit with COVID we’ve had different injuries and different players in different roles so we haven’t really been able to find consistency."
Their current record is 5-8, and they are aiming for more success throughout the duration of this 2022 season.
The Falconer asked Coach Clark what they are hoping to turn around within the next couple of weeks: “We have nine games left in three weeks, so getting better everyday like I said: practice and hopefully getting more opportunities to practice. And trying to make a push because we are 5-8 right now, so we would like to get close to that .500 mark at least, so that’s kind of a goal right now. Being more physical and just being sharp defensively is kind of the biggest thing I’m looking for.”
Junior shooting guard Jack Spencer told the Falconer, “In the upcoming games we are looking to turn this dry streak around and get back to where we were at the start of the season.”
The Falcons are on the same page regarding their season and are determined to end their last few weeks with success, and maybe even make the tournament.
With the tournament approaching, despite their record, Junior forward Sean Fancher has stayed optimistic: “In the coming weeks I am hoping that we can turn our record around and make a push for the tournament. We still have a long way to go but it’s doable.”
Nonetheless, the Falcons have had their share of highlights from the season; winning the home opener game against the Falmouth Clippers, having some good plays when they move the ball around and work together, and recently getting out of a game losing streak.
Coach Clark was asked what his expectations were for players going into the 2022-2023 season. Here’s what he had to say: “The offseason is the best time to improve offensively, so all individual skills, ball handling, scoring, a lot of that you need to do on your own in the off season. I’m looking forward to seeing who’s gonna be able to make a jump and we obviously need some help scoring, so the opportunity is there for the whole program to step up and just continue to improve. I think there’s a good young group coming up so I definitely think we’ll be much improved next year."
Junior shooting guard Jack Spencer told the Falconer, “In the upcoming games we are looking to turn this dry streak around and get back to where we were at the start of the season.”
The Falcons are on the same page regarding their season and are determined to end their last few weeks with success, and maybe even make the tournament.
With the tournament approaching, despite their record, Junior forward Sean Fancher has stayed optimistic: “In the coming weeks I am hoping that we can turn our record around and make a push for the tournament. We still have a long way to go but it’s doable.”
Nonetheless, the Falcons have had their share of highlights from the season; winning the home opener game against the Falmouth Clippers, having some good plays when they move the ball around and work together, and recently getting out of a game losing streak.
Coach Clark was asked what his expectations were for players going into the 2022-2023 season. Here’s what he had to say: “The offseason is the best time to improve offensively, so all individual skills, ball handling, scoring, a lot of that you need to do on your own in the off season. I’m looking forward to seeing who’s gonna be able to make a jump and we obviously need some help scoring, so the opportunity is there for the whole program to step up and just continue to improve. I think there’s a good young group coming up so I definitely think we’ll be much improved next year."