Baskets for Teamwork

Roman Davis
Staff Writer
  One of the main things most can hear in the gyms of Bonneville High School are the dull thumps of basketballs where the teams are practicing . It is not anything new, as sports have always been an important part of a high school experience. After a few interviews with the teams, a picture of what goes on behind the scenes came together.
  Alberto Galloso Ganau, one of the players on the varsity basketball team, said in one of the interviews after being prompted to talk about if there was anything he would change with the team, "I would not change anything, I love my team. You know that bond you get with a friend? I have that with my team." He proceeded to talk about his relationship with the team, mostly about how they work together. In his words, "We mostly do practice games against each other and hone our skills as best as we can. If we miss a day of practice, we could lose a game coming up so it is important to keep in shape."
  In another interview, one being from Kaitlyn Nelson on the JV girls basketball team, she mentioned how difficult it can be. “Sure, basketball is a hard sport, probably not as hard as some of the other sports, but luckily we try to lessen the stress on each other.” There is a lot of stress on players shoulders at times, from trying to get better to things outside of the team. And managing that stress is a hard thing to learn how to do.
  Sports are a big part of anyone’s culture, stretching from childhood into adulthood. But upon taking a look further into the team and how they work together, they mostly rely on verbal communication and a lot of training that people don’t see.
  "Basketball requires a lot of patience with others and mostly yourself. You can't get upset with yourself and quit if you want to grow," Ganau said when asked about how the sports mindset is for him. "A lot of stress is always on our shoulders pushing us to be better at what we do, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."
  Usually when taking a look at sports teams, it is at a game when they are working their hardest— but when getting a look behind the scenes, it is a lot more than throwing around a ball and scoring points. A team is not just a group of people working together, it is a family; a bond that can not be broken even under the immense pressure of winning the game.

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