By Kevin Barry
Co-Editor-in-Chief
With the start of the winter sports season drawing near the Hammond boys Basketball team is “locked in” as Junior Guard Sami Baig described. This season the team will be under new leadership as first year Head Coach Holley looks to take the reins. With newfound strong leadership and promising young talent the Golden Bears look to make a big splash.
Some of the team’s strongest returners include Senior Captains Justin Christian, Nate Chiatey, Ashton Contreras, as well as Junior Justin Campbell. The crew is highlighted by the 6’5 point guard Justin Christian as he brings leadership and experience to this young team. Despite the common hangover from a new coach Christians hopes couldn’t be higher “I want us to have the best record in the county and win states” as well as setting a modest goal for himself as he strives to win player of the year this season. Averaging 12.1 points per game and 7.5 assists per game Christian only looks to build upon his successful Junior campaign.
Senior Captain Nate Chiatey also hopes to “win regionals at least and go top 3 in the county”. The sharpshooting big put up his career high of 18 in their season opener against Glenelg last year, and hopes to carry that same strong start with him throughout the season.
Coach Holley brings a new mentality with him this season as his tough off season regime is designed to build up stamina, both physically and mentally. As stated by Christian “The new coaches have pushed us very hard this off-season, with workouts almost everyday to make sure we’re conditioned and disciplined.” These new changes are working to help change the culture surrounding Hammond basketball.
When asked, many players said the teams they most wanted to beat this season were Long Reach and Glenelg. With the season ramping up Hammond looks to push past expectations and take down a few rivals in the process.
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