Ninety freshmen. Twenty-four spots. For the past two weeks, Bellarmine’s newest athletes have been competing against one another to gain a position on this year’s frosh basketball team. Many have been on the court months prior to the actual tryouts in order to practice to show off their best game to their potential coaches.
Mr. Romano, the athletic director, was positively astounded by the high numbers of those trying out. “I think freshman basketball is one of our most, if not most, competitive sport when you really just boil down the numbers,” he said. “The teams in the past couple years have been on the lower side, last year was I think about 65, so you’re talking about a monster increase year after year.”
Typically, coaches and their teams create a universal goal for everyone to fulfill. For this team in particular, he said, “I hope they [those who make the team] have a deep appreciation and gratitude for that opportunity because it really is a very special and unique opportunity. For the guys that don’t make it is to get a better understanding of the holes in their basketball game and to improve them and strongly come out as sophomores for the JV team.”
Additionally, Coach Facione, who has been analyzing and moderating the team and its tryouts, shared a similar perspective with Mr. Romano. “I hope that they grow as individuals. That they challenge themselves and understand what it means to be part of a team, and that they are successful in terms of wins and losses for their own payback for the time they put in their commitment,” he said.
He expressed that he will hold a deep sense of appreciation for what everyone has done to prepare. “I appreciate the amount of effort they put in. Some of them have put two to three months in preseason conditioning and open gym just to get ready for these tryouts. I wish we had ten different teams so they could all participate, but unfortunately we have to get down to those twenty-four roster spots,” Mr. Facione said.
Like any sport, basketball is physically robust and requires a high level of commitment and practice. The idea of trying out is a huge accomplishment for the individual and whoever makes the team deserves their position. The trial period is still going on, scheduled to supposedly end on November 18th. No matter what happens, one thing is for sure: this year’s freshman team is bound to accomplish great things during the upcoming season.