This is the first basketball season in the new Tritons gymnasium
Atlantis coaches are making their lists and checking them twice.
The rosters are full for the 2018-2019 Atlantis winter basketball season, and teams are ready to play.
Atlantis made its varsity basketball debut last year, and both the boys and the girls teams got a couple of wins under their belts. Athletic director Chad Gormly predicts both teams will build on their initial success this season, especially the boys’ team which is packed with talent.
“We had only one senior on the boys’ team last year, and we have a lot of returning players this season who will bring a lot more experience. As a result, I expect the team to be even stronger and faster this year.”
Winter sports tryouts were held when students returned from Thanksgiving break. At least a dozen girls attended tryouts, and an impressive 36 boys vied for spots on the team. Because of the high turnout among the boys, Atlantis is able to offer both boys varsity and boys junior varsity this season with 14 players on each team. Students who did not get a spot on the team will be placed on an alternate list.
We do not like to make cuts if they can be avoided, so players that do not make the team are placed on an alternates list,” Gormly explained. “So, if we lose a player early in the season to a season-ending injury, or if a player does not meet behavioral and educational standards, then one of the alternates can fill the vacant spot.”
This year, Atlantis invited 7th and 8th graders to try out for the high school teams rather than have a separate middle school team. Gormly says this integration is quite common with schools the size of Atlantis and is allowed provided the students are under one roof.
“I think the change is going to strengthen our basketball program,” Gormly said. “The younger players will learn a lot by playing on a high school team and will return each season with more experience under their belt.”
The boys had their home opener on December 10th against Holbrook. The girls played their first home game December 13th against Norfolk Aggie. The teams will have home court advantage for the first time. Work on the new Tritons Gymnasium was completed last April, after the basketball season had ended, so these will be the first basketball games played on the new floor.
Gormly says if attendance for basketball is anything like what it was for volleyball, he expects to have a packed house for games.
Atlantis varsity cheerleaders will be on the sidelines to pump up the crowd during boys’ varsity basketball games. The middle school cheer team will cheer on the boys’ JV team. The cheer teams also plan to attend a few competitions later this winter and hope the Atlantis community will come out to root them on!