Heart, family, and selflessness is the mantra for this year’s North Platte men’s basketball team. It is evident that the team plays by these values on the court. The team is well-rounded and dependent on every athlete for each and every game according to junior Will Phillips.

The North Platte men’s basketball team has a record of 3-14. Although the record is not great, the team plays hard and never quits. Sophomore Chesney Tatman said, “For sure we could have given up, but we’ve worked harder. Even though our record doesn’t show it, we work very, very hard to try and get better everyday.” The team takes a lot of pride in their defense and are very good hustlers according to sophomore post Kade Wroot.

Seniors Ki’jana Owens, Rashawn Bryant, and Marcos Reyes are the only guys on the roster who consistently started varsity last year. The experience has definitely helped, Bryant leads the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game. Senior Ben Gosnell is the team’s starting center. Jace Barker and Adam Engel are also important role models to the team. Tatman recognizes the value of leadership to a young team. “Jace Barker [has been my role model,] although he is the smallest player on the team, he shows the most hustle, strength, and how to be a good leader,” he said, “ [The leadership] is huge because, with us, we have a fairly young team. It seems like a different senior steps it up each week to show us how to do our best. They kind of set a work ethic level that teaches us to push ourselves to our best potential,” said Tatman.

With four sophomore posts, the team is developing to some extent. For Wroot, the toughest aspect to adjust to is the tempo and the size. It has been a learning experience for the underclassmen, but they are looking to improve. “They really stepped up this season to fill a big role and are open to learn and get better,” said Phillips in reference to the sophomores. The team’s second leading scorer is sophomore Bryson Krull. He averages around eight points per game and leads the team in rebounding with around six per game. Although the team is young, they have a bright future and a lot of talent to build around according to Phillips.

For the girls (2-15), the lack of seniors is more glaring. This year’s team has only two seniors in Allison Kuenle and Maxwell transfer Josie Cox. The team relies on the seniors for leadership. Junior guard Abby Jones said, “ They help push us to victory.” The seniors are role models for the younger players. Sophomore Kyilee Elsten said, “ We definitely look up to them and try to push ourselves to make them proud to have us on the varsity team. Allison Kuenle has so much energy and is always postvive and makes everyone feel like they are doing a good job, even if they aren’t.”

The seniors are not the only ones answering the leadership call. Sophomore Katy Hansen has taken advantage of the opportunity. Jones said, “[Hansen has] stepped up to her new role on varsity.” Jones is optimistic about the team’s future, saying, “We are going to have a good future and our underclassmen are going to develop into good leaders and are going to be ballers.”